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Mithun On The Challenge Of Having Dark Skin In Bollywood

Mithun On The Challenge Of Having Dark Skin In Bollywood

NEW DELHI, (ANI) – The iconic Mithun Chakraborty received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award during the 70th National Film Awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on October 8. As President Droupadi Murmu presented the award, the audience rose to give him a standing ovation.

A visibly moved Mithun said, “If it were film dialogs, I could have easily delivered them by reading out. But right now, I have no paper to help me with this speech.” he said. But his talk was full of anecdotes and meaning.

He recalled that after receiving the first of this three national film awards, for  Mrigayaa, where he played an Adivasi, he was always naked from the waist up.

“The biggest challenge I faced was related to my complexion. Back then, people said that dark-skinned actors wouldn’t survive in the film industry and advised me to go back home. I prayed to God, asking if he could change my skin color, but he couldn’t. Then I thought about what I could do and realized I could dance. I decided to become such a great dancer that once people saw my legs move, they wouldn’t notice my skin color. That’s how I became the ‘sexy, dusky Bengali babu,’” he said with wry humor.  

“I received nothing on a platter; everything I earned was through hard work. Hence, I often complained to God… After receiving this award today, I will never raise complaints to God again,” he declared.

Mithun Chakraborty urged aspiring actors facing financial difficulties not to lose their courage. “Never stop dreaming… but remember, when you go to sleep, you should be alone; don’t let your dreams sleep. If I can do it, so can you all.”

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