Mithun Chakraborty | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Chakraborty in 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 3 April 2014 – 29 December 2016[1] | |
| Constituency | West Bengal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gouranga Chakraborty[2] (1950-06-16)16 June 1950 (age 75) |
| Party | BJP (2021–present)[4] |
| Other political affiliations | AITC (2014–2016) CPI(ML) (pre-1976) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, includingMahakshay,Ushmey andNamashi |
| Relatives | SeeChakraborty family |
| Residence(s) | Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation |
|
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2024) Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2024) |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Nickname(s) | Disco King,Grandmaster,Mithun Da |
Mithun Chakraborty (bornGouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, film producer and entrepreneur and politician. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 350 films, mostly inHindi andBengali languages, and a few inOdia,Telugu,Tamil,Kannada, andPunjabi. Referred to as "Mahaguru" (Bengali for "The Great Teacher"), he is a formerRajya SabhaMember of Parliament.[5][6] He is the recipient of threeNational Film Awards and fourFilmfare Awards. In January 2024, Chakraborty was awarded thePadma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour by theGovernment of India.[7][8] He was also awarded India's highest accolade in the field of cinema, theDadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2022, whose announcement came from the UnionMinistry of Information and Broadcasting in September 2024.[9]
Chakraborty made his acting debut withart house dramaMrigayaa (1976), directed byMrinal Sen, for which he won his firstNational Film Award for Best Actor.[10] His major breakthrough role came with Bengali filmNadi Theke Sagare (1978). Chakraborty gained greater fame with the 1982 filmDisco Dancer, which was a major box office success in India and theSoviet Union.[11] BesidesDisco Dancer, Chakraborty also gained recognition for many other performances as both a lead and character artist.[12][13][14][15] Chakraborty's performance inAgneepath won him theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1990.[16]
Chakraborty owns the Monarch Group, which has interests in the hospitality and educational sectors.[17][18] He also started the production house Paparatzy Productions.[19] In 1992, he, along withDilip Kumar andSunil Dutt, set up a trust to help actors in need of assistance called the Cine & T.V Artistes Association (CINTAA).[20] He was also the Chairperson ofFilm Studios Setting & Allied Mazdoor Union, which protects the welfare of cinema workers and resolves their demands and problems.[21][22][23][24][25] Thetelevision showDance India Dance, where Chakraborty was the Grand Master, also entered in the Limca Book of Records and theGuinness World Records.[26] Chakraborty played a crucial mediating role betweenPranab Mukherjee of theIndian National Congress andMamata Banerjee, winning Mukherjee the support of Banerjee's party, theAll India Trinamool Congress, in the2012 Indian presidential election.[27] He joined theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 7 March 2021, ahead of the2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.[4]
Mithun Chakraborty was born on 16 June 1950 into aBengali Hindu family inCalcutta (now Kolkata),West Bengal, India to Basanta Kumar Chakraborty and Shanti Rani Chakraborty.[3][2][28] He studied atOriental Seminary and then earned hisB.Sc. degree[3] inChemistry fromScottish Church College in Kolkata. After that, he attended and graduated from theFilm and Television Institute of India,Pune.[10] He was aNaxalite before entering films, but tragedy struck his family, it is widely reported that his only brother was electrocuted and killed in a freak accident whereas his sister Kalyani has confirmed to journalist Pankaj Shukla and others who reached her, that Mithun is the only son of his parents.[10][27] He returned to his family and left theNaxalite fold, even though this posed a grave risk to his own life.[29] During his days as a Naxalite, he became friends with Ravi Ranjan, a popular Naxal figure, known to his friends as "Bhaa" (the ultimate saviour). Bhaa was known for his manipulative skills and oratory abilities.[30]
Chakraborty made hisHindi film debut in 1976 withMrinal Sen's art-house filmMrigayaa, for which he won theNational Film Award for Best Actor.[31] That same year, he played a brief role inDulal Guha's hitthrillerDo Anjaane which hadAmitabh Bachchan,Rekha andPrem Chopra in the lead.[32][33]
