Veteran Bollywood actor and politician Mithun Chakraborty will be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his ‘iconic contribution to the Indian cinema’, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Monday, September 30.
The 74-year-old actor will be felicitated with the award at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony which will be held on October 8, 2024.
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. Actor Waheeda Rehman received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2021.
Taking to platform X, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw wrote, "Mithun Da's remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations. Honoured to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Mithun Chakraborty Ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the actor.
The veteran actor, a former Trinamool Rajya Sabha member who joined the BJP in 2021, was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian honour earlier this year.
Reacting to the big achievement, Mithun told ANI, "I have no language to express how I feel. Na main hass sakta hun, na Khushi mein ro sakta hun (I cannot smile, nor can I cry in happiness). I come from the bylanes of Kolkata, a boy from such a place winning such an honour...I could not have imagined this. I am extremely happy. I dedicate this to my family and my fans across the world."
Actor Mithun Chakraborty gained wide recognition with his first film Mrigaya released in 1976. For which he won the National Film Award for Best Performance. Mithun Chakraborty rose to fame with the 1982 film Disco Dancer. It was the first film in Hindi cinema (Bollywood) to enter the 100 crore club.
Mithun created a record by playing the lead roles in more than 100 films in a decade. His dance performances on songs like "I Am a Disco Dancer" and "Jimmy Jimmy" made him popular among his fans as 'Disco Dancer'.
53 actors from the fields of Bollywood, cinema, and music, who have received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award included veterans such as Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachch, Manoj Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Parekh, Gulzar and Yash Chopra among others.