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Indian cinema legend Mithun Chakraborty received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award during the 70th National Film Awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday. As President Droupadi Murmu presented the award, the audience rose to give him a standing ovation.
Overwhelmed by the warm reception, Mithun found it difficult to speak initially. “If it were film dialogues, I could have easily delivered them by reading out. But right now, I have no paper to help me with this speech,” he said. Nevertheless, he delivered a heartfelt speech about his journey.
“I have stood on this stage three times before this, thanks to your blessings. After receiving my first National Film Award, my mind started to go awry. I thought I had achieved something truly significant. Some time after that, I attended a screening of the film (Mrigayaa) that could be instrumental in finding a distributor. After the screening, I approached a man whose name I won’t reveal since he is no longer with us, and asked him what he thought of the movie. He said, ‘Son, the movie is really good, and you are a terrific actor. But what will you look like with clothes on?’ I froze for a moment, wondering if I was standing naked before him. Then it hit me — he was referring to my role as an Adivasi man who is always naked from the waist up,” he recalled.
“As I mentioned, my mind went haywire after winning my first National Film Award and I started thinking I was as talented as (Hollywood actor) Al Pacino. I thought I had already accomplished something big and my entire attitude changed suddenly,” Mithun Chakraborty said, reminiscing about how he became irritatingly laid-back, much to the annoyance of many producers. “They didn’t realise I was pretending to be Al Pacino. One day, in that same laid-back tone, I told a producer to send the story to my residence. He stood up, gave me a tight slap and asked me to leave,” the actor added, noting that this incident marked the end of his Al Pacino phase.
Watch Mithun Chakraborty’s full speech at 70th National Film Awards ceremony here:
#WATCH | Delhi | Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient actor Mithun Chakraborty narrates his journey in the Indian film industry and advises the youth to “never give up and always dream”
(Video source: DD News/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/HKJgdKQ7m8
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
President Droupadi Murmu presents the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to actor Mithun Chakraborty during the 70th National Film Awards, at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi. (PTI photo)
“I soon understood that I was in the wrong and realised that no one would offer me roles anymore. The biggest challenge I faced was related to my complexion. Back then, people said that dark-skinned actors wouldn’t survive in the film industry and advised me to go back home. I prayed to God, asking if he could change my skin colour, but he couldn’t. Then I thought about what I could do and realised I could dance. I decided to become such a great dancer that once people saw my legs move, they wouldn’t notice my skin colour. That’s how I became the ‘sexy, dusky Bengali babu,’” he shared, eliciting laughter from the crowd, including Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw, who joined in the applause.
“I received nothing on a platter; everything I earned was through hard work. Hence, I often complained to God, asking why, despite all these struggles, I was receiving more pain. Eventually, I accepted that this was how it was going to be. But I was wrong. After receiving this award today, I will never raise complaints to God again,” he mentioned. Mithun Chakraborty wrapped up his speech by encouraging aspiring actors facing financial difficulties not to lose their courage. “Never stop dreaming… but remember, when you go to sleep, you should be alone; don’t let your dreams sleep. If I can do it, so can you all.”
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