“I Couldn’t Believe it!”  Mithun  Chakraborty On Getting The Dadasaheb  Phalke

I finally got to  speak to the new Dadasaheb Phalke winner  late  last  night.  Mithunda  whom I’ve know since  his  Mrigaya days , sounded happy  but  tired. “I am  Kolkata  shooting  for a Bengali film. I couldn’t believe  it! I thought it  was  a crank call or something.The call came straight from the  Ministry Of Information & Broadcasting. When the information sank in, I was numbed  . I still am numbed. Is this really happening to me? Subhash, I was  a nobody. I never  imagined I would come this far.I had to do all kinds of films to keep my kitchen fires burning. And I  am proud of all my films, good bad ugly. I had a wife and  four children to feed. At one point in  my life I  moved to Ooty with my family to look after my hotel  business.”

  Mithunda is  proud  of  the  fact that he  has never lobbied  for any recognition or role. “I’ve never gone  out to   get anything. I have never demanded  anything. Whatever I’ve got  in life has come to me without my efforts.  It’s all God’s grace. My family especially my wife(former actress Yogeeta Bali) has been a  tremendous support.”

His  message to his fans on  this prestigious recognition. “That  if Mithun Chakraborty can  do it , so can anyone else. That it is okay for the common man  like me to  have dreams. They do come true…Now you  will have  to excuse me. They are calling me for a  shot.It is  a Bengali film featuring me  and Anjan Dutt for the first time together. It is called Shriman Vs Shrimati, and it is directed by Pathikrit Basu.I am enjoying myself shooting in Kolkata. My beginning  as an actor was in Bengali. Now  life seems  to have come  a full circle.I couldn’t be happier.It feels unreal!Almost  like a dream. I am sorry I was not able to talk to you earlier. I’ve been shooting nonstop in Kolkata . I have not been able to reply to any of the numerous messages from friends and media.You are the  first one I am speaking to  today.”