A buxom lady is going to have the shoulder of her blouse torn by a bunch of marauding ruffians. Suddenly, a bottle rolls on the ground and a Man enters the screen. The ruffians ask “Who are you?” In a voice that would make the blood of tigers run cold (old jungle proverb), He says:
“Dikhne me bewada, daudne me ghoda, aur maarne me hathoda hoon main”
The man. The legend. Mithun Chakraborty. Some call him Mithun-da, most call him Prabhuji.
Mithun-da is one of my idols. I will go even further and say He is my God. I believe in Him. And like any fanatic, I am extremely impatient with some people who laugh at Him, compare Him unfavorably to Amitabh and Shahrukh Khan just because He is supposedly “down market”. I think these people should rot in Hell with 72 virgins. 40 year old male virgins that is.
Also like any true-blue fanatic, I would like to spread His word, increase His flock and hopefully salvage many Mithun-less souls. For those who come to scoff, I hope, that after reading this rather lengthy post (the word of God is never concise—The Bible, the Koran, the Gita are not small books), you shall stay to pray.
Or at least say :” Hayeeeeeeeeeeeee Saalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”
Mea culpa. I have to confess. My faith in Him had faltered. Once. It was occasioned by reading this article.
On the very first day of shooting for Mithun-da’s new movie “Chingari” directed by Kalpana Lajmi, the traditional rape sequence was being picturized between Mithun-da and Sushmita Sen. However Sushmita, who is somewhat of a nag and a pathetic pseudo, left the sets fuming about how Mithun touched her inappropriately during the scene.
Despite the irony of inappropriate fondling during a rape scene, I was distraught. How could Prabhu do this to a girl his daughter’s age? I cried myself to sleep and in my dreams, Mithun-da came to me, whispering words of wisdom.
Well actually no.
He said nothing. In my dream, He was standing on a desolate beach with dolorous weather-beaten eyes. He bent down, picked up a fistful of sand, and let it fall through His fingers. I immediately understood what He meant—-the ephemeral nature of the human body, ashes to ashes –dust to dust—-what is one touch here or there ? It’s all Maya. How true.
In the morning I realized that He also may have meant that all He did was touch silicon (ie sand) and not Sushmita Sen, the creature of flesh and bone.
I was born again.
Unlike Amitabh and Shahrukh and all the other false Gods, Mithun-da delivers. Week after week He delivers hit after hit. And the people whom He cares for, the people who worship Him are not the multiplex-going-Western-culture-aping-Godless-apostates but real Indians—-the villagers, small towners, the sons of the soil—the Jawan and the Kisaan, who flock to see His movies in Mithun temples—-small, stuffy, dilapidated cinema halls with creaking torn seats, insects, peeling paint and the all-permeating stench of sweat and urine.
Mithun-da is versatile. No living actor has essayed as many diverse roles as He has which include (but are not limited to)—a tribal caught in the headlights of exploitation (Mrigaya), a disillusioned freedom-fighter (Tahader Katha), Ramakrishna Paramhansa (Ramakrishna Paramhansa), a ventroquilist (Gudiya), a pimp (Dalal), an army general ( Military Raaj), a Coolie in an airport (Gunda), a drunk ruffian (Prem Pratigya), an assassin (Jallad), a Tamil coconut seller (Agneepath) a boxer (Boxer), a Bengali (Bengal Tiger), a teacher (Krantishetra), a disco dancer (Disco Dancer, Dance Dance), a truck driver (Truck Driver Suraaj), a police officer (Jung), a detective (Lucky), an international terrorist (Baba Sikander in Elaan), a false man of God (Dance of Love) , a Sardar (Tusi Great Ho Paazi) and not to forget his donning the mantle of the Indian James Bond—Gunmaster G9 (actual name:Gopinath) in Suraksha and Wardaat. The first three roles in this list won him National Awards—more than any other Indian actor and all of them the adulation and devotion of his followers.
A word about Mithun-da’s Bond avatar. It’s one of this century’s biggest tragedies that so few people know about our Desi Bond– G-9 . While he may not have worn exquisitely tailored suits or sipped Dom Perignon below 38F, Mithun-da is the only Bond to have group danced with a gaggle of buxom ladies in skin tights.
G9 may not have tangoed with Blofeld and the SMERSH but he had his hands full with Dr. Shiva of the evil Shiv Shakti Organization (this name sounds vaguely familiar in light of the Indian political landscape). And let me remind you, in all his battles G9 came out with flying colors—saving the world from death rays (Suraksha) and invading locusts (Wardaat) while grappling with a futuristic bionic villain, enhanced with bio-mechanical implants at the nano level (in the movie, the villain had calculators strapped to his hands).
Talking of villains, in almost all movies Prabhuji has tackled the scariest villains ever seen on screen. In other words, the scum of the earth as represented by the lusty Bulla, the confused Chutiya, the imperialist Sam, the foul Pothey, the dark Kala Shetty, the hapless Lucky Chikna, the sly Ibu Hatela, the politically well-connected Lamboo Ata and the fearless Ballu Bakra. Each of these accursed souls have been dispatched to their maker by Prabhuji with style and panache as exemplified in the dialogue he delivers to Ibu Hatela :
“Main tumhe Hatela se Katela bana doonga”
If the names of these devils have not made you understand what Prabhuji was up against, here are dialogues from two of them:
“Mai jis gali se guzarta hoo waha bachcha paida hone se pehle durrkar maa ke pet me susu kar deta hai!!” (Loha)
and a similar sentiment:
“Hum aise laashen bicha denge jaise kisi nanhe munhe bacche ke nunhi se pesaab tapakta hain—tap tap” ( Gunda)
Tough guys……….. indeed !
But Prabhuji is not all about dispatching the bad guys. He knows how to have fun. And whenever the villains are not around, He likes to dance and frolic. A few of His memorable Bhajans (many of the “moojick” being supplied by another God, Bhappee-da) —” Char Gya Upaar Re” (Dalal), “Mirchi Re Mirchi Kamaal Kar Gayee, Dhoti Ko Pharke Rumaal Kar Gayee” (Jurmana), “Main Loongi Uthaake Tumhe Disco Dikhati” (Agneepath), De de de chummi chummi (Janta Ki Adalaat), Main Tera Murga (Hitler), Daakiya Babu Daku Hain Pakka ….the list needless to say is endless.
