Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty has been ruling the industry and millions of hearts for decades. He recently opened up about receiving the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Along with sharing his disbelief at being honoured with India’s highest recognition in cinema, he also recalled his humble beginnings, which included sleeping on the footpaths of Mumbai.
In a recent conversation, the veteran actor shared how he had become arrogant after he won his first National Award and how it affected his attitude, work.
Mithun Chakraborty talks about his early struggles
In a conversation with India Today, Mithun Da spoke about his early struggles, he said, "Yeh safar bahut katheen tha. Many tell me why I don’t make a biography. Main kehta hoon nahi kyunki meri story logo ko inspire nahi karega, unko morally down kar dega. Jo young ladke struggle karte hai unka himmat tod dega. It’s so hard, so traumatic, so painful. I came from a blind lane in Kolkata and Bombay was also so hard. Some day I wouldn’t get food and I would sometimes sleep on footpaths.”
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Further, he added, "For that boy to win India’s biggest award in films, I still can’t digest it. Abhi tak hosh sambhala nahi (I am still in daze). Such a big award. Main khushi se hass bhi nahi sakta, khushi se ro bhi nahi sakta. (I am totally stunned and I am not out of it yet).”
Recalling the time when he had gotten arrogant after winning a National Award, Mithun said, "After Mrigayaa, I got my first National Award. Jo hota hai, I started acting like Al Pacino. Aisa lag raha tha that I am the greatest actor. Mera attitude change ho gaya toh producer ne dekh ke bola ‘get out.’ (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…"
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Mithun is set to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award as its 54th honoree. This prestigious award was established in 1969 to honour the legacy of Dadasaheb Phalke, widely regarded as the father of Indian cinema. Notable previous recipients include legendary actors and actresses like Prithviraj Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Raj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, BR Chopra, and Yash Chopra. Waheeda Rehman received the prestigious award in 2021.