Mithun Chakraborty, the star who danced his way into history with iconic hits like ‘Disco Dancer’, ‘Dance Dance’, ‘Pyar Jhukta Nahin’, ‘Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki’ and ‘Commando’, has lived one of the most dramatic journeys in Bollywood. From being shamed for his skin colour and thrown out of films even after winning a National Award, to sleeping on footpaths during his struggling days, his rise was anything but easy.
Mithun’s early days
Mithun was born on 16 July 1950, as Gouranga Chakraborty. He studied at Kolkata’s Scottish Church College. Coming from a lower middle-class family, he faced financial struggles right from the start. Later, he cracked admission into the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), one of the country’s most prestigious film schools, where he trained to be a professional actor.
Sleeping on footpaths to survive
His road to films was far from easy. Before his debut, Mithun went through years of hardship in Mumbai. He often slept hungry and even spent nights on footpaths. Recalling those dark days on the reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs, Mithun had said, “I have seen days when I had to sleep with an empty stomach, and I used to cry myself to sleep. In fact, there were days when I had to think about what my next meal will be, and where I will go to sleep. I have also slept on the footpath for a lot of days.”
Why Mithun does not want a biopic
Despite his success, Mithun never wants his life to be made into a film. He explained, “And that’s the only reason I don’t want my biopic to be ever made! My story will never inspire anyone, it will break them down (mentally) and discourage people from achieving their dreams. I don’t want that to happen! If I can do it, anyone else can do it. I have fought a lot to prove myself in this industry. I am not legendary because I have given hit movies, I am a legend because I have surpassed all the pains and struggles of my life.”
Winning a National Award but losing work
Mithun made his big screen debut with Mrinal Sen’s ‘Mrigayaa’. The film not only marked his entry into Bollywood but also won him the National Award for Best Actor. While most actors wait years for such recognition, Mithun achieved it with his first film. But instead of helping his career, the award created unexpected problems.He recalled in an interview with India Today, “After Mrigayaa, I got my first National Award. As it happens, I started acting like Al Pacino. It felt like I was the greatest actor. My attitude changed, so the producer saw this and said, ‘get out.’ Then I realised my mistake.”
Shamed for skin colour in Bollywood
If pride slowed him down, prejudice nearly broke him. Mithun was constantly reminded of his complexion. In an interview with Radio Nasha, he shared, “I was always called out for my skin colour. I have been disrespected for a lot of years because of my skin colour.”He used dance as a way to shift the focus, “I thought that if I danced with my legs, nobody would see my colour and that happened. My dance made people forget my colour. Nobody imagined a hero with my colour. I used to feel very bad and I used to cry.”
Becoming the common man’s superstar
For millions of fans, Mithun became proof that even someone with nothing could make it big. He said,“Looking at me, people’s expectations increased and they thought that even my son can become an actor despite living in a chawl or village. I became a common man’s hero. It was a very big thing for me to become a superstar of a common man.”
Zeenat Aman breaks the industry jinx
Just when he was being pushed aside, help came from one of Bollywood’s leading ladies. Zeenat Aman, who was at the peak of her career, agreed to star opposite him in Brij Sadanah’s ‘Taqdeer’. It proved to be a turning point.As Mithun shared on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, “It was Zeenat ji who broke the jinx. Zeenat ji had the status of the number 1 heroine of that time, so following her footsteps, every other actress started saying yes to the films that I worked in. With Taqdeer’s release, I became an A-category actor.”
From ‘Surakshaa’ to ‘Disco Dancer’ fame
Three years after ‘Mrigayaa’, Mithun hit another milestone with the 1979 spy thriller ‘Surakshaa’. This film laid the foundation for his superstardom in the ’80s. The success was followed by blockbusters like ‘Disco Dancer’, ‘Dance Dance’, ‘Pyar Jhukta Nahin’, ‘Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki’, and many more’. His unique moves and on-screen charm made him the king of dance films and one of the biggest stars of that decade.Beyond commercial hits, Mithun proved himself as a serious actor too. As reported by IMDb, he went on to star in over 350 films across multiple languages. He went on to win two more National Awards for ‘Tahader Katha’ in 1992 and ‘Swami Vivekananda’ in 1998. Decades later, his contribution to Indian cinema was celebrated once again when he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 70th National Film Awards in 2024.