Not only is Mithun-da India’s greatest actor and superhero, He is a very keen businessman. And a visionary to boot. If Henry Ford revolutionized the automotive industry in the early 20th century with the use of the “assembly line”, Mithun-da has done something similar with movies. Sick and tired of Mumbai’s loss-making film industry, He started an alternative center for high-quality yet money-making movies in beautiful Ootie with his hotel (the flagship of the Monark group of hotels which he owns) serving as the base of operations. Movies are efficiently produced within two weeks—from conception to the finished product. No expensive foreign shoots, no production delays and in general none of the needless flab that has made Bollywood a loss making endeavor.
Mithunda has truly productized movie-making by creating a baseline movie framework that can be efficiently re-used for multiple offerings—-the baseline plot is –Mithun-da is an honest man, His father gets killed, His sister gets raped and then He takes revenge. As simple as that. Of late He has started playing the villain but usually what I mentioned before is the skeleton of almost all His movies. With the base structure in place, each particular movie then can be looked upon as an instantiation of this general framework—–as a researcher into formal software design I can only marvel at His godly genius.
Like many geniuses, Prabhu-ji’s greatness has not been appreciated. While duds like Shahrukh keep on getting one Filmfare after another for crappy lovefests, Mithun-da has to be content with measly “Best villain” awards. BS I tell you ! And His greatest movie, “Gunda” surely deserved the Oscars much more than that monstrosity “Titanic”.
Just like Spielberg plagiarized Satyajit Ray’s script to make ET, countless number of Hollywood hotshots have shamelessly copied from the holy texts without so much as a hat tip.
Mithun-da’s movie “Boxer” was an inspirational story of how a no-hoper becomes a champion boxer—with his coach being a monkey whom Mithun-da feeds bananas. Stallone lifted the concept for “Rocky” (sans the monkey—that would have been a giveaway) and the song “Eye of the Tiger” is nothing if not an implicit acknowledgement of having copied from the real Bengal Tiger.
In another movie “Aajgar” Mithun plays a Shaolin monk who learns some amazing move with his hands—he does not even need to touch the villains—they fall nonetheless on account of his knowledge of the “force” (wink wink—sound familiar?).
And then in another movie, he suspends himself mid air and kicks the enemy in super slow mo—–yes the precursor of “Matrix” which incidentally should have been called “Mithun Tricks”.
In the movie “Panther” (or it could have been “Cheetah”) He plays the role of an assassin who is coming out of a state of amnesia. Bourne Identity anyone?
Finally, his movie–”Agniputra”. In that, the villains have kidnapped his mother and sister and the villains gloat over the mother’s dead body. Suddenly the mother gets up and starts bashing the villains to pulp. Then the “mother” removes her mask—it is Prabhuji ! In the audience must have been John Woo—MI2 was born.
Another thing that pains the Man is how many of His physics-defying antics have been appropriated by Rajanikant. Now all Mithun-bhakts have respect for Rajni but surely, splitting a bullet into two with a knife and killing 2 villains with one bullet was first done by Mithun-da in the movie “Heera” where He gave the line :” Mere naam hain Heera, chakoo se bullet ko cheera”.
In a similar situation, I once remember Mithun-da running when a villain fires a bullet. What follows is a breathless chase—bullet flying, Mithun-da running, bullet flying, Mithun running. Then when the bullet is gaining on Him, Mithun-da suddenly steps aside and the bullet passes Him by a whisker. Only then does He realize the bullet is going to hit His widowed mother. Now it is Mithun running, bullet flying, Mithun running, bullet flying. And at the last moment, He grabs the bullet and saves His mother.
Simply divine.
I could go on about Him—how He coined the term Disco (which in case you did not know is an acronym with D=dance, I=item, S=singer, C=chorus, O=orchestra–source “I am a Disco Dancer” from “Disco Dancer”), how He is the only person to have been a Naxal as well as a Shiv Shainik, how He has a massive fan following in Russia, how He almost married Sridevi, how He was the highest tax payer in India and how He inspired India’s 21st century economic prosperity with the inspirational line “Agar tujhe halwa khana hain, to tujhe dance karna parega. Dance dance” —-but I shall leave that for now.
Because it is now time for prayers.
Prabhu-ji ki Jay Ho !
Can you feel the love?
(Acknowledgement: Numerous Mithun bhakts in Orkut and real life and our local cablewallah who would screen a Mithun-da movie every Saturday. And apologies for the untranslated Hindi dialogues—-their effect would be totally lost in translation)
[PS: Will be gone for the week to Austria and so will not be able to reply to comments or post anything new ….but please do leave your comments nonetheless :-).
See you all in a week]
This is by far the funniest post I have read so far! Great job Great Bong!
Btw, I do remember reading somewhere that his Ooty movies arent working anymore which is why he has taken up those mainstream bollwood villain roles once again.
He had very “classy” dialogues in “Lucky: no time for love” as well.
I Wonder if you can do a second post on Mithunda sometime.
so its back to the days of entertainment, why dont u write for MAD comics, u will make a hell of a alfred
i loved the parallels b/w hollywood and mithunda films and bloody firangs, script churaate hain:)
I wud like to see mithun da play a sean connery like role in the rock or somethin like clint eastwood in million dollar baby or the best of all, edward norton from American History X.. If he has already played these, pls forgive me
GreatBong, please carry a warning on top of this post
“Dont read the post at work, else you are gone”
I am laughing so loud and fallen off my office chair two or three times. What a rocking post, you made my day !!
One more request - One post on Bappi-da in ur own style !!
hilarious! That story @ Mithun, Bullet and Mama… some one told me that was in a Ranjikanth movie… I am becoming a convert
@Traveller: A review of “Gunda” will be posted in the future….of course the language will be a bit…mm…raw.. thanks to the amazing dialogues of the movie.
@almost_useless: No I do not think Mithun-da ever played the role of a reformed neo-Nazi…as far as my fundas go.
@Greatest Hokie Ever: :-)…glad you liked it. I do not know as much as Bappi-da but yes a post about him is also in order.
