Mithun Chakraborty Honored with Dadasaheb Phalke Award at 70th National Film Awards
The Veteran Actor Reflects on His Journey and Offers Inspiration to Aspiring Talents
Renowned Actor Mithun Chakraborty was on Tuesday conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the government's highest honour in the field of cinema. President Draupadi Murmu presented the prestigious award to Chakraborty, who has acted in films like 'Mrigayaa', 'Disco Dancer' and 'Prem Pratigya', during the 70th National Film Awards ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan here.
Amid thunderous applause, Mithun Chakraborty (74) said in his address, "I have come to this stage once again with your blessings. I did not get anything served on a platter; I struggled a lot. But today, after receiving this award, I have stopped complaining. Thank God, you have given me everything back with interest." What did Mithun say after receiving the award?
According to a PTI report, he also shared some tips for emerging talents across India. The actor said, "There are many talented people in our country, but they do not have money. I would like to tell them that you may not have money but do not lose hope. Keep dreaming. Sleep but don't let your dreams sleep.' Chakraborty's real name is Gaurang Chakraborty. He has been awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2022. This honor comes a few months after Chakraborty, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was awarded the third highest civilian honor Padma Bhushan.
The actor is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. Mithun has worked mainly in Hindi and Bengali cinema. Chakraborty made his acting debut in films with Mrinal Sen's 1976 film 'Mrigaya' for which he also won the National Film Award for Best Actor. He also won two more National Awards for the 1992 film 'Tahadeer Katha' (Best Actor) and the 1998 film 'Swami Vivekananda' (Best Supporting Actor).
The three-member jury selected Chakraborty for this prestigious honor. The jury included actress Asha Parekh, actress-leader Khushboo Sundar and filmmaker Vipul Amritlal Shah. Mithun Chakraborty became famous for his unique dance style in the 1982 superhit film 'Disco Dancer'. He is credited with starting the era of disco dance in India through extremely popular songs like 'I am a disco dancer…' and 'Yaad aa raha hai…'. This film is one of the few films of Chakraborty which made him an international fan.
After this, he gave many hits like 'Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye', 'Hum Se Hai Zamana', 'Pasand Apni Apni', 'Ghar Ek Mandir', 'Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki' and 'Commando'. His performance in the 1990 film 'Agneepath' with Amitabh Bachchan was also highly appreciated. Former Rajya Sabha member Chakraborty joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. Mithun Chakraborty also served as the chief judge or 'Grandmaster' in the popular dance reality series 'Dance India Dance' from 2009 to 2018. Waheeda Rehman was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in the year 2023.
Other National Film Award recipients of 2024
- Best Feature Film: Aattam (Malayalam)
- Best Debut Film by Director: Pramod Kumar (Fauja, Haryanvi film)
- Best Popular Film- Kantara
- Best Feature Film (Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values): Kutch Express
- Best Film (AVGC- Animation, Visual Effects Gaming and Comic): Brahmastra
- Best Direction: Sooraj Barjatya (Height)
- Best Actor (Lead Role): Rishab Shetty (Kantara)
- Best Actress (Lead Role): Nithya Menon (Thiruchitrambalam);
- Best Actor (Supporting Role): Pawan Raj Malhotra (Fauja, Haryanvi film)
- Best Actress (Supporting Role): Neena Gupta (Height)
- Best Child Artist: Shripath (Mallikapuram, Malayalam film)
- Best Singer (Male): Arijit Singh (Brahmastra)