Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty was conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award during the 70th National Film Awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on Tuesday. As President Droupadi Murmu presented the award, Mithun delivered a heartfelt speech reflecting on his incredible journey in the film industry and also touched upon how his career choices led him to his iconic image as the ‘sexy, dusky Bengali babu.’
Mithun recalled winning his first National Film Award for Mrigayaa and how it led to a shift in his mindset.“I thought I had achieved something truly significant,” he admitted, sharing an anecdote from a screening of the film, where he was told by a distributor, “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 The remark, referencing his role as an Adivasi man in the film, made Mithun realize how challenging his journey would be.
The actor humorously recounted his ‘Al Pacino phase,’ when his initial success made him overconfident. He shared an incident where a producer slapped him after he lazily asked to send the film’s script to his residence. “That marked the end of my Al Pacino phase,” he laughed, drawing hearty applause from the audience.
Mithun Chakraborty Holds Back Tears On Receiving Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Gets Candid On Struggles
Mithun also spoke candidly about the challenges he faced due to his skin color, revealing that many in the industry told him that dark-skinned actors wouldn’t survive in Bollywood and him 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,” a line that drew laughs and applause, including from Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Reflecting on his career, Mithun remarked, “I received nothing on a platter; everything I earned was through hard work.” He revealed that he often questioned God for his struggles but now felt at peace. “After receiving this award today, I will never raise complaints to God again.”
Mithun ended his speech with words of encouragement for aspiring actors. “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.”
