Jailer 2 star delivered the first Rs 100 crore hit in India, slept on footpaths despite winning National Award for his debut film. A look at his jaw-dropping net worth

Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 has become a proper blockbuster. As per a Sacnilk.com report, the movie has earned a whopping Rs 152 crore in India so far, in just four days. Aside from Rajinikanth, the film features a medley of veteran actors, including Mithun Chakraborty. Mithun, who was a big star, with his stardom spanning Bollywood as well as the Bengali film industry in the 1980s and 1990s, essayed the role of Chakri Kalpak, the father of SJ Suryah’s character Bodhi’s father. In an interview with SCREEN, his son Namashi opened up about his father’s struggles. He said that his father started from zero and had no house.

“He came from nothing; he had no option. It’s not like he came from wealth; he was from a lower middle-class family. So, for him, he had no option but to struggle, to strive, and fight so many prejudices and politics coming his way. I don’t think a superstar like him can be born again because he came literally from zero,” he said.

Mithun Chakraborty Said He Came From Footpaths

In an old interview with ETC, Mithun revealed how, despite bagging a National Award for Best Actor for his acting debut film Mrigayaa, it didn’t immediately lead to substantial roles in Bollywood, and he had to spend his days on footpaths. “I have come from the footpath, literally. There have been many days I spent in Bombay, where I would sleep in Five Garden. Sometimes I would sleep outside a hostel,” he said. He said he often had no idea where he would get his next meal from or if he would even have a place to sleep.

How He Started The Rs 100 Crore Trend

In the late 1970s, he delivered a list of successful films such as Mea Rakshak, Surakksha, Taraana, Patita, etc. However, he did not become a household name until the 1982 movie Disco Dancer, where his performance as Jimmy, a street dancer who rises to prominence overnight, won hearts not just in India but also in the Soviet Union, Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa.

According to a Rediff report, Disco Dancer was the first Indian film to earn Rs 100 crore worldwide. Aside from Disco Dancer, Mithun had also appeared in other hits such as Shaukeen, Ashanti, and Taqdeer Ka Badshah in 1982.

Chakraborty reached the height of his stardom in the mid-1980s. In 1985, he starred opposite Padmini Kolhapure in Vijay Sadanah’s romantic drama Pyar Jhukta Nahin. The film received an overwhelming response from audiences, emerged as a blockbuster, and established Mithun as one of Bollywood’s leading stars. Its soundtrack, composed by the celebrated duo Laxmikant–Pyarelal, also achieved remarkable success, becoming the tenth best-selling Hindi film album of the 1980s.

The actor continued his winning streak with J. P. Dutta’s action drama Ghulami, which featured an ensemble cast comprising Dharmendra, Naseeruddin Shah, Reena Roy, Smita Patil and Anita Raj. Another major hit that year was B. Subhash’s Aandhi-Toofan.

Mithun’s impressive box-office run continued in 1986 with K. Bapayya’s blockbuster family drama Swarag Se Sunder, co-starring Jeetendra, Jaya Prada and Padmini Kolhapure. He subsequently delivered more commercial successes with Umesh Mehra’s action film Jaal, followed by Dilwaala and Muddat.

Career Decline & Resurgence

In the 1990s, Mithun saw his career as a leading man decline. Refusing to let that deter him, he appeared in many B-grade films in the 90s. One of his movies, the 1998 film Gunda, has even achieved cult status. However, his career saw a resurgence in 2007 with the Mani Ratnam film Guru. He enjoyed mainstream success as a veteran character actor with films such as Golmaal 3, Housefull 2, and OMG – Oh My God!

As per a News18 report, Mithun's net worth is a whopping Rs 400 crore.