‘Disco Dancer’ Mithun Chakraborty was once a naxalite?

Gouranga Chakraborty, better known as Mithun Chakraborty, was born in Bangladesh on June 16, 1947. The veteran actor turns 62 today. Mithun Chakraborty did his studies from Kolkata’s Scottish Church College. He did his graduation in Chemistry.

He started his career in Bollywood in 1976 with Mrinal Sen-directed film ‘Mrigaya’, after which there was no looking back for him. The film got him a National Award.

It’s a little known fact that once a superstar in Bollywood was a staunch naxalite before he entered the film industry. He was in the hitlist of the Bengal Police. It was after a tragedy struck his family when his only brother was electrocuted and killed in an accident. He left the Naxalite fold and returned to his family, even though this posed a grave risk to his own life. The actor had also undergone expert training in Martial Arts to the grade of black belt that helped him to excel in fight sequences in the film.

He worked in ‘Suraksha’ in 1979 which was the first hit for Mithun Chakraborty. His acting skills made him a strong competitor of Amitabh Bachchan. After even having a successful career in Bollywood, he shifted to hotel business. Mithun Chakraborty is the owner of Monark Group of Hotels.

Mithun Chakraborty has many blockbuster films to his credit – Suraksha, Hum Pannch, Shaukeen, Vardaat, Disco Dancer, Pyaar Jhukta Nahi, Dance Dance and many more.

The biggest hit of his Bollywood career was ‘Disco Dancer’ in 1982.