Not Vinod Khanna, this superstar gave tough competition to Amitabh Bachchan's stardom, charged Rs 1 lakh per day for..., his name is..

Mithun Chakraborty, lovingly known as Mithun Da by his fans, is one of the most iconic superstars of Bollywood. Mithun Chakraborty, who has appeared in over 400 films in his career, in Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Punjabi cinema, first attained legendary status for his series of hit films in the 1980s and 1990s. In a chat with Digital Commentary, Vishek Chauhan, owner of one of Bihar’s oldest theatres, Roopbani Cinema, recalled how Mithun Chakraborty's films kept their business afloat when faced with difficult times. "Mithun is a legend, regardless of what others say. He used to give us two films per month. Every Mithun film opened with 100% occupancy. We knew the week would be great if it were his films. Usne single screen ko sambhala hua tha jab Bollywood dheere dheere apni elitist daur me nikal gaya tha (He had maintained single-screen cinemas alive as Bollywood gradually drifted into an elitist period)," he said. 

Who gave tough competition to Amitabh Bachchan's career? 

Vishek Chauhan also revealed that there was a time when Mithun Chakraborty became so popular that, not Vinod Khanna, but he gave tough competition to Amitabh Bachchan's stardom. "From 1985 until 1990, Mithun was rubbing shoulders with the best. People would sometimes rank him higher than Amitabh Bachchan because Mithun has grown so much and given so many hits, so he has experienced that level of popularity as well," the film exhibitor said. 

Why did Mithun Chakraborty charge Rs 1 lakh per day? 

Vishek Chauhan also shared a unique business model that was adopted for Mithun Chakraborty's films. He said that the superstar's films were often produced by Rajeev Babbar and shot in Ooty. The budget was low, but the films were still profitable. Because of this, Mithun Chakraborty charged Rs 1 lakh per day and urged the film to be shot in Ooty. The crew would stay at the Monarch Hotel, owned by Mithun Chakraborty, and would be exclusively distributed to Ooty’s theatre owners. This turned it into a mini industry in itself. 

Mithun Chakraborty is still an active part of the film industry. He last appeared in Shriman vs Shrimati, which was released in May and will be next seen in Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files: Right to Life, scheduled to release on September 5.

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