In 1978, Chakraborty made his debut inBengali cinema withArabinda Mukhopadhyay's romantic blockbusterNadi Theke Sagare.[34][35] He also co-starred alongsideRameshwari inMera Rakshak.[36] A remake ofR. Thyagarajan's own directional ventureAattukara Alamelu (1977), it performed well commercially.[37] In 1979, Chakraborty delivered another hit withRavikant Nagaich'sspy thrillerSurakksha.[38] This was followed by a string of successful films, such asTaraana (1979),Patita (1980),Unees-Bees (1980),Hum Paanch (1980) andHum Se Badhkar Kaun (1981) and the Bengali filmKalankini Kankabati (1981).[38][39][40]
In 1982, Chakraborty had a string of successes withShaukeen,Ashanti andTaqdeer Ka Badshah.[41] He shot to stardom in the same year withB. Subhash'sdance filmDisco Dancer.[11]Disco Dancer proved to be a hit domestically and anAll Time Blockbuster in overseas markets.[42] It also became the firstIndian film to do a business of₹1 billion (US$12 million).[43][44] Its soundtrack composed byBappi Lahiri was a huge chartbuster and played a big role in the box office success of the film, especially in countries likeSoviet Union andChina.[45][46] The same year, he established himself in Bengali cinema as well with Gautam Mukherjee'smusical blockbusterTroyee.[47] In 1983, he played lead roles inT. Rama Rao andDeepak Bahry's commercially successful ventures -Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye andHum Se Hai Zamana, respectively and Basu Chatterjee's critically acclaimed light-hearted romancePasand Apni Apni.[48][49] The following year, he appeared alongsideShashi Kapoor,Moushmi Chatterjee andRanjeeta in the family drama filmGhar Ek Mandir.[50] At release, it was thrashed by critics, but went on to become a superhit at the box office.[51] The huge box office success ofGhar Ek Mandir was followed by two more successes inBaazi andKasam Paida Karne Wale Ki to go with the major grosser.[51]
Chakraborty hit his peak in the mid-1980s. In 1985, he acted in Vijay Sadanah'sromantic dramaPyar Jhukta Nahin, oppositePadmini Kolhapure.[12] The film opened to excellent audience response and went on to become a blockbuster.[52] Its soundtrack composed byLaxmikant–Pyarelal dominated the musical charts and was the tenth best-selling Hindi film album of the 1980s.[53] He followed it with a superhit inJ. P. Dutta's action dramaGhulami co-starringDharmendra,Naseeruddin Shah,Reena Roy,Smita Patil andAnita Raj.[54][52] His other major commercial success that year was another of B. Subhash's directional ventureAandhi-Toofan.[52] Chakraborty's dream run continued in 1986 withK. Bapayya's blockbuster family drama filmSwarag Se Sunder, which also hadJeetendra,Jaya Prada and Kolhapure in the lead.[55][56] That same year, he found a huge hit inUmesh Mehra's actionerJaal, followed by two more successes,Dilwaala andMuddat.[57] Apart from box office success, he received acclaim for his performance in Basu Chatterjee'sSheesha, which was the first Hindi film centred aroundsexual harassment at workplace.[58] The following year, he starred in hits, includingDance Dance,Parivaar andWatan Ke Rakhwale alongside moderately profitable films,Hawalaat andHiraasat.[59] In 1988, Chakraborty reunited with K. Bapayya forPyar Ka Mandir, co-starringMadhavi,Nirupa Roy,Sachin Pilgaonkar,Raj Kiran andShoma Anand.[60] The film performed very well at the box office and was declared a superhit by trade pundits.[61] He then appeared alongsideSridevi and Moushmi Chatterjee in theaction drama filmWaqt Ki Awaz, which too went on to become a hit, followed by moderate successes inCharnon Ki Saugandh andJeete Hain Shaan Se.[61] 1989 also proved to be a big one for Chakraborty with four of his films emerging commercial successes, which were -Daata,Prem Pratigyaa,Mujrim andAakhri Ghulam.[62]
Chakraborty began the new decade with average fares, such asPati Patni Aur Tawaif andHumse Na Takrana, while his most notable release of 1990 wasMukul Anand'saction crime filmAgneepath alongsideAmitabh Bachchan, which although a commercial failure, received highly positive response from critics and won himFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.[63][64] For next three years, his successful films includedPyar Ka Devta (1991),Swarg Yahan Narak Yahan (1991),Dil Aashna Hai (1992),Ghar Jamai (1992),Dalaal (1993),Aadmi (1993) andPhool Aur Angaar (1993).[65][66][67].Mithun Chakraborty won the National Film Award for Best Actor in Buddhadeb Dasgupta's Critically acclaimed Bengali film 'Tahader Katha' (1992).
