Mithun Chakraborty to Receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, known for his versatile contributions to Indian cinema, will be honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony on October 8, 2024. At 74, Mithun Chakraborty expressed his overwhelming joy, dedicating the honour to his family and fans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw congratulated him on his achievement, highlighting his enduring legacy in Indian cinema.

Iconic Film Journey

Mithun Chakraborty made his debut with the 1976 film Mrigayaa, winning the National Award for Best Actor. He gained immense popularity with the 1982 film Disco Dancer and starred in several other hits such as Surakshaa, Pyar Jhukta Nahin, Dance Dance, and Agneepath. He has won three National Film Awards and continues to be a household name, balancing both Bollywood and Bengali cinema.

Recent Recognition

In 2024, Mithun Chakraborty was also honoured with the Padma Bhushan Award, solidifying his status as a cultural icon. He has ventured into digital platforms with Bestseller and continues to inspire through reality shows like Dance India Dance.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest cinematic honour, instituted in 1969 in memory of Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema. Mithun Chakraborty becomes the 54th recipient, joining the ranks of legends like Raj Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar, and Waheeda Rehman, among others.

Dadasaheb Phalke Awards Recipients

Year	Recipient	Film Industry	Notes
1969	Devika Rani	Hindi	Acknowledged as “the first lady of Indian cinema,” she debuted in Karma (1933) and founded Bombay Talkies in 1934.
1970	Birendranath Sircar	Bengali	Founder of two production companies and considered a pioneer of Indian cinema.
1971	Prithviraj Kapoor	Hindi	Starred in India’s first sound film, Alam Ara (1931), and founded Prithvi Theatre.
1972	Pankaj Mullick	Bengali, Hindi	Composer and actor, known for his musical contributions, especially Mahishasuramardini (1931).
1973	Ruby Myers (Sulochana)	Hindi	Considered the first sex symbol of Indian cinema, she debuted with Veer Bala (1925).
1974	B. N. Reddy	Telugu	Director of fifteen feature films; first Indian film personality to receive the Padma Bhushan.
1975	Dhirendra Nath Ganguly	Bengali	A founder of the Bengali film industry, established several production companies.
1976	Kanan Devi	Bengali	First lady of Bengali cinema, known for her singing and production efforts.
1977	Nitin Bose	Bengali, Hindi	Introduced playback singing to Indian cinema with Bhagya Chakra.
1978	Raichand Boral	Bengali, Hindi	A pioneer in Indian film music, collaborated to introduce playback singing.
1979	Sohrab Modi	Hindi	Credited with bringing Shakespearean classics to Indian cinema.
1980	Paidi Jairaj	Hindi	Known for his portrayal of historical characters and involvement in the Filmfare Awards.
1981	Naushad	Hindi	Music director credited with introducing sound mixing techniques.
1982	L. V. Prasad	Telugu, Tamil, Hindi	Acted in the first talkie films in three languages; founded Prasad Studios.
1983	Durga Khote	Hindi, Marathi	Pioneer among women in Indian cinema, involved in producing short films and documentaries.
1984	Satyajit Ray	Bengali	Debuted with Pather Panchali, credited with bringing global recognition to Indian cinema.
1985	V. Shantaram	Hindi, Marathi	Produced and directed India’s first color film, Sairandhri.
1986	B. Nagi Reddy	Telugu	Established Vijaya Vauhini Studios, the biggest film studio in Asia at that time.
1987	Raj Kapoor	Hindi	Revered as “The Show Man”; notable for his performance in Awara.
1988	Ashok Kumar	Hindi	Known for iconic roles in films like Kismet and Achhut Kannya.
1989	Lata Mangeshkar	Hindi, Marathi	Renowned playback singer, known as the “nightingale of India”.
1990	Akkineni Nageswara Rao	Telugu	Starred in over 250 films, considered a legendary figure in Telugu cinema.
1991	Bhalji Pendharkar	Marathi	Filmmaker known for historical and social narratives in his films.
1992	Bhupen Hazarika	Assamese	Best known for his folk songs and ballads.
1993	Majrooh Sultanpuri	Hindi	Lyricist who wrote around 8000 songs for Hindi films.
1994	Dilip Kumar	Hindi	“Tragedy King” with a career spanning over six decades.
1995	Rajkumar	Kannada	Star of over 200 films; won a National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
1996	Sivaji Ganesan	Tamil	First Indian actor to win a “Best Actor” award at an international film festival.
1997	Kavi Pradeep	Hindi	Best known for his patriotic songs.
1998	B. R. Chopra	Hindi	Established B. R. Films and known for films like Naya Daur and Mahabharat.
1999	Hrishikesh Mukherjee	Hindi	Known for middle-of-the-road cinema and films like Anand and Gol Maal.
2000	Asha Bhosle	Hindi, Marathi	Versatile playback singer with a career spanning decades.
2001	Yash Chopra	Hindi	Founder of Yash Raj Films, directed 22 Hindi films.
2002	Dev Anand	Hindi	Co-founded Navketan Films, known as the “evergreen star”.
2003	Mrinal Sen	Bengali, Hindi	Acclaimed filmmaker known for significant contributions to Indian cinema.
2004	Adoor Gopalakrishnan	Malayalam	Pioneer of new wave cinema in Malayalam.
2005	Shyam Benegal	Hindi	Focused on women’s rights in his films.
2006	Tapan Sinha	Bengali, Hindi	Addressed social issues in his films.
2007	Manna Dey	Bengali, Hindi	Sang over 3500 songs and infused Indian classical music into popular music.
2008	V. K. Murthy	Hindi	Renowned cinematographer, known for lighting techniques in films.
2009	D. Ramanaidu	Telugu	Produced over 130 films in multiple languages and recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records.
2010	K. Balachander	Tamil	Directed and produced over 100 films, recognized for his unique storytelling.
2011	Soumitra Chatterjee	Bengali	Collaborated frequently with Satyajit Ray; recognized internationally for his work.
2012	Pran	Hindi	Known for his compelling performances, primarily as a villain.
2013	Gulzar	Hindi	Acclaimed lyricist and director with a significant body of work.
2014	Shashi Kapoor	Hindi	Awarded for contributions as both actor and producer; revitalized Prithvi Theatre.
2015	Manoj Kumar	Hindi	Known for patriotic themes; dubbed “Bharat Kumar”.
2016	K. Viswanath	Telugu	Director recognized for films exploring the arts and aesthetics; received multiple National Film Awards.
2017	Vinod Khanna	Hindi	Known for his impactful performances and briefly ventured into politics.
2018	Amitabh Bachchan	Hindi	Iconic actor with a profound influence on Indian cinema; known for his baritone voice.
2019	Rajinikanth	Tamil	A legendary actor, awarded in 2021 due to pandemic delays.
2020	Asha Parekh	Hindi	Celebrated actress known as Jubilee Girl; recognized for her contributions to cinema and television.
2021	Waheeda Rehman	Hindi	Recognized for her versatile roles in Hindi cinema and received Padma awards for her contributions.