Mithun Chakraborty : From 'Disco dancer' to 'Rajya Sabha MP'

New Delhi: Gouranga Chakraborty alias Mithun Chakraborty (His screen name) is known as the first Bollywood dancing star and very soon he will be joining the Indian parliament as a member of the Rajya Sabha.Mithun Chakraborty who shot into stardom with his role as the street dancer Jimmy in the 1982 Bollywood movie Disco Dancer, has been politically active of late. It is said that he played a crucial role in convincing Mamata Banerjee to support the candidature Of Pranab Mukherjee for the election of president.Mamata Banerjee has announced that Mithun will be a Trinamool Congress candidate from West Bengal in upcoming Rajya Sabha elections . Given the comfortable numerical strength of TMC in state legislature, Mithun Chakrabortry's election is a mere formality now. Born on July 16, 1952, Mithun Chakraborty did his schooling at the Oriental Seminary. He graduated with chemistry from Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta and is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. Mithun was a staunch Naxalite before entering films, but tragedy struck his family when his only brother was electrocuted and killed in a freak accident. He returned to his family and left the Naxalite fold, even though this posed a grave risk to his own life. He had also undergone expert training in Martial Arts to the grade of black belt that made him excel in fight sequences.Mithun has won a total of three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut in 1976 with Mrigayaa for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor.He later won two more National Film Awards for his performances in Tahader Katha (1992) & Swami Vivekananda (1998).In 1982, he created a niche for himself in Bollywood with his role as a street dancer in the film ‘Disco Dancer'. Chakraborty has appeared in about 350 films including Bengali, Oriya, Bhojpuri and Punjabi pictures. Some of his memorable films include Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye, Ghar Ek Mandir, Pyaar Jhukta Nahin, Swarag Se Sunder and Pyaar Ka Mandir Jagir , Jaal, Dilwaala , Watan Ke Rakhwale and Waqt Ki Awaz.At one point of time, Mithun became Bollywood' s second highest paid star after Amitabh Bachchan.Chakraborty owns the Monarch Group, which has interests in the hospitality sector and educational sector. The Television show Dance India Dance where Mithun is the Grandmaster has already entered in Limca Book of Records and Guinness World Records.A comic book named Jimmy Zhingchak has been made based on Chakraborty. Mithun Chakraborty was a wrestler in his younger days. In 1967, he won the West Bengal State Wrestling Championship in the Junior Category.In the 1970s Mithun was briefly married to model Helena Luke. The marriage did not last long and they soon divorced. Helena moved to the US and is now a stewardess with an American Airline.During the 1980s, Chakraborty was rumoured to have had a love affair with Sridevi.Sridevi had fallen in love with Chakraborty on the sets of Rakesh Roshan's Jaag Utha Insan.Sridevi and Chakraborty had got married secretly and later Chakraborty admitted it to the press but only when a magazine published their marriage certificate.A depressed Yogeeta Bali took an overdose of sedatives, after which Mithun went back to his wife.Mithun and Yogeeta Bali have four children- Mimoh, , Rimoh, Namashi and Dishani. Mimoh is following in the footsteps of his father and is trying hard to make a mark for himself in Bollywood.