Chakraborty's career as amatinee idol faded in the mid-1990s as he took a break from mainstream Hindi cinema and started working in low-budget productions, most of which lacked success due to their poor quality.[68] Beginning from 1994, he starred in many such films, the majority of which performed miserably at the box office, with a few exceptions likeCheetah (1994),Jallaad (1995) andRavan Raaj: A True Story (1995), which also proved to be his final hit as a lead actor.[69][70][71]
Post-stardom, Chakraborty continued to star in substandard productions which failed to propel his career forward.[72][73] He appeared in hundreds of such films produced under his home bannerMithun's Dream Factory.[74][75][76] He was unable to accept the universally acclaimedTamil filmIruvar (1997) as his character had to crop his hair, which would have affected his other 15 films at that time.[77] By this time, Chakraborty held the record for appearing in the most Hindi films as a hero.[27] During this phase, he saw moderate successes inShapath (1997) andChandaal (1998) and won theNational Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for playingRamakrishna Paramahansa inG.V. Iyer'sbiographical dramaSwami Vivekananda (1998).[78][79][80]
It has been reported that between 1993 and 1998 he endured 33 consecutive box-office flops.[81] With his Bollywood career taking a backseat, Chakraborty began to focus on Bengali films in the early 2000s. From 2000 to 2007, he appeared in highly acclaimed films likeNepaldev Bhattacharjee'sChaka (2000),Rituparno Ghosh'sTitli (2002), Prasanta Bal'sFerari Fauj (2002) and Narayan Rao'sSantrash (2003).[82]. Mithun Chakraborty returned to Bengali Cinema during this time with three consecutive blockbusters, Yuddho (2005), MLA Fatakeshto (2006) and Tulkalam (2007) along with some notable Bengali hits like Bengali Babu (2002), Guru (2003), Barood (2004), Coolie (2004), Cheetah (2005), Dada (2005), Hungama (2006), Abhimanyu (2006), Minister Fatakeshto (2007), Tiger (2007) and Mahaguru (2007). He returned to mainstream Hindi films in 2005 with the highly anticipated filmsElaan andLucky: No Time for Love, but contrary to expectations, both the films proved to be critical and commercial duds and failed to re-establish him.[83][84][85]
Chakraborty finally made a solid comeback in 2007 withMani Ratnam'sGuru.[86]Guru received highly positive response from critics and proved to be a hit at the box office.[87][88] Chakraborty's performance of an honest editor met with immense acclaim and he received a nomination in theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.[13] The same year, he also did a guest appearance in the song "Deewangi Deewangi" fromFarah Khan'sreincarnation dramaOm Shanti Om.[89]
After another series of flops, he appeared inRohit Shetty's multi-starrercomedyGolmaal 3 in 2010.[90] It did a business of₹1.69 billion (US$20 million) and was declared a blockbuster byBox Office India.[91] The huge success ofGolmaal 3 was followed by two more major hits in 2012 withHousefull 2,OMG – Oh My God!, as well as an average hit withKhiladi 786.[92][93] Chakraborty had two full-fledged releases in 2013 -Enemmy and the much anticipatedBoss, both of which were critical and commercial failures.[94][95][96][97] He then played a supporting role in theSalman Khanaction comedy filmKick (2014).[98] The film took an initial of ₹260 million and collected₹3.88 billion (US$46 million) by the end of its run, emerging a blockbuster at the box office.[99]
In 2015, he made hisTelugu andTamil cinema debut withGopala Gopala andYagavarayinum Naa Kaakka respectively. WhileGopala Gopala did well at the box office, the latter proved to be unsuccessful.[100] That same year, he appeared inVibhu Puri's critically acclaimed historical dramaHawaizaada alongsideAyushmann Khurrana andPallavi Sharda.[101] He made hisKannada film debut with the successful action thrillerThe Villain in 2018.[102]