@sd: See that’s what I am talking about…this is 100% Mithun-da stuff.
ok, he hasnt, but what if he does, since his movies are always about socially relevant issues. However wud like to c mithun da as mangal pandey or bhagat singh, im wondering the sonsequences. AAmir khan should hav hired mithun da, maybe then the court cases would have been settled…..
and of course, if he hasnt played a neo nazi, i think he can play a reformed naxal, inspired from american hist
im gonna buy first day first show tickets, if he does, and that wud b a first too:)
I am an ardent Mithunda’s fan, and reading anything about him has always been interesting. This is one of the most interesting blogs I have ever read till date. I am sure, my very dear friend and Mithunda’s bhakt Uncle SAM (aka Praji or Veeru) will love this blog too.
Some seven years back, I read a trivia about Mithun-da being the leading actor having acted against most number of actresses. I believe it was 84 different actresses then. It should have crossed 100 by now. Does anyone know of such a record existing? Can anyone confirm the latest figures?
I am not sure if I want to say “well said” or “you lost your marbles”
But well, I guess some rajnikant fans could take a leaf out of your post and use that
Oh yeah, this enlightenment is surely enough to make me get converted to the greatest religion ever known to the mankind—Mithunism. No wonders he, oh sorry, He belongs to the holy land of Bengal. As you say Arnab “ What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow and the rest of the world only scratches head day after tomorrowâ€, another Bong making it sounds so real. James Bonds and Rajnikanths of this world can only make futile attempt to replicate Him.
And yes, please tell me the meaning of “Arnabâ€. Does it anyhow mean “ King of Laughterâ€?
Superbly written post!! Yet again!!
@almost_useless: if Mithunda becomes Mangal Pandey or Bhagat Singh, the British would be given a real ass whopping and Mithun-da would be alive at the end telling the Viceroy: ” Tere naam ka kutta na palooon”
@Jai..Yaiii: I am sure he will.
@Ambuj: It’s kind of a strecth calling those one-scene-wonders who act opposite Mithun-da to be “actresses” –however for mainstream movies I am sure lucky Anil Kapoor would hold the distinction.
@Sudipta: I have lost my marbles. For a long time now.
@Ritzy: “Arnab” means the ocean…:-) and thank you…..
Well, I’ve used ‘Gunmanster G9′ as a quiz team name before, but I never realised the divinity of Mithunda before. But now, I see the truth of His message. I see the light!
Thanks, Great Bong!
I have to grudgingly accept that some of the Mithun stunts were probably used by Rajini, but that should be the ultimate compliment to Mithun da. Having said that, however, I am sure you will agree that twirling a pair of sun glasses (not to mention the lighting of a cigarette by tossing it up in the air and shooting it from his pistol and then catching the right end with his lips) is not something anyone, incl. Mithun da, would have done without inviting comparisons with Thalaivar (as he is fondly called)!
Oh, btw, that stupid kamalhassan also won 3 awards, but who cares about awards.
Atleast one Rajinikant fan salutes you and Mithun da!
Prabhuji ki jay ho!
@Kunal, Thank you…you have now been blessed by Prabhuji.
@Anti: Yes the sunglasses and shooting the cigarette in the air are patented by Thalaivar…..koi shaq nahin ! Prabhuji ki jay to you too !
brilliant post! i havent laughed this hard for ages.
fanstastic post!
mausam hai (twist twist)
gaane ka (sparkle off my silver body suit)
gaane ka (knees bent)
bajane ka (twist twist)
sunne ka (forearm rotates, with finger pointing straight)
sunane ka (cut to ranjeeta kaur, moist eyes)
…
…
hhehehehe..
Prabhuji ko mera salaam!
In the movie “Panther” (or it could have been “Cheetah”)
Indeed, it was Cheetah…..and the most memorable scene inthat was Mithun da making his palms as strong as steel, by tempering it in scalding hot sand.
And i hope you enjoyed his latest comeback (Elaan “Yeh ‘aamara elaan hain”) as much as i did.
awesome post and replies, i must say, i have neever seen genius so close, i guess u make the rest of the world revolve around you..
the cheetah movie of mithun was a copy of american mithun stevan seagals movie.. hard to kill i think
this is the funniest post by far on the whole of the friggin internet
you own bangabandhu
arnab, you da man!!! this is wayyyy past incredible, man!!!
As always, this was stupendously supelative. Rock on!
Ya,Prabhu-ji here.I would like to shower my blessings on all my devotees here.Rest of you will be sent to hell where you will subject to an infinite loop of “I am a disco dancer” WITHOUT Surround Sound whereas my true bhaktas get to to do the same with Dolby Digital.
Hayeeeeeeeee Salaaaaaaa
GreatBong, u hav outdone urself!!I thgt the Shakti Kapoor article and review of ‘Dus’ wont be eclipsed but this one takes the cake..now i m ur ‘bhakt’ :p :d
Mithun Da rocks..i remember him creating a whole hole on the wall with his fingers so as to hang his cap ( dont rem the movie)..and yes him and Bappi da were a killer combo..( remember the song ‘yaad aa raha hai,tera pyaar’..where Prabhuji is nostalgic bout his mom..the song was immortalized in Bappi Da’s voice :d )
Eagerly awaiting an ode to Bappi da..till then jai ho Prabhu ki!!
-a grt fan
r those dialogues frm gunda/loha 4 real?!?sheesh..the things the legendary disco dancer gets away wid…priceless,simply priceless
great job pal….nice post…
Mithun played Ramkrishna Paramhansa in Swami Viveknanda! It was truly an astounding performance.
Your style of writing on Mithunda is your forte. I just laughed my head off and let me tell you I have a very big head on a big torso which means a lot of laugh was needed to knock my head off!!
I have seen that some of the readers have asked you to write on Bappida. But why specialize on all the Ben-Bolly men? How about some Ben-Bolly lass say Bips? And don’t be parochial – how about Govinda?
Hope you are having high-quality time in Austria with whatever you are doing over there. But remember you have to answer all these readers’ comments when you get back!
I forgot to mention one point. Is writing on Mithunda on Sep 9th just a coincidence or just planned this laughter bomb?
I wont be surpised if the name BOND has been coined from the great BONG himself..
GB
Hilarious. But how did you miss out on his hiroines, Ranjita or Kim ?
