Chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Mithun Chakraborty reflects on his journey from ‘Kolkata’s lanes’ to Mrigayaa and stardom
Mithun Chakraborty
It started out as just another Monday for Mithun Chakraborty as he was shooting for Shriman vs Shrimati in Kolkata, when he received a call stating that Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, wanted to speak with him. “[Next thing I know], the I&B Minister congratulated me saying I have received the Dadasaheb Phalke award,” the senior actor exclaims.
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Yesterday, Chakraborty was named the recipient of the prestigious award. It is a worthy addition to his illustrious 48-year career that has seen the veteran actor, 74, win three National Awards, and the Padma Bhushan earlier this year. To him, the latest achievement has yet to sink in.
“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?”
That Chakraborty was destined to make his mark in movies was evident in his debut film, Mrinal Sen’s Mrigayaa (1976), which earned him his first National Award. “Mrinal Sen had seen me at a farewell party at the FTII [Film and Television Institute of India]. He saw my back and said, ‘That’s my Ghinua.’ He told Hrishikesh Mukherjee that he wanted this tall boy with a terrific physique for his movie. I had six-pack abs at the time,” he laughs.
What followed was a successful career in Hindi and Bengali cinema, with the actor ushering in the era of disco dancing in India with Disco Dancer (1982). He fronted several mainstream hits, including Hum Se Hai Zamaana (1983), Kasam Paida Karnewale Ki (1984) and Dance Dance (1987). “Nothing came on a platter. When I became a superstar, I had to hold on to it. That was a bigger struggle. People tell me I am a legend, but the journey was never easy.”
‘Padma and Phalke in one year’
Mithun Chakraborty’s actor-son Mimoh said he was “overwhelmed and grateful” by the recognition accorded to the veteran actor. “I’m thankful to the government for giving him this prestigious award. It’s very well-deserved. I’m happy to say that in one year, he has been the recipient of two awards, the Padma Bhushan and now the Dadasaheb Phalke Award,” he said. Describing his father as a man of simple taste, Mimoh elaborated, “When we go to Los Angeles, we have to force him to go to a store and buy clothes. Even with iPhones, we have to tell him to upgrade. He does not believe in living life extravagantly. He believes in living life honestly and [doing] everything with utmost honesty.”
- Oshin Fernandes
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