Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty to be honored with Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, star of films such as “Mrigayaa”, “Surakshaa”, “Disco Dancer”, and “Dance Dance”, was on Sep 30 named recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the government’s highest recognition in the field of cinema.

The announcement comes months after Chakraborty was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honor, by the Government of India.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw made the announcement on X.

"Mithun Da’s remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations! Honored to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Sh. Mithun Chakraborty Ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema," the minister said in the post.

The award will be presented to Chakraborty at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony on October 8, 2024, Vaishnaw said.

The three-member jury — comprising former Dadasaheb awardee Asha Parekh, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar and filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah — selected Chakraborty for the prestigious honor.

Chakraborty, 74, is very happy, said his son Namashi Chakaborty about the Dadasaheb Phalke Award announcement.

"We all are feeling very proud. He is in Kolkata, I just spoke to him. He is a self-made superstar and a great citizen. This was long, long overdue but I am so proud that he is finally being awarded with this honour," Namashi told PTI over phone from Los Angeles.

Chakraborty, whose real name is Gourang Chakraborty, is an alumnus of Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) who has predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali cinema.

He made his acting debut with Mrinal Sen's 1976 film "Mrigayaa", for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor. He earned two more National Awards for 1992's "Tahader Katha" (best actor) and 1998's "Swami Vivekananda" (best supporting actor).

Chakraborty shot to stardom with his distinctive dancing style in the 1982 superhit "Disco Dancer", which is widely credited for ushering in the era of disco dancing in India through chartbusters like "I Am A Disco Dancer" and "Yaad Aa Raha Hai".

Then followed several hits like "Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye", "Hum Se Hai Zamana", "Pasand Apni Apni", "Ghar Ek Mandir", “Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki” and “Commando”.

He was also praised for his role in the 1990 film "Agneepath", fronted by Amitabh Bachchan.

A former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, Chakraborty joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.

Chakraborty also served as the head judge or 'grandmaster' on the popular dance reality series "Dance India Dance" from 2009 to 2018.

In 2023, Waheeda Rehman was named recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

(PTI)