And ‘Main or mera haathi’. The greatest movie ever man.
Loved the post.
Sourin
Arnab,
Excellent dissertation on Mithun Da. Mithun Da has not only influenced several Hollywood movies, at least one hollywood action hero (a dude going by the name of Steven Segal) appears to be following His foot prints.
On a more serious note, I would surely like to see more of the likes of His performance in Mrigaya, Agneepath & Jallad. Hey, what abt a post on the Southern God Rajni?
You are the High Priest of Bollywood.
This is the best so far!
ROTFL.
Hello Gb
Mithun Dada is great in some movies, isnt he?
I sent this link to a friend and he immediately shot me an email reminding me of the time we were in a car with a Chinese female and this Sri Lankan guy, both graduate students in our univ. The Sri Lankan guy decided to start singing hindi songs cos he was bored during the long drive (apparently his mom is a huge Hrithik Roshan fan) and the three desis (incl. me) in the car followed him with songs of our own. Then the Chinese gal decided to get into the act and told us she’d sing a Hindi song too and guess what song she had in mind?
JIMMY JIMMY JIMMY.. AAJA AAJA AAJA.. ! :))
Needless to say there were three speechless desis sitting there in the car for the next 5 minutes till she completed the song in broken hindi! Apparently Mithunda and Disco Dancer made waves in China!
Guru, daroon post, daroon! Prabhuji along with Bappi-da should enter the Bong pantheon of God’s.
This post just rocks and flowers…patthar ke phool !!! 2 phunny boss. Thanks for the treat.
AT LAST…A KINDRED SPIRIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This post moved me to tears….
brilliant read…esp the Gunmaster G-9 series. Have been a cult follower of Mithunda since childhood. And that ‘dikhne mein bevda’ thing must rank as the best entry sequence in Indian Cinema. Words fail me. Check out my website http://www.geocities.com/tapan_gh, have echoed ur sentiments in a small page dedicated to God which I put up 4 years ago…
Mithun Rules.
Tapan
http://dirtscapes.blogspot.com
All hail the great leader. There is only one god but Mithun, and you are his prophet. This rocks dude !
Rip-roaring and insightful. In parts, though, a little dated. Travelled through the central Uttar Pradesh heartland in June 2005 and found out that much of the rural underclass, Mithun’s core consitutency, doesn’t go to cinema halls anymore. Now they watch movies in the comfort of their homes on vcds. Nonetheless, Mithun remains their king of hearts
An article I wrote in an Indian newspaper on the same theme:
The last underclass action hero
Multiplexes generally ignore his movies. Critics dismiss his films with a single star rating. And, statutory warning, taking a city-slick, sold-on-Saif girlfriend to one of his starrers could be injurious to the relationship. But in the boondocks of central and eastern India, Mithun Chakraborty rules.
The hinterland’s Hero No 1 is not the same actor who once earned acclaim and award in Mrinal Sen’s Mrigaya back in 1976. Or, the pelvis-thrusting, crotch-crutching floorscorcher who even wowed Russia as a Disco Dancer (1982). It’s a C-grade action hero they root for. Someone who since the mid-Nineties started making movies with titles that sound more like abuse: Chandaal, Gunda, Yamraaj and worse.
A Kannauj vcd shop owner Rahul Pandey estimates that the tall, swarthy actor alone accounts for 60 per cent of his net sales and rentals. And, interestingly, Gopal Gupta, who lends out vcds from a rundown shop in Shuklagunj, points out that the customer never ask for a particular Mithun film. “They demand any of his maar-dhaad movie. Even if it was released 7-8 years back, they don’t mind,†he says.
Much of this business, though, is illegitimate. Says Hiren Gada, vice-president, Shemaroo Videos, “His films are potentially worth about Rs 50 lakh from the vcd circuit. But due to piracy, they end up earning around Rs 10 lakh.†Piracy affects the badshah of Bengal more than any other film star. A Shah Rukh Khan film primarily feasts on the multiplexes and the NRI circuit. In contrast, the interiors are Mithun’s bread and butter territory. With fewer and fewer audience frequenting the cinema halls in these parts due to the vcd revolution, he is the big loser.
Delhi-based distributor Sanjay Mehta explains why the mofussil is sold on Mithun. He says that unlike Sunny Deol, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgun, or even Govinda, Mithun is the only star who has not tried to remodel himself for the cash-rich multiplex audience. With every other star being co-opted, he is the last action hero the underclass can relate to. A class which prefers Ma Kasam to Main Hoon Naa and Billa No 786 to Black.
Says Mehta, “They want stories with corrupt policemen and crooked politician; characters they see in daily life and can identify with. And, they want it in their own high-pitched, no-apologies style. A Mithun film gives them all that.â€
And, so they ask for his movies. Again and again. And watch them in the comforts of their home in the interiors of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Chhatisgarh, Bengal and, hold it!, Meghalaya. Long live Mithun da. Long live the vcd revolution.
Kunal_t: Thanks
Tamal_c: Wish someone was auctioning Prabhu-ji’s silver body suit.
@Sunil: “Elaan” was marvellous….the last scene in which Baba Sikander gives up and just sits in the chair before he gets arrested was abs out-of-the-world. I was supporting him and not the other assorted pansies passing for heroes.
@almost_useless: Thanks Aiyeee…
@bangabandhu: Mithunda and copying? Never…its that bum Seagal who shamelessly lifts from M movies.
@Rimi and Vulturo :-)….thanks
Sab Prabhu-ji ki kripaa se.
@Binesh: Aha what a song. Rajesh Khanna with his hair dyed throws the guitar at Mithunda and says in his inimitable style–Ga Beta Ga….and Mithun-da starts his dance of tandav….
@Neha_Kaul: 100% genuine…have the VCDs myself.
@Avik: Thanks
@Keshav: Yes right.sorry my mistake.
@yourfan: Thank you thank you…yes definitely posts on a few non-Bong Gods will follow…the timing for the post of course was significant :-)…but having said that anyday can be Mithun-worship day. Bipasa has some way to go before she becomes a legend worth commenting on.
@Chappan: Ranjeeta is just one of Mithun-da’s consorts…the least heavy of them. My wife tells me that once Mithunda came to CR Park Durga Puja and told his bhakts that you people must think how much fun it is to lift the heroines…but sirs and madams, they are so heavy that I have had back problems after many a shoot.
Prabhuji has the whole world in HIS hands.
@Deba: I do not have first hand knowledge of many of Rajni’s mahaan avatars…unlike Mithun-da with whom I have grown up.
@Fads…Thanks ! :-)…where did CSF vanish?
@Prerona: Some? No way…ALL
@Anti: Aha…..which just goes to show that Mithun-da created Man, Man created boundaries. The divinity of Mithun-da knows no restriction of race and color…and the specific song released in 1981 is also responsible for Mohinder Amarnath’s golden run in Pakistan, West Indies and in the 1983 World Cup…the “Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aja Aja Aja” part that is.
@k: Bhappida is already there….in the pantheon of Gods.
@Tapan: Nice pic of Him ! Mithun-da rules.
@Anish: Amen.
@Anon: Very true. Maa kasaam.
LOL! great post.. esp liked the silicon part
As the wise men have said… “If there was no mithun chakravorty, it would have been necessary for man to create one”…
I have been Mithun Da’s follower since long time now….Keep my white trousers,white shirt(ironed to the extent that crease is permanent) and white leather shoes for special occasions…..Whenever in my childhood i was hungry i used to listen to …aa gayya aa gayya halwa waala aa gayyaa…it left me with no further cravings for any sweet dish…Parbhu ji ki jai hooo
This was an interesting post.
Funny stuff.
This post has been removed by the author.
This is by far the most interesting post I have come across.
However disillusioned it may sound, it is hilarious.
Oops! I’m sorry Prabhu-ji for mocking Thee. Forgive me my sins.
I take an oath to watch all Thy movies hence forth with respect and fear (its transformation of an atheist to a Mithun-fearing devout)
Gr8 stuff!!
For those doing thier thesis on Mithunism , here is something intresting
Exerpts of the entire Ibu Hatela scene,
Ibu Hatela >> “Mera naam hai ibu hatela, Meri maa thi chudail ki beti , Mera baap tha shaitan ka chela , KKhaayega mera Kela ?????!!!!!
Mithun >> ” Mai nahi kahunga ter a kela, Mai teri aisi haalat karunga , Aisi haalat karunga , Ki log tujhe Ibu Hatela nahi , Ibu Katela kahenge !!!!! ”
The above dialogue sequence had me completely transfixed. I was wondering what hit me
.
Anyways , brilliant content GreatBong
Sab Prabhu-ji ki maya hai.
ahhhhhhhh how could I have missed this!!!!!!! thank you for putting up such a brilliant article on prabhu ji!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think there’s more to Mithun Da’s movies than just Him. One can feel the thinking that has been done behind every scene.
“Gunda” is by far the best Mithun movie and most complete representation of his genre. Its really a classic. The characters, dialogues and situations have really left lasting impressions on many of us.
Mithun da is really a legend. signing off with one of the unforgettable lines by Mithun’s dad in Gunda:
“Begunahon ko saza dilate ho?
Aur gunehgaron ko bachate ho?
Tumne thook chata hai unka, peshaab piya hai tumne unka”
guru where are u r feet
u made my day, this is first thing i read this morning….
great work…an give us our second post..we are waiting
Bong Dude !!!
Gr8 job man,many ppl didn’t know about Mithun-da.
Even i have seen few of his B-grade films [Gunda,Gundaraaj,..] & must say his on screen persona appeals to the actual indian ppl.
keep it up….
Regards,
Koustubh
Hey
I created a blogger account to thank you
This page is my yahoo status
24×7
nething i can do to praise god
sarawagi
GreatBong,
In addition to his other great qualities, Prabhuji is a philanthropist and a great humanitarian . Who can forget how Dada came out in the streets of Kolkata to collect donations from all for Latur earthquake victims. He also financially helps deserving candidates from poor families .
–AP
Prabhu - aapke charan kahan hai. Prabhi ji per enlighten kerke aapne hamare jeene ka uddeshya saarthak ker diya !
Must say that is a fine review of guruji. But I must add a classic dialogue from ‘Loha’:
Tu bina petrol ki gaadi hai,
Bina nashe ki taadi hai,
Tu woh fateli saari hai,
Jo ek hijda bhi nahin pehnegi.
Also, if you found a website that sells the Gunda DVD, please post a link (I’ve watched it several times on VHS, but no longer own a VHS player).
Mithunda ki jai
Dude, I bow before you. Unfortunately I live in SD and can’t express my appreciation physically. But from my heart I say this: “This is the way to write on movies!”
almost_useless…
Your wish has just come true! Mithun has already performed the role of an old time [if not exactly reformed] Naxal in Kaalpurush, dir Buddhadev Dasgupta, and the setter par excellence of parallel cinema has already selected it for the Indian Panorama section of next year’s Intl Film Festival of India, being the head of the selection committee, along with another film of his, Swapner Din. Long live Indian ‘Art’ cinema! Long live Prabhuji… who surely will now overtake Kamal Hasan!
BTW, Great Bong, you are too good to be true!
Yes, and please do not disappoint your latter day followers! We eagerly await your take on Bhappee da, Kumar Nunu [apologies to all, just couldn’t hold back on that one], PiKaSo, Chabiwala [Priyo Ranjan DasMunshi], Didi, Bumbada [Posenjit], Beder Meye Josna and other worthies of Bangali kultur!
Among all this you guys forgot the famous scene from “Watan Ke Rakhwale”….where Mithun scales a huge marble wall like spider man…
Question: What are the three Bong favorites?
Answer: Pheesh,Phootball and Phaack!
(Not necessarily in the same order)
Too cool!!!!
You deserve an Applause!!!
—Vishakh
Wooooaaaah !!
Great bong i m sure you can get a Ph.D on Mithun Da !!
And i m sure calcutta university will surely help u bong guys !!
No offense but i m a die hard Shah Rukh Khan fan …. and i have still liked the efforts put in by you for your GOD.
