Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty’s rise to fame was no easy feat, despite his eventual recognition as one of the most prominent actors of his time. Gaining recognition in his debut film Mrigyaa, Chakraborty, during an appearance on Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, in 2023, reflected on the challenges he faced during the late 70s and 80s when climbing the ladder of success in Bollywood. The star disclosed that numerous female actors declined to work with him due to the influence of their male co-stars as they considered him a ‘chota star’ and ‘B-grade actor’. However, he credits the legendary Zeenat Aman for taking a chance on him, ultimately leading him to superstardom.
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A post shared by Mithun Chakraborty (@mithun__chakraborty_)
“Kitni ladaai ek insaan lad sakta hai (How many battles can a person fight)? Koi bhi badi heroine mere sath kaam karne ko taiyaar nahin thi (no big actress was ready to work with me). They thought I was a ‘chota star’. ‘Yeh kabhi kya hero banega? (He can never become a hero). Who will make him a hero?’ Kya kya bolte they mere baare mein (They said a lot of unsavoury things about me). I don’t even want to say it. Phir dard hota hai (It only hurts me),” he recalled.
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Chakraborty’s journey to the top was marred by the initial reluctance of A-list actresses to collaborate with him. Opening up about his struggles as a ‘B-grade’ actor, the Disco Dancer star rued, “There was a time when I thought I wouldn’t transition from B-grade films to A-grade films. There were times when the actresses walked out even after the film was announced. There was pressure and other actors were insecure that I would make it big someday. So they may have warned those heroines, ‘Iske saath kaam karogi toh hamare saath kaam nahin kar sakti‘ (If you worked with Mithun, we don’t work with you in films).”
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The turning point came when director Brij Sadanah approached Zeenat for a film titled Taqdeer, introducing Chakraborty as his hero. To his delight, Zeenat recognised his potential and complimented his good looks, agreeing to work with him on the project. “Zeenat ji said, ‘What a good-looking man he is!’ I will do the film with him.” It was Zeenat ji who broke the jinx. Zeenat ji had a status of the number 1 heroine of that time, so following her footsteps, every other actress started saying yes to the films that I worked in. With Taqdeer’s release, I became an A-category actor. I will forever be grateful to Zeenat ji for helping me attain that. Zeenat ji, if you are listening to me I offer my ‘pranaam’ to you.”
The pair went on to star in several successful films together, including Yaadon Ki Kasam, Baat Ban Gayi, Ashanti, and Hum Se Hai Zamana.
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In an old interview published in Filmfare, Chakraborty spoke about being sabotaged by fellow actors in the industry. “I won’t take names, I don’t want to get into that. Of course, when I became a star… How much it is true, I don’t know, but I could hear that heroines were refusing to work with me because the other heroes did not want them to work with me. I did face a lot of obstacles but I thought, if I am good, one day, they will come to me. Maybe I am lacking somewhere, which is why they are saying no to me, so I must correct myself. Somewhere, I am 99, I have to be 100,” he was quoted as saying.
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