Mithun Chakraborty danced so people would ignore his dark complexion: 'I became sexy, dusky, Bengali babu'

Mithun Chakraborty Pic/AFP

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the government's highest recognition in the field of cinema. President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious award to Chakraborty, a star of films such as ‘Mrigayaa', ‘Disco Dancer', and ‘Prem Pratigya', during the 70th National Film Awards ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.

Mithun Chakraborty danced so his dark complexion could be ignored

The cinema veteran, who was wearing an arm brace in his right hand, received a standing ovation from the A-list gathering as he walked to the stage along with an aid. Mithun said in his speech, "Everyone accepted me as an actor because of my complexion. I was told my dark skin colour would not work in the film industry and that I should go back. People passing by would call me 'Aye Kaalia', you can guess the insults. I would ask God if he could change my complexion. I thought to myself that I could dance. I danced so that people could ignore my complexion. People forgot my skin colour and I became a sexy, dusky, Bengali babu."

Mithun Chakraborty's reaction to Dadasaheb Phalke Award

In an earlier interview with Mid-day, Mithun said, "I am sitting here dumbfounded. I cannot laugh or cry with joy; I cannot understand what I've done to deserve such a high honour. I was reflecting on my journey, which began in the lanes of Kolkata, then took me to Mumbai, where I lived at Five Gardens, and now here. How can somebody like me get the highest Indian award in films?"

The award comes months after Chakraborty, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour.

Mithun Chakraborty's Bollywood journey

Mithun is an alumnus of Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) who has predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali cinema. He made his acting debut with Mrinal Sen's 1976 film ‘Mrigayaa', for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor. He earned two more National Awards for 1992's ‘Tahader Katha' (Best Actor) and 1998's ‘Swami Vivekananda' (Best Supporting Actor).

Chakraborty shot to stardom with his distinctive dancing style in the 1982 superhit ‘Disco Dancer', which is widely credited for ushering in the era of disco dancing in India through chartbusters like ‘I Am A Disco Dancer' and ‘Yaad Aa Raha Hai'. The film is one of the rare Hindi movies to have earned Chakraborty fans globally, including Russia, Japan, and Uzbekistan.

(With inputs from Agencies)