On Monday, the government’s top honour in the film industry, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, was given to veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty. Chakraborty is best known for his roles in Mrigayaa, Surakshaa, Dance Dance, and Disco Dancer.
The announcement was made months after the Indian government granted Chakraborty the third-highest civilian distinction, the Padma Bhushan. The announcement was made on X by Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw.
According to Vaishnaw, Chakraborty will receive the honour at the 70th National Film Awards event on October 8, 2024. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Chakraborty on receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award on his X account.
The three-member panel, which included former Dadasaheb awardee Asha Parekh, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar, and filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah, chose Chakraborty for the prestigious award. Mithun Chakraborty, whose full name is Gourang Chakraborty, graduated from Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and has primarily worked in Hindi and Bengali movies. He made his acting debut in Mrinal Sen’s 1976 film Mrigayaa, which earned him his first National Film Award for Best Actor. He won two more National Awards for Tahader Katha (best actor) in 1992 and Swami Vivekananda (best supporting actor) in 1998.
Chakraborty rose to prominence with his distinct dance technique in the 1982 smash single Disco Dancer, which is largely recognised with ushering in the age of disco dancing in India with chartbusters like “I Am A Disco Dancer” and “Yaad Aa Raha Hai”. From 2009 until 2018, Chakraborty was also the chief judge, or “grandmaster,” on the well-liked dancing reality series dancing India Dance.