Mukherjee-Samarth family
The Mukherjee-Samarth family is a Bengali-Marathi Hindu family that has been involved in the Hindi film industry since the 1930s, Shobhana Samarth having first acted in a film in 1935. The Mukherjee family was connected to the Samarth family by Tanuja's marriage to Shomu Mukherjee in 1973.
Mukherjees
The Mukherjee side of the family is a Bengali Hindu Kulin Brahmin family which was originally headed by Sashadhar Mukherjee's father Haripada Mukherjee, a lawyer hailing from the present-day state of West Bengal, who established a successful practice in the city of Jhansi. Sashadhar, who went on to become one of the pioneers of Indian cinema and the founder of Filmalaya studios, was Haripada's second son. Sashadhar would later go on to marry Ashok Kumar's sister Satirani Ganguly.Their five sons, Rono Mukherjee, Joy Mukherjee, Deb Mukherjee, Shomu Mukherjee and Shubir Mukherjee followed him into the industry. Rono was the director and composer of a single movie. He is the father of actors Sharbani Mukherjee and Samrat Mukherjee. Joy and Deb were both actors. Deb's son is director Ayan Mukerji and daughter Sunita is married to director Ashutosh Gowariker. Shomu became a director and producer, and is the father of actresses Kajol and Tanishaa. Shubir is also a producer.
Sashadhar's elder brother was Ravindramohan Mukherjee, a renowned magistrate in Jhansi. He had 3 sons and 5 daughters. His eldest son Lalit Kishore Mukherjee was married to Monica Mukherjee and had 5 children - Surjoe Mukerji, Gauri Chakravarty, Bina Chatterjee, Shakti Mukerji and Satyajit Mukerji. Ravindramohan's second son, Shyam Mukherjee, worked as a film editor, and remained a bachelor till his death in 2015.
Ravindramohan's youngest son, Ram Mukherjee, was a film director and one of the founders of Filmalaya Studios. He died on 22 October 2017. He had two children with his wife Krishna Mukerji, the actress Rani Mukerji, and Raja Mukerji, who is a producer.
Sashadhar's younger brother, Prabodh Mukherjee, was a film producer. He died on 3 May 2008, leaving behind his wife Parul Rani Mukherjee, and their sons Tapan and Basudeb. Both sons work in the film distribution business.
Sashadhar's other younger brother, Subodh Mukherjee, was a director. He died on 21 May 2005. He is survived by his wife Kamala, sons Subhash and Sanjay and daughter Gitanjali. None of Subodh's children, unlike their cousins, are involved in show business.
Filmalaya Studios is currently owned and managed by the surviving Mukerji brothers.
Samarths
The Samarth family is a Marathi Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu family. Their legacy in films began with Rattan Bai, who acted primarily in Hindi cinema. Her daughter Shobhna Samarth, was an actress and appeared in the film Ram Rajya as Sita. Later she acted in supporting role in films like Love in Simla, which also featured Joy Mukherjee. Shobhna's husband was the film director Kumarsen Samarth. Her cousin, Nalini Jaywant, was also an actress.Shobhna's daughters are Chatura, Tanuja and Nutan. Tanuja and Nutan became actresses in Hindi films. Tanuja was a moderate success, but it was Nutan who became a huge star. She is tied for the record for the most Filmfare [Filmfare Filmfare Best Actress Award|Best Actress Award|Best Actress] awards won with her niece Kajol.
Tanuja and Nutan's children have also entered the film industry; they are the fourth generation of Samarths to do so. Nutan's son Mohnish Bahl is an actor and his daughter Pranutan Bahl is an actress; Tanuja and Shomu's daughters Kajol and Tanishaa are also actresses.
Notable current members
Kajol Mukherjee
The daughter of actress Tanuja Samarth and filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee, Kajol is one of the most popular actresses in Hindi cinema. She has won six Filmfare awards among them five for Best Actress and one for Best Villain. She was the first woman to win the Filmfare best villain award. She has numerous blockbusters and hits to her name such as Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Gupt: The Hidden Truth, Ishq, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Fanaa. Her films with Shah Rukh Khan have been huge hits.Kajol is married to actor Ajay Devgn; the couple has a daughter, Nysa, and a son, Yug. For a few years, she focused on her marriage and motherhood, sidelining films. Her comeback film Fanaa with Aamir Khan was hugely successful as was her 2010 release My Name is Khan. She has also acted in her husband's directorial debut U Me Aur Hum.
Her younger sister Tanishaa, aunt Nutan, grandmother Shobhna, great-grandmother Rattan Bai and cousins Sharbani, Mohnish and Rani are also actors in Hindi cinema, while another cousin, Ayan, is a director, and grandfather, Kumarsen, was a poet.