Mithun Chakraborty: Earlier, they wanted me to do action or dance

Mithun Chakraborty

Mithun Chakraborty firmly believes it's never too late to start something new. Which is why questions about making his digital debut at 71 amuse him. "I find it weird when I read stories that I am making my digital debut. Change is inevitable, and I am an actor who likes to adapt. An actor is dead if he is not passionate. Retire if you are not passionate; work only if you have that fire in your belly," begins the veteran star. His unbridled passion for his craft has led him to take on Bestseller, which stars Shruti Haasan and Arjan Bajwa.

The Amazon Prime Video offering sees Chakraborty as a clever cop, who is brought in to investigate the attacks on the near and dear ones of a famous novelist, essayed by Bajwa. Chakraborty sums up his character in one word: "rangeela". "He is unpredictable - sometimes he is comical, at other times, he will go off-track and talk about something unrelated. He is a lively character."

Bestseller features Chakraborty, Bajwa and Gauahar Khan

Having been a part of Bollywood for over four decades, Chakraborty is happy to notice the changes that have seeped into showbiz. With filmmakers telling myriad stories, the industry has slowly but surely shed its ageist ways to offer meaty roles to senior actors. "Times have changed. Earlier, there was a pattern. They only wanted me to do action or dance. [Rarely] would I get good scripts. Now, actors' [career] span has increased because they are doing character roles. I am enjoying this phase because I am [being offered] so many varied roles." That must make picking projects easy? Hardly so, laughs Chakraborty, admitting that he hasn't quite learnt the art of turning down offers. "I can't say no to people because I don't want to hurt anyone. So, I make some excuse and move on [from the project]."

Even as he is enjoying the current phase, the actor harbours no illusions about the industry. "I don't expect anything from this industry. The industry, like any other field, will not give you anything in return. As long as I am living, I [matter], but if I am not there tomorrow, things will move on. We are all replaceable."