Mithun Chakraborty to get Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Mithun Chakraborty will be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony, which is set to take place on October 8, 2024. This year has become a lot more special for Mithun, given that he also was honoured with Padma Bhushan earlier this year. Mithun is also a three-time National Award winner. He is one of the few actors who bagged a National Award with his debut film. He won Best Actor for Mrigayaa.

The honour was massive but Mithun, in a recent press conference, revealed that he did not have food despite excelling on the work front. “When I got my first National Award I was hungry,” he recalled. “I could not get food,” he added.

The actor shared that at the time of his win, a journalist had approached him to get a winner’s byte. The actor agreed to give him an interview but asked him to give him food. “When one journalist came to ask me about my reaction, I told him I would give a reaction but I needed food. Now I get food 4 times food,” he said.

Speaking about winning the Dadasaheb Phalke, Mithun said, “I have no words to say thank, I am spellbound with this. This takes me to the days when I struggled on the roads of Mumbai. I had to fight for everything.” He thanked his family and friends who stood by him through his journey.

Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the big honour for Mithun on X today. He wrote, "Mithun Da’s remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations! Honored to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Sh. Mithun Chakraborty Ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema."

The 74-year-old actor's career spans over four decades. Mithun delivered some of the finest performances. Between 1980 and 1990, the actor headlined several films and also came to be known as "Disco Dancer" because of his unique dance style.