'I will give you interview, but give me food': Meet 'king of B-grade films' who had no money, then became star, worked in 6 shifts, did 18 films together

Sometimes the term- superstar looks overused. Today, after the success of two movies, an actor is labelled as a star. A viral dance step from the artiste makes them a trendsetter or a talent to watch out for. The truth is that stardom requires years of hard work, dedication, and undying commitment to art itself. 

Today we will discuss an actor, an outsider who rose from ground zero and achieved heights of greatness after spending years dealing with failures at various stages. Today if a debutant wins an award, they will consider themselves as the future of the film industry. This actor, strived for months for work. Had no home, no money, and not even proper clothes. And when he found success and won the National Award for his debut film, he was still fighting against hunger. 

The actor who was starving for food even after finding success is...

Mithun Chakraborty, born Gouranga Chakraborty and hailed from Calcutta, made his debut with an art house film Mrigya (1976). Mithun was among the rare actors, who won National Film Award for Best Actor in his debut film. However, even after he won the National Award, the boy was hungry. He didn't have proper food for days. When a journalist approached him for an interview, on his National Award win, the first thing Mithun told him was, "Aap mujhe Biryani khila dena, main aapko interview dunga." 

When Mithun Chakraborty slept on a footpath

In an interview, the Disco Dancer actor said, "I have seen days when I had to sleep with an empty stomach, and I used to cry myself to sleep. In fact, there were days when I had to think about what my next meal will be, and where I will go to sleep. I have also slept on the footpath for a lot of days."

Watch a rare interview of Mithun Chakraborty

Why Mithun Chakraborty was called 'King of B-grade films'?

Mithun's films were successful in metro cities, but they were blockbusters in B and C centres (Tier-2, Tier-3). Films like Gunda, Jallad, Dalaal, and several others were massive hits there. Mithun enjoys a massive following in UP and other interior parts of India. Thus, he was called the 'king of B-grade movies', because he held the B and C centres of India, better than any other superstars of that time. 

Mithun Chakraborty worked 6 shifts? 

Recently, Mithun's son, Mimoh appeared on a podcast and reflected on his father's success and failure. He said that there was a phase when Jallad actor was shooting 18 movies together, and would do 6 shifts. Mimoh further added that after his failed debut, he also witnessed how people stopped replying to Mithun also, because of him. Mimoh asserted that in Bollywood, everyone is professional, and it's better not to make emotional bonds here.