Was told there's no place for dark-skinned actors: Mithun Chakraborty after receiving Dadasaheb Phalke Award

NEW DELHI: Mithun Chakraborty on Tuesday reflected on his journey from enduring racist remarks to earning the title of "sexy, dusky Bengali babu" of the Indian film industry after he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

President Droupadi Murmu presented the prestigious award, the government's highest recognition in the field of cinema, to Chakraborty during the 70th National Film Awards ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan here.

The cinema veteran, who was wearing an arm brace in his right hand and a green beret much like Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara, received a standing ovation from the A-list gathering as he walked to the stage along with an aid.

"I used to complain a lot to god. Nothing was handed to me on a platter, I struggled a lot. I didn't get it just like that. I used to say, 'God, you have given me name and fame, but why so many problems.

"But today, after receiving this award, I have stopped complaining. Thank you God, you gave me everything back with interest," the 74-year-old actor said in his acceptance speech.

Chakraborty, whose real name is Gourang Chakraborty, received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2022.

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).

Though people accepted him as an actor, Chakraborty said the biggest problem of his life was his "complexion".

"People used to say 'film industry me kaala rang nahi chalega'. Tum kya kar rahe ho idhar, tum wapis jao. (I was told there's no place for dark-skinned actors like me in the film industry. And that I should go back.)

"People used to call me 'kaalia'. Jitna apmaan ho sakta tha, hua (They humiliated me as much as they could). I wondered what should I do?" he said, adding that he eventually realised that dancing was his real strength.

The actor said he decided to showcase his dancing skills, starting from the 1982 superhit "Disco Dancer", to the audiences in such a way that they "will only look at my legs, not my skin colour".

"And I did exactly that in all my films. Eventually, people forgot about my skin colour and I became the 'sexy, dusky Bengali babu'," he added.

Chakraborty shot to stardom with his distinctive dancing style in "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". The film is one of the rare Hindi movies to have earned Chakraborty fans globally, including Russia, Japan, and Uzbekistan.

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

In his speech, Chakraborty shared anecdotes from his early days in cinema, just after winning his first National Film Award.

"I've been to this stage thrice before due to the blessings of you all. When I won it for the first time, there were some anecdotes that I have not shared till date. So this will be the first time I will tell you about what happened to me after I got my first national film award.

"I remember that people started praising me, saying, 'Wow, you got a National Award.' So I lost my mind, I thought I have achieved something really big," he said.

The actor said he went to a screening of his movie, hoping to get cast in a movie by a big producer.

"I can't take the name of a person, he is no more... but after seeing the film, I was walking along with him. I asked him if liked the movie, he said, 'The movie is nice and you're a great actor. But I wonder how you will look with clothes on.' I was initially shocked about what he said.

"Then I understood that I played a tribal in the movie who didn't cover his chest. So he was thinking how I would look with clothes and then only he would take me in the movie," Chakraborty recalled.

The success of his first National Film Award also got to his head, the veteran actor said.

"After winning the award, I thought I was Al Pacino and it started to reflect even in my attitude. I was behaving strangely in a producer's office and he would wonder why I'm doing such things.... But after a while, the producer kicked me out of the office. Since that day, I stopped acting like Al Pacino," he said.

Chakraborty also shared a few tips for budding talent across India.

"Our country has many talented people, but what they don't have is money. I'd like to tell them that you may not have money, but don't lose hope. Keep dreaming. Sleep but don't let your dreams sleep. If I can do it, then anyone can do it," he said.

The three-member jury -- comprising veteran actor Asha Parekh, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar and filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah -- selected Chakraborty for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

The honour comes months after Chakraborty, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour.

The actor is an alumnus of Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) who has predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali cinema.

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

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