Great work.. i must say… it takes a lot of efforts to be following all the past present n future upcoming work of mithun…
Good Going !!
you can contact me at …
cutie_18_pie_2000@yahoo.com
Varshi
hey great bong!!!!
man, this is toooooooooooooo good. i mean even i m a follower of the mithunism religion now. plz do make sure there’s a follow up on the same.
keep it up.
bloom
awesome post :))
And this movie would be ‘Tyagi’.(I had the fortune of seeing it in theatre)
“In a similar situation, I once remember Mithun-da running when a villain fires a bullet. What follows is a breathless chase—bullet flying, Mithun-da running, bullet flying, Mithun running. Then when the bullet is gaining on Him, Mithun-da suddenly steps aside and the bullet passes Him by a whisker. Only then does He realize the bullet is going to hit His widowed mother. Now it is Mithun running, bullet flying, Mithun running, bullet flying. And at the last moment, He grabs the bullet and saves His mother.”
Great post greatbong! I’m unfortunate that I didn’t read it earlier!
Bappi, Ganguly etc. come and go but Mithun the ‘one and only tiger of Bengal’ remains.
“Ekhon keeeeu khelte paarbe na, Mithun ke daak!”
Grratbong said — “Sick and tired of Mumbai’s loss-making film industry, He started an alternative center for high-quality yet money-making movies in beautiful Ootie with his hotel (the flagship of the Monark group of hotels which he owns) serving as the base of operations. Movies are efficiently produced within two weeks—from conception to the finished product. No expensive foreign shoots, no production delays and in general none of the needless flab that has made Bollywood a loss making endeavor. Mithunda has truly productized movie-making by creating a baseline movie framework that can be efficiently re-used for multiple offerings—-the baseline plot is –Mithun-da is an honest man, His father gets killed, His sister gets raped and then He takes revenge. As simple as that. Of late He has started playing the villain but usually what I mentioned before is the skeleton of almost all His movies. With the base structure in place, each particular movie then can be looked upon as an instantiation of this general framework—–as a researcher into formal software design I can only marvel at His godly genius.”"
This is the F1 of film making - the productized formula that the idiots in Mumbai scoff at. But history will acknowledge his true genious - after all Ekta Kapoor is following in his footsteps - creating a steam of minor variations on the winning soap formula of villianous bahus, to good to be true heros, brainless saas, idiotic melodramatic father-in-laws and spoilt daughters. To add to all this she uses the same set for all serials - the same mandirs and the same recorded bhajans - she also uses the popular old hindi songs for the dance sequences.
WOW…. this was a a damn good blog…
mithunda is my favourite hero!!!… i love him as much as i love shama ki biryani!!!… i like all his stunts… i loved him in that song “i am a disco dancer”… i got a first prize in college when i did that dance… i actually look like ajay devgan but i think mithun looks like me… there can never be any hero than mithuhda.
WHY NEWTON COMMITTED SUICIDE ???
Here is the reason.
Once, Newton came to India and watched a few Tamil movies that had his head spinning. He was convinced that all his logic and laws in physics were just a huge pile of junk and apologized for everything
he had done.
In the movies of Rajnikant, Newton was confused to such an extent that he went paranoid. Here are a few scenes from his movies :-
1.) Rajnikant has a Brain Tumor which, according to the doctors can’t be cured and his death is imminent. In one of the fights, our great Rajnikant is shot in the head. To everybody’s surprise, the bullet passes through his ears taking away the tumor along with it and he is cured! Long Live Rajnikant !
2.) In another movie, Rajnikant is confronted with 3 gangsters. Rajnikant has a gun but unfortunately only one bullet and a knife. Guess, what he does? He throws the knife at the middle gangster &
shoots the bullet towards the knife. The knife cuts the bullet into 2 pieces, which kills both the gangsters on each side of the middle
gangster & the knife kills the middle one.
3.) Rajnikant is chased by a gangster. Rajnikant has a revolver but no bullets in it. Guess what he does. Nah? Not even in your remotest
imaginations…………
He waits for the gangster to shoot. As soon as the gangster shoots, Rajnikant opens the bullet compartment of his revolver and catches
the bullet. Then, he closes the bullet compartment and fires his gun. “Bang”……….the gangster dies.
This was too much for Newton to take! He was completely shaken and decided to go back. But he happened to see another movie for one last time, and thought that at least one movie would follow his theory of physics.
The whole movie goes fine and Newton is happy that all in the world hasn’t changed. Oops, not so fast!
The ‘climax’ finally arrives. Rajnikant gets to know that the villain is on the other side of a very high wall. So high that Rajnikant can’t jump even if he tries like one of those superman techniques that our heroes normally use. Rajnikant has to desperately kill the villain because it’s the climax. (Newton Dada is smiling since it is virtually impossible)
Rajnikant suddenly pulls two guns from his pockets. He throws one gun in the air and when the gun has reached above the height of the wall, he uses the second gun and shoots at the trigger of the first gun in air. The first gun fires off and the villain is dead.
Newton Commits Suicide !!!
Hey it actually was qhuite a post !!! I wonder how Mithun-da himself would feel going through this. By the way, Greatbong, there is a site dedicated to Mithun-da only although I think they haven’t updated it for quite some while now… it’s
http://www.mithun-chakraborty.com
Anyways, somehow I stepped in here through some other weblog.
Really commendable work, man !!! Truly awesome !!!
Would love to come back. Keep posting. See ya.
Wonderfully written. People do not take him seriously. These Pseudo-intellectual people feel that liking Mithun is not classy enough.
I was in the 5th standard when Mithun hit the headlines in Disco Dancer and just like an average bong, I love him from then. I confess that I am a fan of Amitabh Bachchan but to me, Mithun is no less. He practically stole the thunder right under the nose of Amitabh in Agneepath. That is an achievement since the role was tailor made for Amitabh and making a mark in an Amitabh Bachchan starrer is no easy task.
If there is one actor who took the honours of commercial cinema and parallel cinema together, the only name which comes to our mind is Mithun Da. Stalwarts like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan were restricted to commercial films. Naseer, Om Puri and others were successful in parallel cinema, but Mithun Da is the only actor in the history of Hindi films who carved out a place for himself in both fields.
Kudos to you man, hats off to your views and your post. One friend very sarcastically forwarded me the link to the blog so that he and the others in the post can have a hearty laugh but I loved every bit of your blog.
Jai Mithun Da !!!!!
