Mithun Chakraborty (born 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, producer and politician who has appeared in more than 350 films in Hindi, Bengali and other languages. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his very first film, Mrigayaa (1976), and became a dancing star with Disco Dancer (1982), which made him famous across the Soviet Union and Asia. He has won three National Awards and received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2022.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Gouranga Chakraborty |
| Born | 16 June 1950, Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal, India |
| Age | 76 |
| Occupation | Actor, producer, politician |
| Education | Scottish Church College, Kolkata; Film and Television Institute of India, Pune |
| Party | Bharatiya Janata Party (since 2021) |
| Spouse | Yogeeta Bali (m. 1979) |
| Children | 4, including Mimoh (Mahaakshay) Chakraborty |
| Honours | Padma Bhushan (2024), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2024) |
Early Life
Chakraborty grew up in a lower-middle-class Bengali family in north Kolkata and took a chemistry degree at Scottish Church College. As a young man he was drawn into the Naxalite movement; after his brother died in an accident he left it and joined the Film Institute in Pune.
Career
Mrinal Sen cast him as a tribal hunter in Mrigayaa, which won him the National Award. Work was scarce at first, and he took small parts until the spy thriller Surakksha (1979) made him a commercial name.
Disco Dancer, with Bappi Lahiri’s songs “I Am a Disco Dancer” and “Jimmy Jimmy Aaja”, was a hit in India and a phenomenon abroad, especially in the Soviet Union and China. In the 1980s he was among the busiest stars in Hindi cinema, with Pyar Jhukta Nahin, Dance Dance, Agneepath (1990), for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and many others.
In the 1990s he moved to Ooty, where he owns hotels, and made dozens of low-budget action films shot nearby. He also won National Awards for the Bengali film Tahader Katha (1992) and for playing the saint Ramakrishna in Swami Vivekananda (1998). Later roles include Guru (2007), OMG: Oh My God! and The Kashmir Files (2022). He was the “grand master” judge of the television show Dance India Dance.
Politics
He was a Trinamool Congress member of the Rajya Sabha from 2014 to 2016 and joined the BJP in March 2021.
Personal Life
He married the actress Yogeeta Bali in 1979. They have three sons and an adopted daughter.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Mithun Chakraborty born?
Mithun Chakraborty was born on 16 June 1950 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal, India and is 76 years old.
What is Mithun Chakraborty’s occupation?
Occupation: Actor, producer, politician.
What honours has Mithun Chakraborty received?
Padma Bhushan (2024), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2024).
Featured image: Mithun Chakraborty at an event in Mumbai, March 2010. Photo by Creativo Camaal, Lens Naayak Photography, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
