Mithun Chakraborty was a 24 year old tall, dark and handsome lad with striking features when he became a household name with Disco Dancer.
Born as Gouranga Chakraborty, the man grew up to be a staunch naxalite before turning towards a better life for himself and his family after his only brother was electrocuted and killed in a freak accident.
Gouranga found solace in education and went on to complete his graduation from University of Calcutta (now. Kolkata). Gouranga (Mithun) then headed to FTII in Pune to study theater and arts and adapted his screen name Mithun.
The world changing moment in his life came when he made his debut in Indian cinema with Mrinal Sen's 'Mrigaya' in 1976, a movie which one him his first National Award for best actor.
He went on to give some stupendous performances like in, Mera Rakshak (1978), Surakshaa (1979), Tarana (1979). Until 1982, Mithun had cemented his foothold in Indian film industry, but Disco Dancer (1982) made him an overnight superstar.
Disco Dancer went on to become a block-buster hit, even garnered worldwide audiences, especially from former Soviet Union, where he became a household name.
Mithun was seen as the next big thing after Amitabh Bachchan, and soon after Big B ventured into politics, Mithun become the second highest paid actors in the Bollywood industry.
Like his on-screen persona even his personal life was a much talked about gossip in the nation. During his early days in the film industry, Mithun had a brief affair with a model Helena Luke, the couple soon tied the knot. The marriage didn't last long and soon they divorced and Helena shifted her base to US.
Mithun was also linked to his co-star Sridevi, it is said he and Sridevi even secretly tied the knot while he was still married to Yogita Bali.
The actor had to himself confirm the news when a fan magazine published his marriage certificate showing him married to Sridevi. Learning upon their secret wedding liaison, Yogita took an overdose of sedatives after, which Mithun had to nullify his marriage with Sridevi and return back to his wife Yogita.
Take a look at some of his memorable films...
