Iconic Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty, 74, will be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
The actor will be felicitated with the award at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony, which will be held on October 8.
Mithun Chakraborty is the 54th winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which was started in 1969 in honour of Dadasaheb Phalke, known as the father of Indian cinema.
PM Narendra Modi also recognised the actor’s ‘unparalleled contributions to Indian cinema,’ endorsing him as a cultural icon.
“Delighted that Shri Mithun Chakraborty Ji has been conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, recognizing his unparalleled contributions to Indian cinema. He is a cultural icon, admired across generations for his versatile performances. Congratulations and best wishes to him,” PM Modi said on X.
The actor was recently conferred with a Padma Bhushan. The ceremony took place in April this year where he received the honour from President Droupadi Murmu.
53 veterans from the fields of Bollywood, cinema, and music, such as Raj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, and Yash Chopra, have received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award before Mithun Chakraborty.
Actor Waheeda Rehman received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2021.
Mithun began his career as an actor with the 1976 National Award-winning drama Mrigayaa, a Mrinal Sen directorial. He won his first National Film Award for Best Actor for the film.
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In the 1980s, the actor shot to stardom with Bollywood hits like Disco Dancer, Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki, and Commando, among others. Mithun’s iconic dance performances on Bollywood songs like “I Am a Disco Dancer” and “Jimmy Jimmy” got him the name ‘Disco Dancer’ among fans.
He is the Limca Book of Records holder for 19 movie releases as lead actor in the year 1989, and the record has still not been broken by any other actor in the industry.
