Mithun Chakraborty, who has dominated the arthouse and commercial film industries for over four decades, is set to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award – India’s highest honour in the field of cinema. The award will be bestowed upon the Disco Dancer star at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony on October 8.

Mithun Chakraborty spoke to us from the set of director Pathrikrit Basu’s film, in the northern parts of Kolkata.

The actor said, “I am totally dumbfounded. I cannot laugh, neither can I cry.” He added, “It is such a big honour, I am unable to digest this feeling. For the first time, I was fumbling at the press conference. Honestly, it feels as though it is a life-altering moment for me.”

Chakraborty went on to add: “It feels as though God has finally evaluated all these years, decades of my struggle. There is a dilapidated temple on the way to Nimtalla burning ghat. No one knows about it. There is an ascetic, I call him Bhole baba. I will head there to seek his blessings.” When asked about his plans to celebrate, the veteran actor said, “I have no plans to celebrate as such. My work is my celebration.”

In a post on X, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made the announcement and wrote, “Honoured to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Mithun Chakraborty ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema.”

Reacting to the news, Mithun’s son Mimoh Chakraborty, said, “We, as a family, and all his fans are absolutely overwhelmed by this very deserved and prestigious award that has been bestowed upon baba. What a proud moment for us!”

Congratulatory messages poured in from the veteran star’s industry colleagues, too. “I’m a big fan of Mithun da – his iconic cinematic journey inspires us all. He’s someone who acted in Disco Dancer and Tahader Katha with the same elan. One of the finest actors in our country, Mithun da is a true icon of Indian cinema. And, a Bengali actor from Kolkata making waves worldwide makes me prouder,” said Tollywood star Prosenjit Chatterjee.

Rituparna Sengupta, who has worked in several films with Mithun, said, “It is such a proud moment for us! Dada is our pride, and this award only proves that he is an actor par excellence. As an actor, I feel privileged that I got an opportunity to work with him in so many films, both Hindi and Bengali.”

In the industry for 48 years now, Mithun began his career with his breakthrough performance in Mrinal Sen’s Mrigayaa (1977), which earned him the National Film Award for Best Actor. Chakraborty has since starred in over 350 films in an array of languages like Hindi Bengali, Odia, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bhojpuri, and Punjabi. The actor also holds a record in the Limca Book of Records for releasing 19 films in 1989, a feat that remains unbroken.