Mithun Chakraborty – Bengal’s one & only universal DADA (Big Brother)

When the announcement for Shri Mithun Chakraborty’s news of being nominated for Dadasaheb  Phalke Award for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema made public, being a Bengali and an ardent fan of the legendary actor, my first reaction was that no one could have been a better flag bearer as a human being to bring back golden days of Bengali Cinema. As announced by I&B Broadcasting Ministry of India on 30^th September 2024, the award was scheduled to be presented on 70^th National Film Awards Ceremony on 8^th October 2024.

In middle and lower middle class Bengali community, the word ‘DADA’ , means big brother is uttered with great respect. Mithunda is a person, who earned this respect across the strata of the society and age barrier by his sheer integrity, hard work and humbleness. Today, Mithunda, is not only a film actor, anchor etc, but we look upto him as a brand for every facet of life beyond barrier of merely film acting only. Already, he has earned his respect pan India and beyond as Entrepreneur, Producer, Member of Parliament, Philanthropist and so on.

Born as Shri Gouranga Chakraborty (16^th June 1950) to a very humble background, where living life itself was a struggle, the height he has scaled, in itself is laudable and demands reverence.

The journey of becoming Mithun Chakraborty, aka. Mithunda, from Gouranga Chakraborty, is no lesser than a James Bond thriller.  Emerging from 70’s politically turbulent blind bylanes of  North Kolkata with no godfather in Bollywood, he reached the pinnacle, as he is today.  A story of breaking the long trending myth in Bollywood commercial film industry about hero being of certain skin complexion. A story of getting wide acceptance in “parallel cinema” as well as in main stream commercial films. He is still the one and only actor to receive National Award for his maiden film (Mrigayaa, 1976). Even after this kind of opening in his carrier as an actor, he had to wait for long and tedious years before he could be called a star and take a films business on his own face value. With Disco Dancer (1982), he even became a darling of not only Indian viewers but Russia and China also. Post Disco Dancer, he became a star to reckon with and time and again delivered the performance bestowed upon by Directors and Producers. In spite of such success, his feet remained grounded and he refused to throw up heroic tantrums, be it on the sets or in social gatherings. On the contrary, he chose to become everyone’s affable Mithunda, whom any person in need can reach out for. While working in Bollywood, he didn’t neglected Bengali film industry, kept working with relatively new Directors. Though never bragged, he successfully tried his hands in Hotel Industry. While doing all these, his charitable and philanthropic activities often remain unnoticed.

 

In all truest sense, he always remained a commoners’ man, didn’t ran away from his moral duties and responsibilities of raising his voice for Bengali community against every injustice, on and off the screen.

He is the TRUE  DADA of Bengal, We love you DADA.