It was a full circle for Mithun Chakraborty on March 7, 2021 when he joined BJP, moments before Prime Minister Narendra Modi took centre stage at the iconic Brigade Parade Ground.
Born as Gouranga Chakraborty, the north Kolkata tall, dusky and handsome lad in his own words had several times said that in the early seventies he had to leave Kolkata because of his political affiliations.
Despite graduating from FTII and bagging a National Award in his first film Mrigaya, directed by Mrinal Sen, Gouranga Chakraborty did not get work in Bollywood primarily due to his looks and the dominance of reported nepotism. He briefly changed his name and was known as Rana Rez for some time.
Albeit small roles came his way and he also did a cameo in Do Anjane as the mohhale waley dada opposite the great Amitabh Bachchan.
He was slightly noticed in Suraksha and by 1982 came the proverbial break in the form of Disco Dancer. A cult film in several ways, it earned Rs 108 crores in the Indian and overseas market and is fondly remembered in Russia even today.
Strangely, the film was not nominated for a single category that year in any major film award and Mithun Chakraborty was not even considered for the debutant award even as it was a Silver Jubilee hit. But people in the industry knew that a Star was born. Despite being a dancing sensation and having delivered blockbuster hits like Dance Dance and Kasam Paida Karnewali Ki, Mithun opted for meatier and meaningful roles in films like Pyar Jhukta Nahi, Prem Pratigya opposite Madhuri Dixit. He showcased his acting prowess in flicks like Jag Utha Insaan, Hum Paanch and Sitara.
Mithun went on to win three national awards but was never the darling of commercial award ceremonies till his iconic role of M. Krishnan Iyer in Agnipath.
Between 1987 and 1991, he hit another landmark by becoming the individual highest taxpayer and was also the brand ambassador of the Voluntary Disclosure Income Scheme (VDIS). By mid-eighties, Mithun was a mega Star and the most monetarily productive star. By the late eighties, he had shifted base to Ooty and had set up his empire, Monarch Group of Hotels. He displayed his business acumen too. It was then that he became the darling of the Left regime. On one hand, as he did a lot of social work in the form of eradication of thalassaemia, he came closer to CPM leaders and campaigned for stalwarts like Subhas Chakraborty. But he kept himself away from the party. He had friends and no foes.
He had earned so much clout in the industry that initially shunned him that in 1986 he managed to get everyone for a concert for West Bengal Chief Minister's relief fund called Hope '86.
He was liked by one and all. When the regime changed and Didi made her way into the Writer's Buildings, Gouranga aka Mithun remained the poster boy for Trinamool too.
He was offered a nominated Rajya Sabha membership and that is when the trouble started. ED found some Rs 1.2 crore parked in his account for reportedly being the director of a TV channel owned by some ponzi group. Mithun returned the money to ED right away and was away in the United States for treatment of a bad back that was nursing following a fall during the shoot of a film called Luck. He had also quit Rajya Sabha.
After his hibernation, Mithunda was back with his critically acclaimed film Tashkent Files.
Mithun has been a man of all seasons and has maintained equidistance with all... and hence he even campaigned for Pranab Mukherjee in Jangipur. He is the Original Dada of Bengal and the downtrodden look up to his personal life as a fairy tale of the poor boy becoming the prince charming. His hard work, his rise and his fame inspire one and all. The man who lived with four siblings and his parents in a dingy north Kolkata room, today owns a 300-acre empire and a 46-acre farmhouse in Madh Island where he recently met RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat.
With Mithun's joining the BJP on Sunday, the circle is now complete and it was again proved that destiny takes its course... as man thinks something while the Almighty has already a script ready in hand... Man proposes... God disposes.