In 2019, Chakraborty played an important role inVivek Agnihotri'spolitical thrillerThe Tashkent Files.[14] It received negative reviews from critics, but the audience reception was positive and as a result, it ran in cinemas for more than 100 days, eventually emerging as a sleeper hit at the box office.[103][104] After a year's gap, Chakraborty appeared inRam Gopal Varma'shorror thriller12 'O' Clock.[105] In 2022, he starred in two notable box office successes, one in Hindi and one in Bengali. The first one was Agnihotri'sThe Kashmir Files based on theExodus of Kashmiri Hindus.[106] Despite receiving polarising response from reviewers, it grossed₹3.40 billion (US$40 million) worldwide and was declared a major blockbuster by the end of its run.[107][108] He received another nomination in theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category for his performance of a retiredIAS officer inThe Kashmir Files.[109] The next was Avijit Sen's family dramaProjapoti alongsideDev.[110] This, too, emerged as a blockbuster at the box office.[111] He made his digital debut in 2022 withPrime Video's web showBestseller.[112] In 2023, he played the title role inSuman Ghosh's Bengali filmKabuliwala.[113] In 2024, he played the title role inShastri[114] another release in 2024 was successful film Bengali filmShontaan. In 2025 his filmRiwaj directly released in zee5. He will be next seen inThe Bengal Files.[115]. His collaboration again with Dev in Projapati 2 (2025) was successful.
Television appearances
After the success of theBengali competitive dance reality showDance Bangla Dance, Chakraborty developed the concept ofDance India Dance. This Indiandance competition show airs onZee TV in India, is produced by UTV Software Communications, and has become India's largest dance-basedreality show. The contestants get a chance to perform before a panel of judges composed ofTerrence Lewis,Remo D'Souza andGeeta Kapoor. The selection of the season's Top 18 live show finalists is overseen by head judge Chakraborty. The show has won several television awards for most popular dance reality show.[116] Chakraborty was also the Grand Master ofDance India Dance Li'l Masters, as well as the host of the reality showDadagiri Unlimited onZee Bangla channel. He replacedSourav Ganguly as the host of this show. Chakraborty hosted theBengali version ofBigg Boss andRannaghore Rockstar onETV Bangla.[117] He made his acting debut on TV with the comedy showThe Drama Company.[118][119]
In 2021, Chakraborty appeared as co-judge in theStar Jalsha'sDance Dance Junior alongside Tollywood actorsSoham Chakraborty andSrabanti Chatterjee.[120][121][122]
He appeared as a co-judge withKaran Johar andParineeti Chopra on the reality showHunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan, which premiered onColors TV in January 2022.[123]
In the year between 2023 and 2025 he returned to the set ofDance Bangla Dance onZee Bangla as Mahaguru.[124][125][126][127][128]
Chakraborty joined as a Member of Parliament[129] after he was nominated for theRajya SabhaMember of Parliament elections by theChief Minister of West BengalMamata Banerjee for herAll India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in theWest Bengal Rajya Sabha Assembly Polls which were held on 7 February 2014.[130] On 26 December 2016, he resigned as a Rajya Sabha MP.[131] Chakraborty joined theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 7 March 2021, ahead of the2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, in the presence of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi andKailash Vijayvargiya.[132][4]
