'Jimmy' Mithun Chakraborty to receive Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty was on Monday named the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award 2024, the government's highest recognition in the field of cinema. The announcement was made by Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw on X (formerly Twitter). 

"Mithun Da's remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations! Honoured to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Sh. Mithun Chakraborty Ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema," the Union Minister said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Vaishaw said that the award will be presented to Chakraborty at the 70th National Film Awards on October 8. The three-member Selection Jury  comprised former Dadasaheb awardee Asha Parekh, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar and filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah. 

An alumnus of Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Chakraborty has worked predominantly in Hindi and Bengali cinema. The veteran actor made his acting debut with the 1976 Mrinal Sen-directorial Mrigayaa, for which he also got his first National Film Award for Best Actor. 

He won two more National Film Awards -- best actor for 1992 film Tahader Katha and best supporting actor for the 1998 film Swami Vivekananda. Besides this, Mithun popularised disco dancing in India through movies like Disco Dancer and chartbusters like Jimmy Jimmy and Yaad Aa Raha Hai. 

He was also seen opposite megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1990 Yash Johar-backed film Agneepath. For his performance in Agneepath, he also won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Chakraborty was also the head judge, monikered as grandmaster, on the dance reality show Dance India Dance or DID from 2009-18. Mithun is also a record holder in the Limca Book of Records for 19 movie releases as the lead actor in 1989, a record which remains unbroken in Bollywood till date. 

Fondly known as Mithun Da among fans and industry colleagues, the veteran is also known for his performance in films such as Guru (2007), Housefull 2 (2012), OMG -- Oh My God! (2012), and The Kashmir Files (2022). He joined the BJP in March 2021 ahead of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections.