Mithun Chakraborty; Famous Bollywood actor

OV Digital Desk
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Mithun Chakraborty

Mithun Chakraborty a Bollywood actor, singer, producer, writer, social worker, entrepreneur, television presenter who works predominantly in Hindi and Bengali films. He is a former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards and three National Film Awards.

Chakraborty owns the Monarch Group, which has interests in the hospitality and educational sectors. He has also started the production house Paparatzy Productions. In 1992, he, along with Dilip Kumar and Sunil Dutt, set up a trust to help needy actors called Cine & T.V Artistes Association (CINTAA). He was also the Chairperson of Film Studios Setting & Allied Mazdoor Union, which takes care of the welfare of cine workers and resolves their demands and problems. The television show Dance India Dance where Chakraborty is the Grandmaster has already been entered in the Limca Book of Records and the Guinness World Records. Chakraborty played a crucial role of mediator between Pranab Mukherjee and Mamata Banerjee, winning the Congressman the support of the Trinamool chief in the 2012 presidential election.

Early Life

Mithun Chakraborty was born on 16 June 1950 in Kolkata to a Bengali family. Chakraborty earned an honours degree in Chemistry from the University of Calcutta and later studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.

Mithun Chakraborty made his acting début in 1976 in the film Mrigya, directed by Mrinal Sen; a film for which Chakraborty went on to win the prestigious National Film Award for Best Actor. Even after winning this award, Chakraborty had to struggle to find a foothold for himself in the Hindi film industry in Mumbai and he started this by becoming an assistant to famous dancer Helen, by taking on the name Rana Rej. During his days as a struggling actor in Mumbai, Mithun Chakraborty got an opportunity to share screen space with Bollywood legends Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha in the film Do Anjaane, in which he plays Bachchan’s neighbour. Do Anjaane was followed by films like Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan, Hamara Sansar, and Amar Deep. Chakraborty’s film Mera Rakshak was immensely popular in 1978 and soon things began looking up for the actor in Bollywood. It was Ravikant Nagaich’s spy film of 1979 Suraksha, through which Chakraborty entered the limelight. Basu Chatterjee’s Prem Vivah, also in 1979 added another feather to Mithun Chakraborty’s cap.

In the 2000s, Chakraborty acted in many hits’ Bengali films such as Guru, Barood, Yuddho and Titli among others. The actor made his comeback to Hindi cinema with his film Elaan in 2005 and went on to star in Mani Ratnam’s hit 2007 film Guru, loosely based on the life of industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. In 2009, Chakraborty starred with Dimple Kapadia in a critically acclaimed film Phir Kabhi. This was premiered through a direct-to-home release and not the usual theater release and went on to win six awards at the Los Angeles Reel Awards, also in 2009.

Apart from acting, Chakraborty has been part of Bengali dance reality show called Dance Bangla Dance, after which he went on to develop an Indian dance competition, called Dance India Dance. Today, this show is India’s largest dance-based reality show.

Awards and Honours

He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor in Agneepath and Best performance in a Negative Role for Jallaad.

He later won two more National Film Awards for his performances in Tahader Katha (1992) and Swami Vivekananda (1998). Chakraborty has appeared in more than 350 films, including Bengali, Hindi, Odia, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Punjabi pictures.

He is the record holder in the Limca Book of Records for 19 movie releases as lead actor in the year 1989 and the record is still unbroken in Bollywood as of July 2020.

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