Dear Great Bong:
An important development and a slice of history/tribute:
1: The inspiring work -Swami Dada -starred mid-career Dev Anand and an early-stage Mithun in the same film (in which Dev broke the heart of the American Amabassadors daughter - leading to the crisis in Diego Garcia). I hear rumors that Dev and/or Mithun will get back onscreen in Peethtod Parbat - playing two Ganga Kinare Gobaalaks who share a tender moment?
2: Special effects genius Raveekant Nagaich directed the two Gunmaster G9 films - his espionage films across the 60s-80s inspired many a young man to disco dance, karate chop and fight lurking evil-doers (one of these callow youngsters, a certain George W. - who does all of the above to this very day!) His lost masterpiece script for the third G9 film was purloined and later made into the vastly inferior “Bond 303″ starring Jeetendra, giant Praveen Kumar, and Prem Chopra as the space alien villian “Big Hardy”…
As Mithun would say - Koi Shaque?
Regards,
Shahkaal
u ve spent lot of time on mithun keep it up n waste more!!
The very fact that its been more than 5 months since you have written this post, and the comments have not stopped flowing bears testimony to the fact the the legend of Mithunda will never die. You have done a great job here. It is only very rarely that one gets to see posts of this quality. Many are those who admire the man, but there are only few who actually get down to showing their admiration. You have done that remarkably well!
On a side note, I’d like to pay homage to the Bappi- Mithun combination. I once came across a Bappi-Mithun torrent that had the music of all their films from Suraksha in 1979 to Guru in 1989. Anybody wanting the torrent file can get it of my website!
Cheers! Your article shall find a permanent link on my blog! The word of Guruji should spread! hayeee salaaaa…
I AM A FAN OF MITHUN BUT NOT EVEN CLOSE TO U =U R A REAL FAN =I NEED A DVD OF SURAKSHA IF U CAN HELP ME PLZ ALSO OTHER DVD LIKE MRUGYA =MERA RAKSHAK AND SO ON
Oh Great Bong,
Your study of Mithun-da is a seminal piece of work, the work of a life time (a la Beautiful Mind), it is an honour and a privilege for me to have had the oppurtunity to read it.
Awesome article!! This is the best piece of literature i have read about Mithun.. Check out http://natrajiyer.blogspot.com/.
Hey..Great review… I am a Mithunda fan…..Though I have seen only few of his films (actually I’m not a movie-lover)I enjoyed his performance in all the movies.. He is such a versatile actor and can perform any role with ease…He is a neglected genius…but has a loyal fan following.
Write some more reviews on Mithunda
Wishing him all the best!!!
Tabitha
well written hillarious.mithunda is an actor of the masses unlike the others who just please the rich.mithunda hats off to u !
mithun da jaisa koi nahi
how true is this…. I am also big fan of Mithunda. Dudes Mithunda is doing a new film called Hason Raja. it’s dircted by uk-based director Ruhul Amin. Mithunda plays the role of mystic poet.
well what can i say,ur work is truly a masterpiece,a testimony of your in depth understanding of mithunda n finally ur total bonding with him.but what i really want to ask u is that wether all these great action scenes being done by him are written by him(is he the story writer)or is this some divine coincidence that whoever tends to write the script gets some divine intervention n help in writing such great scenes(courtesy mithunda)i guess it’s the second one what do u say?
I tought you will be interested to read this interview. This film maker talk about mithunda….
I hope Great Bong will add this in his news section…
Ruhul Amin is known for creating sensitive, understated, poetic films centred around life in the Bengali community of East London.
A KING OF ENGLISH (1986) explores the myriad of complex relationships which develop within a family due to frustrations causes by unemployment, displacement and a longing or the homeland seen through the eyes of a nine-year old boy. His latest release is Rhythms; it is a lyrical film about an old man, a newly arrived bride and a young boy who are bound together in their common appreciation of traditional Bengali music.
The music offers a temporary respite and release from their loneliness and isolation. Ruhul’s talent is in his manipulation of cinematic
language – the fusion of rich, lingering images with the intensity with the intensity of silence. Often little is said but within “everything elseâ€, he manages to evoke a sense of the passion which burns beneath the despair of living in this “cold climateâ€. His work has been likened to the early films of De Sica and Satyajit Ray.
Dr Sarita Malik (PhD)- interviews Ruhul Amin for BLACK FILM BULLETIN
a British film institute magazine. Autumn 1994
*This some background information.
__________________________________________________
Ruhul Amin and his film.
HASON RAJA.
Ruhul is one of the prolific Asian filmmaker in Britain.
In the beginning of 80s he came to Britain with his parents.
Within a year while he was at school he made his first
doc-drama “PURBO LONDONâ€
Since then he joined British film Industry and worked as an assistant. Later he attended National film and Television School.
In 1986 he made his first feature film for Channel 4 Television
entitled “A KIND OF ENGLISHâ€. The film was shown in the festival around the world and earned a critical acclaim. The film was compared with early work of De Sica and Satyajit Ray.
Since then he has made 13 films for BBC and Channel 4 TV.
Most of them are documentaries and experimental dramas.
Now he is making his epic Bengali film on the life of a rural Bengali folk poet who was around about hundred fifty years ago.
I talked to Ruhul on behalf of the East West magazine.
Maruf….
1) How much time do you spend thinking about Hason Raja?
In fact my entire pre-occupation is now Hason Raja. It is a kind of obsession and only way out is to make the film.
2) How would you describe you as a director?
I would say I am a committed and passionate filmmaker. I have a creative and artistic sensibility, which creates a burning desire to make film.
Cinema is a unique art form. It has an unimaginable creative possibility. I have a tremendous respect and love for that medium.
My endless effort is to learn and prepare myself as a creative filmmaker.
3) You are basically a UK based filmmaker. What made you to do a film in Bangladesh? Was the idea sparked after doing a film on the Bangladesh film industry for British TV?
I was also asked this question before. Most of the films I made for BBC and Channel 4 television are to do with our community. And often have written script based on Bangladesh. Once a commission editor asked me. You are a filmmaker from here, why Bangladesh?
To explain that in brief, it is partly to do with my childhood. Fortunately I spent my childhood in most beautiful part of Bangladesh. The place was surrounded by natural beauty and its beautiful communities like Manipuri and Nepali and the tribal people in the tea gardens. It was a vibrant cultural place.
