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Mithun Chakraborty was announced on Monday as the recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest government accolade for contributions to the Indian film industry. The veteran actor, who has previously won three National Awards, has experienced a remarkable journey from hardship to stardom. In past interviews, Chakraborty has openly shared the struggles he faced during his early days in Bollywood, revealing how he slept on footpaths and went hungry while searching for work. He also spoke about the discrimination he faced due to his skin colour, enduring years of rejection and disrespect.
Reflecting on his challenging journey, Mithun expressed that he wouldn’t wish the struggles he faced on anyone. During an appearance on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs, he said, “I never want anybody to go through what I have gone through in life.” Sharing the ‘disrespect’ he faced due to his skin colour, he said, “Everyone has seen struggles and fought through difficult days, but I was always called out for my skin colour. I have been disrespected for a lot of years because of my skin colour….”
He further recalled the bitter experiences of sleeping on the streets, crying himself to sleep and struggling for food. “I have seen days when I had to sleep with an empty stomach, and I used to cry myself to sleep. In fact, there were days when I had to think about what my next meal will be, and where I will go to sleep. I have also slept on the footpath for a lot of days,” he added.
Originally from Kolkata, Mithun revealed that his struggles were so overwhelming at one point that he even contemplated ending his life as he didn’t have the option to to return to his hometown. Speaking about being inspired by the Naxal movement in the 70s and later giving it up due to a tragedy in his family, Mithun had told journalist Ali Peter John in an interview, “People in the industry and outside it knew all about my involvement with the Naxalite movement in Calcutta and my close links with Charu Mazumdar, the fiery leader of the Naxalites. I had quit the movement after there was a tragedy in my family, but the label of being a Naxalite moved with me wherever I went, whether it was the FTII in Pune or when I came to Bombay in the late seventies.”
Calling his struggle intense, Mithun told Times of India that he believed he would never achieve his goals, “I even thought of committing suicide. I couldn’t even return to Kolkata due to some reasons.” The actor, however, advised his fans not give up on life without a fight. He also called himself a ‘born fighter’ and someone who ‘doesn’t know how to lose.’
Mithun Chakraborty’s career has spanned over four decades, during which he became one of Bollywood’s most iconic actors. Known for his breakthrough role in Mrigayaa (1976), for which he won his first National Award, Mithun shot to stardom in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Pyar Jhukta Nahi, and Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki.
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