Mithun Chakraborty, who made his acting debut with Mrigayaa in 1976, is being honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The actor, who will receive the award at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony on October 8, still can't believe the news. In an exclusive chat withZoom, the veteran star revealed that he initially thought that he was being scammed.
Mithunda, congratulations! It couldn’t have gone to a more deserving actor!
Thank you. It feels unreal! Almost like a dream.
So, what was you reaction to winning the Phalke award?
I couldn’t believe it! I thought it was a crank call or something.
Who would dare make crank call to you?
Yeah, but at that moment, dimaag utna kaam nahin karta. The call came straight from the Ministry Of Information & Broadcasting. When the information sank in, I was numbed. I still am numbed. Is this really happening to me? I was a nobody. I never imagined I would come this far.
We've seen your growth from the start, from Mrinal Sen’s Mrigaya, for which you received the National award for best actor?
Yes, but National Award doesn’t fill your belly. I had to do all kinds of films to keep my kitchen fires burning. And I proud of all my films, good, bad or ugly. I had a wife and four children to feed. At one point in my life, I moved to Ooty with my family to look after my hotel business. Bahot papad belen hain hum ne.
And now today, this singular honour from the Government?
Yes. Without making any effort to get anything. I have never demanded anything. Whatever I’ve got in life has come to me without my efforts. It’s all God’s grace. My family especially my wife (former actress Yogeeta Bali) has been a tremendous support.
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What is your message to your fans after this win?
That if Mithun Chakraborty can do it, so can anyone else. That it is okay for the common man like me to have dreams. They do come true.
What projects are you currently working on?
It is a Bengali film featuring me and Anjan Dutt for the first time together. It is calledShriman Vs Shrimati, and it is directed by Pathikrit Basu. I am enjoying myself shooting in Kolkata. My beginning as an actor was in Bengali. Now, life seems to have come a full circle. I couldn’t be happier.