Today marks the 69th birthday of the OG 'Disco Dancer' of Bollywood, Mithun Chakraborty. The veteran actor, who is lovingly called as Mithu Da by his fans, is known as the epitome of charisma and warmth. And just like Mithun Da's reel-life personality, his real-life persona, too, is widely adored by fans. Mithun Da has given a streak of spectacular performances and we are that all of you, for at least once in your life, have shaken a leg to his iconic dance-busters. But, well, did you know that during his struggling days, Mithun Da was an assistant to then-diva and Salman Khan's stepmother Helen Khan? Yes! Read on to know the full story.
Just before making a mark in the film industry and during his days of struggling, Mithun was an assistant to star dancer and everyone's favourite Helen. He was with her under the name Rana Rej. This went on for quite a while until Mithun was finally noticed by certain filmmakers. He was then roped in to play short roles in a few Bollywood films, starting from Amitabh Bachcha's Do Anjaane. During this phase, Mithun, after all his performances, always hoped to get noticed by a reputed person from the industry and get a big break. It was after the release of his film Mera Rakshak that Mithun Da tasted success.
However, it didn't come easy for him at all. The veteran actor's mega-success was followed by failure. From the year 1993 to 1998, he was a part of 30 consecutive flops. Despite this, he had around 12 unsigned movies and a huge fan-following, something that not every actor gets. Well, Mithun Da's performance was just not limited to Bollywood. In his career of decades, he has acted in Bengali, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Telugu and Punjabi movies as well. Mithun Da's filmography consists of more than 350 films.
As for his 69th birthday bash, Mithun Da has decided to not to celebrate it owing to Sushant Singh Rajput's death and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. His son Namashi said, "Given the current scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic and the untimely demise of our dear colleague Sushant, this year me and my father have decided to have no celebration on birthday and we urge people to stay safe and stay indoors as much as they can."
Image Source: Instagram/mithun_chakraborty; pinterest; Ales & Ales