This star was the hero of India's first 100-crore film, used to be a Naxalite before joining films.
The 100-crore club in Indian cinema is now over a hundred strong. That means that there are more than 100 films that have earned over Rs 100 crore in domestic net collection since Ghajini first breached the mark in 2008. However, contrary to popular perception, Ghajini was not India’s first Rs 100 crore film. There had been one film, way back in the 80s, that grossed over Rs 100 crore worldwide, largely due to its stellar run in the Soviet Union. And it was headlined by an unlikely star!
The star who gave India’s first Rs 100 crore film
Babbar Subhash’s dance film Disco Dancer was the first Indian film to gross Rs 100 crore. The film was a hit back home, where it earned just over Rs 7 crore, a good sum for a film without big stars. But in the USSR, the film generated a mania, earning Rs 94 crore there by 1985, becoming the de facto founder of the 100-crore club. The film catapulted Mithun Chakraborty to nationwide stardom, prompting him to appear in a number of other musicals and dance-based films like Subhash’s own Dance Dance a few years later.
Mithun Chakraborty’s days as a Naxalite
Mithun had already been an established actor prior to Disco Dancer, having appeared with Amitabh Bachchan in Do Anjaane and winning a National Award for his first film Mrigayaa. But before entering films, Mithun had a tragic past. In the 70s, after finishing his graduation from Kolkata, Mithun became a Naxalite. A few years later, when his brother died in a freak accident, Mithun returned to his family even though leaving the Naxal fold posed a threat to his life. The actor was known to be a friend to known Naxal leader Ravi Ranjan aka Bhaa. However, after joining films, Mithun left this part of his life behind him.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "The star of India's first 100-crore hit (Image: screengrab)")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}