In March 2025, The Trinamool Congress has slammed Mithun Chakraborty for his remarks suggesting that Hindus would not survive in Bengal if the BJP fails to win the West Bengal Assembly election next year.[133]
Chakraborty was the ambassador ofPanasonicelectronics for India back in the late 1980s.[134][135] He was the face ofGoDaddy, an internet domain registrar and web-hosting company.[136]
He was also the face ofChannel 10, a unit of Bengal Media Pvt. Ltd. owned by Saradha Media Group,[137] and he later said "Saradha didn't pay my dues" asits branch Saradha Chit Fund collapsed.[138] Chakraborty was also the face ofManappuram Gold Loan forWest Bengal state.[139]
.jpg)
He first married actressHelena Luke in 1979, but after four months of marriage the couple separated and filed for a divorce.[140] He then married actressYogeeta Bali in 1979.[141]
Chakraborty and Yogeeta have four children:Mimoh,Ushmey,Namashi Chakraborty, and an adopted daughter Dishani Chakraborty.[142] In the 1980s, he was romantically linked to the actressSridevi, whom he met on the sets ofJaag Utha Insan, and it was rumoured that the two were married. However, when Chakraborty refused to leave his wife Yogeeta Bali, Sridevi ended the romance.[143][144]
On 10 February 2024, Chakraborty was hospitalised after complaining of chest pain, and it was determined that he had suffered astroke.[145] He was discharged on 12 February.[146]
Chakraborty is regarded as one of the most popular and successful actors of Indian cinema.[147] Known for his work in bothcommercial andart-house films, he holds the record of being the only actor to winNational Award for Best Actor for his debut film.[148] During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he became one of the most commercially successful stars of low-budget action films, earning the popular sobriquet "king ofB-grade cinema", as his films consistently performed well at smaller centres despite critical disapproval, critics often calling him "the poor man'sAmitabh Bachchan."[149] He is also considered one of the best "dancing-heroes" in Bollywood, and is notable for his "Disco and Desi" fusion-style dancing that is popular among the masses.[150]
For 50 yearsRaj Kapoor was the only Indian film icon in Russia after his films likeAwaara andShree 420 made a significant impact in the country, but after the success ofDisco Dancer, Mithun joined him as "a big craze" all over the nation.[151]
One of the highest paid actors from the 1980s to the early 1990s, Chakraborty appeared inBox Office India's "Top Actors" list four times from 1985 to 1988.[152]
In 2022, he placed inOutlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.[153]
| Book | Language | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amar Nayikara | Bengali | Sumit Dey | Mithun Chakraborty the cinema actor and his heroines. |
| Ananya Mithun | Suman Gupta | Biography of Mithun Chakraborty | |
| Mithuner Katha | Jayanta Ghosh | ||
| Cinemay Naamte Hole | Mithun Chakraborty | Mithun Chakraborty answering questions to his fans | |
| Marbo Ekhane Lash Porbe Shoshane | Ashishtaru Mukhaphadya | Life story of Mithun Chakraborty | |
| Arun Kumar Rav | Hindi /Bhojpuri | Himself | Mithun Chakraborty answering questions of his fans |
| Leave Disco Dancer Alone | English | Sudha Rajagopalan | Book about Mithun Chakraborty and soviet union cinema. |
| Mithun Chakraborty: The Dada of Bollywood | Ram Kamal Mukherjee | Biographical book about Mithun Chakraborty | |
| Tribute To Mithun Chakraborty | Sara Johnson | A tribute to Mithun Chakraborty. The book is independently published by American writer Sara Johnson. |
The website doesn't provide a direct link. So it can be navigated to the biography page by typing "Mithun Chakraborty" in the search bar
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
