Umesh Mehra
Directed Mithun in eight films
I was very pleased when I learned that Mithun had won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year. It’s an apt recognition of his great talent, and of the sheer range evident in his abilities and his body of work.
I think Mithun has given his best performance in my film Mujrim (1989, co-starring Madhuri Dixit). He was simply outstanding! The film was inspired by Scarface, and was pitted in direct competition with Agneepath in which Amitabh Bachchan played a similar character and which was released around the same time.
Mithun and I have journeyed together for the past 40 years and more. We have done eight full-length feature films together. He is a very sensitive and instinctive actor. Whenever I give him a scene to enact, he just knows what to do immediately.
I cherish the friendship we share and I feel a great deal of love and pride to have been associated with a man like him for so long.
Rati Agnihotri
Played Mithun’s leading lady in 10 films
Pic-Film History Pics/X
Mithunda should have got the Dadasaheb Phalke Award long back. But, anyway, congratulations to him. He has achieved so much and he has been such a great example for all actors.
My favourite performance of his is in his very first film, Mrigayaa (1976). He was excellent – raw, earthy, lithe. And his acting was just fabulous. He can do such out-and-out parallel cinema and he can also excel in Disco Dancer which was in a totally different genre. Even when he acted in commercial films, he was still excellent because Mithunda had his own style of acting. And a tremendous dancer; the god of dance! Whenever we shot a dance sequence together, it was great fun to just watch him live.
Looking back at the journey that Mithunda and I shared makes me emotional – there are so many joyful memories. Working with Mithunda means that there is a very pleasant atmosphere on the set for his co-stars and all the technicians. He's so involved in his work, but at the same time he is not stressed. He's always laughing and smiling. In my experience, that's when great work gets done -- because along with serious work, everybody's also enjoying every moment. This light-hearted, congenial vibe is what Mithunda brings to the table during the creative process. And I should know -- I've done a lot of work with him.
Love Mithunda, will always love him. He deserves every award of this country. May God bless him with good health too.
Namashi Chakraborty
Mithun’s son who made his debut as the lead in Bad Boy
Pic -prokerala.com
Everyone in our family is feeling elated about this magnificent honour. I am shooting in Los Angeles currently, so I haven’t met dad yet; but we spoke on the phone and we were both over the moon. As his son, I feel extremely proud. My father is an acting legend -- the first dancing superstar of the country and the most saleable action star of his time.
I am the only one amongst us four siblings who has seen every single film my father has acted in. While in school, I would buy VCDs of his films and watch them all. I spent my childhood watching my father don several get-ups for different roles. I was so intrigued by the many lives he lived and played to perfection. He is my acting idol and I have inherited my dancing genes from him. Inspired by my father, I have wanted to be an actor ever since I can remember breathing.
My dad has taught us that you can't just go to the market and buy stardom. My father wants me to fight my own battles. He was proud of me when I signed my debut film Bad Boy on my own steam.
He is an exceptional actor. From Mrigayaa to The Tashkent Files, he’s proven his versatility time and again. I love his work in Disco Dancer (1982), but it’s not one of my favourite films. He has done better work in other films like Agneepath (1990), Hum Paanch (1981) and an action film, Phool Aur Angaar (1993), that was a huge success.
Svetlana Chizhova
Russian-born Mithun fan who works as an excursion guide in India
Disco Dancer became a huge hit in Russia because of the terrific cast, wonderful music and a simple story that everyone could relate to. My whole country was already mad about Disco Dancer, but I got to know of Mithun's magic thanks to his film Jagir (1984). I was 10 years old and the first appearance of Mithun onscreen changed my life forever in seconds. I was unusually quiet leaving the cinema hall. It was winter and snowing. I broke my silence only after half an hour and asked my friends: “What is his name?" This is how my journey with Indian cinema and Indian culture started.
I know him personally now for the last 20 years. I was in heaven when he called me his “friend” in front of everyone at the shoot of the movie Genius. I feel immense pride and huge respect for this actor and person who has never cheated on himself and his fans.
I literally had tears in my eyes when I saw the news about the award on Namashi Chakraborty's WhatsApp status, and said: Finally he got it! He has done such good work. Even when Mithun moved to the South and did some average movies from the artistic point of view, he gave 1000 percent. Among my favourites are Shukno Lanka, Naxal, Prem Pratigyaa, Mujrim, Hum Paanch, Jallad, Parivaar, Swami Vivekananda, Pardesi, Mrigayaa, Titli, Thader Katha, Kashmir Files, and definitely good old Disco Dancer.
