Bollywood's Disco Dancer

From Naxalism to Stardom, from sleeping on the stairs to velvety cushions, from being a nobody to becoming a cultural icon, there's nothing that Mithun hasn't seen firsthand. On this day, Bollywood's first superstar with a six-pack was born.

Mithun Chakraborty. Illustrated by Gowri: Visual Storyteller at ThisDay

Most people know Mithun Chakraborty the superstar, but very few people know the story that went into making him the man he was. When he first reached Mumbai, he had nothing on himself. He had to sleep on the stairs of a building, which used to cost him 75 rupees per month. But he was determined to make it big.

Before coming to Bollywood, he was a part of the Naxal movement but after the death of his brother, he came to Mumbai in search of work so that he could support his family.

The first film he landed was Mrigayaa, and he became one of the few actors who won a national award for their debut film. His first film was a dream come true and he thought that he had finally found direction in his life, That was far from the case.

He had hit the ball out of the park on his very first try but there was still a long way to go before he could claim victory. Every day he wandered here and there in search of work and every day he came back empty-handed.

Days kept passing him by but there was no relief for him. His situation kept getting worse and worse. There was a point when he worked just so that he could eat twice a day. There were many nights when he went to sleep on an empty stomach.

One day when Mithun was out searching for work, he ran into a journalist who asked him for an interview. Mithun agreed but he had a condition- the journalist was to buy pay for his food. The journalist obliged and when he became successful, the journalist never had to make an appointment for an interview.

When he couldn't find work for a long time, he even worked as an assistant to Helen. Never once, however, he gave up on becoming an actor.

His dream did come true. In the year 1970, he began getting work consistently, but actual fame came to him with Disco Dancer in 1982. Disco Dancer's success was beyond anything he had ever imagined and Mithun began to rule Bollywood.

1989 was the golden year for Mithun; he worked as a lead actor in an incredible 19 films, a world record that stands to this day.

Superstar Mithun's story of struggle dominated the front page of newspapers but so did his personal life- his flings and his marriages.

Mithun Da's name was attached to many celebrities, most frequently with Sridevi, a superstar in her own right. According to some tabloids, they even eloped secretly!

When these rumours ran rampant, he was already married to Yogita Chakraborty. They had married out of love; she had left Kishore Kumar to spend her life with Mithun and this put a strain on their professional relationship. Kishore Kumar sang a song again for Mithun.

Another rumour that was floated in the media was that Yogita tried to take her life when she found out about Mithun's relationship with Sridevi. After this incident, he always kept a distance from Sridevi and annulled their marriage. However, the two of them never addressed this matter in public, which meant that there is no telling how much of this is true and how much of it is false.

Mithun is one of the biggest stars of Bollywood today and it's a huge surprise that more people don't know about his story. His story is an inspiration for people who give up midway through their stuggles. His name is etched in the history of Bollywood in golden and the credit for success goes to Mithun and Mithun only.

A scene From Mithun Da's first film; Source: Twitter