This National Award-winning actor once danced at parties for food, slept on footpaths and cleaned floors. 6 years after his debut, 1 film changed his life

Mithun Chakraborty needs no introduction. The film veteran made his debut with the 1976 period drama Mrigayaa, a performance that earned him the National Award. But even after receiving such a prestigious honour, Mithun’s life was full of struggles and he had to sleep in a car. His trajectory changed after Suraksha (1979) became a commercial hit, with Mithun’s breakthrough role being Disco Dancer (1982), which not only introduced disco-style in Bollywood but made Mithun a household name. Not long ago, the 76-year-old opened up about his difficult life in a conversation with Farah Khan.

Farah Khan on Mithun Chakraborty

Farah, who paid a visit to Mithun’s home recently, revealed that her uncle KK Shukla wrote movies for Amitabh Bachchan. The filmmaker added that during that time she would notice that Mithun’s father Basantakumar Chakraborty used to come to these parties and dance, only to eat food at night.

Farah recalled that his uncle wanted to bring Mithun home as he too was a good dancer. Mithun followed in his father’s footsteps: he went to the parties, showcased his dancing skills and in return would receive dinner. That struggle is something else. A lot of people randomly use the word struggle, but this is what real struggle looks like,’ noted Farah.


Responding to the filmmaker, Mithun revealed that what he went through was ‘beyond struggle’. Elaborating on the matter, the actor revealed that he used to sleep on the streets, footpaths and gardens and when he woke up he found himself in the exact same spot.

Mithun Chakraborty on his struggles

While touring Mithun’s home, a yellow Beetle car caught Farah’s attention. That’s when one of Mithun’s sons, Namashi, chimed in stating that the car was his father’s first house. Namashi added that, despite getting a National Award, Mithun had no work and was forced to spend 15 days of his life in Mumbai in this car.

When Farah wanted to know how Mithun would use a bathroom, his sons revealed that there was a gym where their father worked as a sweeper in exchange for being allowed to use the shower. Mithun added that there was another point in his life when he was forced to open a business.

Explaining the matter, Mithun said that he started the Monarch hotel in Ooty because his films weren’t doing well at that time. He feared that if his acting career was over, he would not have a chance to make a comeback. Safe to say, his fears didn’t turn out to be true as Mithun went on to deliver countless hits.