As cinema is a visual medium, I think its formation took a deep root from that period.
Leaving in the concrete jungle of Britain there is a strong nostalgia towards that beautiful land, culture and its people.
4) To do anything good needs a long preparation and it takes time. But to do this Bengali film taking nearly 5 years…don’t you think you are taking too much time?
Yes, you are right it is taking lot of time. Main reason for this is the finance and that is beyond my control.
5) Why have you thought of Mithun Chakarborty as Hason Raja? Couldn’t you find anyone from Bangladesh?
Hason Raja is a legendary figure in our folk culture. To portray his charisma and dynamism you equally need another legend. And I think Mithun is the most appropriate performer to reincarnate Hason Raja on the screen.
6) For the purpose of making Hason Raja you met Mithun many times can you briefly describe Mithun as a person and as an actor?
I think I am not qualified enough to talk about Mithun.
Whole-heartedly Mithun is a Bengali. His ancestors are from Bangladesh. He struggled hard to establish him as a supper star in world of Hindi films and at the same time he wan three national awards by working in parallel cinema. He is undoubtedly a leaving legend. He is a great man. He loves people and he loves Bangladesh very much.
7) For the main female artist you thought of Rani and Nandita and also met them. Why are they out from your film?
Casting is a complicated process. Lots of factors are involved. E.g. artistic, financial and practical. Yes I met them and they also have shown interest to work on Hason Raja. But we didn’t come to any final decision.
8)There are better actress then Raima. What is you reason behind casting her? Is it because her experience in Bollywood and her glamour?
Of course there are wonderful performer in Bangladesh. Hason Raja depicts a particular historical time when it was culturally very vibrant. Amongst many qualities of a performer if some how any of the nuances strongly reflects any resonance with the character of the script then it is extremely fortunate. Raima Sen happen to be one of those. I haven’t seen any of her Hindi films. The glamour of our film doesn’t have any resemble with the glamour of Hindi films.
9) We heard A R Rahman was doing the music. Anil Mehta is doing the cinematography and Farah Khan is doing the choreography. Now we hear the other people are involved. Why is that?
Initially we thought of A R Rahaman and Fara Khan but didn’t finally proceed.
Anil Mehata is the cameraman of first Oscar nominated Indian film Lagan. I met him about two years ago and he became interested to work on Hason Raja. Infect gave us a shooting time which was last year, unfortunately we couldn’t gather our finance.
And now he is not free for another two years.
10) Why did you choose Buphen Hazarika instead of AR Rhaman?
About a year ago I went to Gauhati in Assam to meet Buphen Hazarika.
It was an overwhelming experience. His house situated on top of a beautiful mountain. He was so overjoyed by my arrival there. A Bengali from across seven seas? He took me on to a top hill beside his house and pointed beneath the mountain, “look that is my Bangladeshâ€.
We discussed in details of the composition and orchestrations of the music. At one point he said, Hason Raja is closed to my heart. In 1960 Buphen Hazarika, Nirmuladhu Chaudhary and Himango Biswas performed Hason Rajas’s songs in various part of India.
The folk music of Assam and our music has a unique bondage. Buphen da is an authority on folk music. We are extremely fortunate to have a revolutionary music director like Buphen Hazarika.
11) Already a film is made in Bangladesh by the name of Hason Raja. You film is on the same character in same name. Don’t you think this will create some confusion amongst the audiences? Have you thought of changing the name?
It is nearly 4 years since we started working on Hason Raja.
Stylistically this film is very different. Its arrangement is huge. The best and most talented arties and crafts man from Bangladesh and India are gathered. In that sense it is a revolution. You can make many films on the same subject. It depends on what new dimension you are bringing. Our audience are very sensitive and surely they will be able to distinguish the attraction of the different films.
12) Where is the shooting going to take place of the film?
The shooting of the film will take place in various region of Bangladesh. Particularly we will shoot a major portion around Sunam Gong and Joyonta. One of our main aims is to depict the rural beauty. And to do that we will travel all over Bangladesh.
13) Is any body is cast from UK?
We haven’t carried out the entire casting yet. It depends on the requirements of the script.
14) You are going to make the biggest budget film ever made in the history of Bangladesh film industry. Do you think there would be any hostile reaction from Dhallywood?
Bengalis are a dynamic race. And we have witnessed that through out the history. In terms of cinema we were not behind. We have created many distinguished filmmakers. Just think about that Black and white era? What a significant contribution.
People like me who are based in abroad and have training with the latest sophisticated cinema technology surely would be able to provide an opportunity for lot of talented people in the industry, who will be given an opportunity to be acquainted with the latest technology.
Big film needs big budget. In terms of marketing why should we just think about Bangladesh?
15) As far as we know. Your pervious films are made for mainstream British TV. This is for the first time you are gathering finance from investors. What are the difficulties are you facing?
Yes, all my previous work is for BBC and Channel 4 Television.
Never had to worry about the budget. There was a financial security.
Present project is a painful revolution.
People with lot of money are not showing any interest. People who are investing they are individuals from the community. For some of them it is their lifetime saving. They only want to see a good movie. They love their country so much. Just look at their previous generation? During the liberation war of Bangladesh how mush sacrifice they made?
Gathering money from them is a moving experience for me.
16) We heard Hason Raja will be the first epic film of Bangladesh. Does that mean there are no epic films made in Bangladesh?
Yes this is the first epic film of Bangladesh. Epic in its scale, depth and it’s spectacle. Its canvas is huge. There are battle sequences, boat races and colourful festivals. Literally thousands of people will participate in those sequences. It is in cinemascope and Dolby digital sound.
17) How long will it take to complete the film?
Shooting will start towards the end of this year. Twelve weeks shoot and then three months editing and rest is post-production.
Hopefully it will be ready by the middle of next year.
18)Is Hason Raja going to be distributed internationally?
International distribution is our priority. And already many distributors are waiting for the film.
19) When will the audience see Mithun as Hason Raja on the screen?
Hopefully towards the middle of next year you will be able to see Mithun as a reincarnation of Hason Raja.
Interviewed by: Rezwan Maruf UK(EastWest magazine)
ich finde dich spitze …..
you are great