Mithun Chakraborty: Many told me that dark-skinned actors wouldn't survive in Bollywood

Mithun Chakraborty opened up about the prejudice he faced early on in his career in the Hindi film industry. He shared some anecdotes during his acceptance speech after being honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 70th National Film Awards which took place in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Accepting the honor, Mithun said, “Many told me that dark-skinned actors wouldn't survive in Bollywood. I prayed to God, ‘Could you change my colour?’ But eventually accepted that I couldn't alter my complexion. Instead, I focused on my dancing skills, determined to become so remarkable that audiences would overlook my skin colour. That's how I transformed into the 'sexy, dusky Bengali babu'”.

He also shared how he felt after winning his first National Film Award for Mrigayaa. He said, “I thought I had become Al Pacino. I began to treat producers dismissively. But reality hit when a producer kicked me out of his office. That day, I realized I was not Al Pacino, and it marked the end of my delusions."

He added, “Everything I earned was through hard work. I often questioned God for my struggles, but after receiving this award, I feel at peace and will never complain again."

Mithun is an alumnus of Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) who has predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali cinema. Apart from Mrigayaa, he has bagged two more National Awards for Tahader Katha (best actor) and Swami Vivekananda (best supporting actor).

He is known for working in some popular films like Surakshaa (1979), Disco Dancer (1982), Dance Dance (1987) and Pyaar Jhukta Nahi (1985), among others.