Mithun Chakraborty

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mithun Chakraborty

• Does Mithun Chakraborty smoke?: Yes

• Mithun Chakraborty is not only an actor, he is also a singer, producer, writer, social worker, entrepreneur, and politician.

• One of the most interesting facts of his life is that he was Naxalite before entering films. During his days as a Naxalite, he was friends with Ravi Ranjan, a popular Naxal figure.

• Mithun had one brother who was electrocuted and died.

• Thereafter, he decided to leave the Naxal movement due to financial constraints in his family. He, however, had a threat to his life from the Naxals.

• He later went to Pune, where he enrolled at the FTII and underwent acting training. After completing his training, he landed a job as an assistant to Helen.

• Mithun Chakraborty has been a renowned dancer in Bollywood. The ‘Disco Dancer’ whose moves taught the entire nation to dance, has worked in many movies and is one of the established actors in the film industry.

• Mithun’s life journey intrigued many Bengali writers which is why they penned down many books on him. By Now, Mithun Da has 5 books written on him in Bengali, namely, Amar Nayikara, Ananya Mithun, Mithuner Katha, Cinemay Naamte Hole and Marbo Ekhane Lash Porbe Shoshane.

• CINTAA, the body which backs up needy actors was founded by the benevolent Mithun Da. He had joined hands with Dilip Kumar and Sunil Dutt to start the Cine T.V Artistes Association in 1992. Recently, Mithun Chakraborty and Anil Kapoor launched the ‘CINTAA’ Website.

• His acting talent was not restricted to Hindi movies. Mithun Da has also appeared in Bengali, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Telugu and Punjabi movies as well. In total, he has acted in more than 350 films.

• For his first movie, Mrigayaa (1976), he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor. He went on to win National Awards for the films Tahader Katha (1992) in the Best Actor category and Swami Vivekananda (1998) in the Best Supporting Actor category.

  

• He received the role in the film after its producer saw Mithun flirting with some college girls in Pune, which impressed him.

• Before receiving his debut film, Mithun worked in small roles in the films and even appeared as an actor’s body double.

• Despite Mithun’s appearance in mainstream cinema in 1976, he did not have enough money to feed himself. He once asked a journalist to bring him something to eat before he could give his interview.

• After hosting Dance Bangla Dance successfully, Mithun generated the concept of Dance India Dance that airs on Zee TV in India.

• Chief Minister of Best Bengal Mamta Benarji nominated him as a member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. On 26 December 2016, he resigned from the Rajya Sabha.

• In the late 1980s, Chakraborty was the ambassador of Panasonic Electronics for India. Now he is the brand ambassador of GoDaddy, an internet domain registrar, and web-hosting company.

• In 1989, he made it to the Limca Book of Records for appearing in 19 films in the lead role.

• He was the highest-paid actor in the 1980s and the 1990s.

• Mithun founded the Royal Bengal Tigers (sports team) for ICL(Indian Cricket League) in 2007.

• Mithun was diagnosed with an Ischemic Cerebrovascular Stroke after being rushed to Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals in Kolkata as he felt uneasy on 10 February 2024. ^[2]The Times of India

• On 22 April 2024, he received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour, from President Droupadi Murmu.

  

• In a video clip shared by the makers of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on YouTube in May 2024, he talked about his ex-girlfriend who dumped him. While narrating his heartbreak, Mithun said that when he later met the same girl again on a flight, he told her that what she did was right as it made him a superstar. He said,
  

  Ishq kar betha, pagal ho gaya tha mai. Fir ek din vahi hua ladki chodke chali gayi. Fir samay badla. Mai star se superstar, fir maha superstar. To aisa hi ek kissa hua ki ek din plane main safar kar raha tha. Aur vo ladki bhi safar kar rahi thi plane main. Lekin vo mujhse nazar chura rahi thi, mila ni rahi this. Mai utha, gya, maine bola kaha kya hua nazar kyu nahi mila rahi ho. Muh ghuma lia. Mai socha ki she is feeling guilty. To usko ease karne ke liye maine kaha ki nahi, us waqt tumne jo kiya tha, vo sahi kiya tha. Maine kaha ki isi liye keh raha hu ki kaun.. Ek insaan jisko khane ka tikaana nai, sone ka tikaana nai, uske saath kya future bnayega? Kya de paunga mai us ladki ko? To maine kaha ki tumne sahi fainsla kiya tha. But she started crying. To boli, ‘Nai, I think I made a mistake.’ Us samay aapke saath yeh nahi karna chahiye tha. Maine bola, ‘Agar shayad tum nahi karti, to yeh legend ban hi nahi sakta tha.”

• He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony in October 2024.

• He is also a two-time Filmfare Award winner.