This superstar was constantly rejected and belittled by his contemporaries and relegated to 'B-grade actor' before he gave India's highest-grossing film
Cinema is a visual medium. So it’s not a surprise that for decades, film stars have been judged on the basis of their looks almost as much as their acting skills. In some cases, the looks and presentation even compensates for any lack of skills in front of the camera. But often, absence of those conventional good looks have also hampered the careers of otherwise promising artistes. One particular superstar overcame this hurdle but only after a lot of struggle.
The superstar who was called ‘B-grade’, rejected by heroines
Mithun Chakraborty made his film debut with Mrigayaa in 1976 and won the National Film Award for Best Actor for it. For any actor, that should have been a breakthrough. But the dusky and lean Mithun found it tough to break through as a lead hero despite the success. Last year, during an appearance on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the actor recalled that tough phase. “Koi bhi badi heroine mere sath kaam karne ko taiyaar nahin thi (no big actress was ready to work with me). They thought I was a ‘chota star’. ‘Yeh kabhi kya hero banega? (He can never become a hero. Who will make him a hero?)’ Kya kya bolte they mere baare mein (They said a lot of unsavoury things about me). I don’t even want to say it. Phir dard hota hai (It only hurts me),” he said. The actor said that this made him doubt his own ability. “There was a time when I thought I wouldn’t transition from B-grade films to A-grade films. There were times when the actresses walked out even after the film was announced. There was pressure and other actors were insecure that I would make it big someday,” Mithun added. In several films, he was not selected just because he had a darker skin than other contemporary stars.
Mithun Chakraborty’s rise to stardom
However, this low phase ended with the success of Disco Dancer in 1982. The film grossed Rs 6 crore in India and over Rs 95 crore overseas, making it the first Indian film to earn Rs 100 crore worldwide. It was the highest-grossing Indian film at that point, eclipsing Sholay and Kranti, and remained Bollywood’s biggest hit for a decade. The following year, Mithun’s jinx of no top actress working with him also broke, when Zeenat Aman worked with him in Taqdeer, another box office success. “With Taqdeer’s release, I became an A-category actor. I will forever be grateful to Zeenat ji for helping me attain that,” the actor had recalled last year on the show.
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 "Mithun Chakraborty with Shantipriya in Phool Aur Angaar")
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