Mumbai Feb 23 PTI Mithun Chakraborty danced his way to the audiences hearts in the 80s but at the peak of his career the actor says he found himself grappling with the reality that fame not only brought legions of fans but also crushing lonelinessChakraborty started his acting journey with filmmaker Mrinal Sens National Award winning 1976 drama Mrigayaa It was the 1979 spy thriller Surakshaa that laid the grounds for his stardom in the 80s with blockbusters like Disco Dancer Dance Dance Pyar Jhukta Nahin Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki and Commando among othersThese were the busy years for the actor who headlined more than 100 films in the decade often juggling four movie shoots a day Fans gave him the moniker of Dancing Star and Disco DancerI had never imagined that I would become a superstar But when I did become the number one star of the country I found that it was Oh my God an extremely lonely place It is really very very lonely You are all alone there It was lonely because everybody thought I was beyond their reach I was unattainable the actor told PTIAs Chakraborty grew in stature so did the myth of his stardom which started invading his personal spaceThe actor said he lived with the puzzling reality of showbiz he was the most wanted star but everyone was too apprehensive to even talk to himThey would say Stay away from dada he has become too big My friends would also be scared of me It was a very weird atmosphere I would wake up go to shoot come back and be lonely while being the biggest star the hottest selling star of the country Main ek bohot akela aadmi ho gaya tha I had become a very lonely man But this is part of life too he addedIn the 90s when Bollywood turned to urban larger than life romances slowly letting go off the 80s masala films-led popular by him and Jeetendra with ample support by late music composer Bappi Lahiris chartbuster tunes-Chakraborty still had nearly 100 releasesAccording to the actor the key to sustaining stardom is to not only be a good actor but also a wonderful human beingIf an actor is not a good person Chakraborty said the fame will vanish in a heartbeatThere is no survival without talent Only your talent can take you ahead if you have it you will make it No one in the world can stop you A good actor who is a bad human being will have a short life A bad actor who is a bad human being will have no life A good actor who is a good human being will have a long lifeThe only magic to hold on to stardom for so long is that a good actor who is also a good man will live for long Your superstardom will vanish in a heartbeat if you are not a good person Karma will just wait for the right time no one can escape that he addedThe multiple National Award winning actor juggled both Bollywood and Bengali films and eventually made his debut on the small screen towards the end of the 2000sHe has now made his digital debut with Prime Videos psychological thriller series BestsellerThe show inspired by Ravi Subramanians novel The Bestseller She Wrote features him as assistant commissioner of police Lokesh PramanikChakraborty said today he accepts only those projects that leave him thinking long after he has finished reading the scriptIt has to pinch or tickle me Once I have read the script and if it hits me I think I am on the right part Bestseller was one of those My character in it is funny unpredictable and sometimes even ruthless he addedThe actor said his shift to OTT was fueled by the need to keep up with the times If even today he expects to play a disco dancer he would be foolish Chakraborty saidI want to go with the time not swim against the tide If I think Im still a Disco Dancer Ill be foolish So I have to think what kind of roles will suit me now and the one I can do effortlessly If OTT is the current time then Ill have to mould myself like thatBacked by filmmaker Siddharth Malhotras Alchemy Production LLP and directed by Mukul Abhyankar Bestseller also stars Shruti Haasan Arjan Bajwa Gauahar Khan Satyajeet Dubey and Sonalee Kulkarni PTI JUR BK BK

Mumbai Feb 18 PTI Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty says his partnership with Bappi Lahiri was iconic because the singer-composer understood his dancing and created chartbuster music keeping his hatke style in mindRemembering Lahiri who passed away on Tuesday night at the age of 69 Chakraborty said he wants to remember the composer from the days they spent togetherIn an interview with PTI Chakraborty said the composer was an artiste who truly understood his craftThe best part was that Bappi da understood my dancing I brought something new-- disco dancing which was a departure from others Bappi da understood that I dance hatke different and so he started giving music accordingly It became like 112 hum jud gaye we connected When we became one we gave legendary hits Chakrabortys first brush with stardom was with the 1979 hit Surakksha which was aided by Lahiris music especially the track Gunmaster G9The duo became a formidable force with their later works Disco Dancer 1982 Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki and Dance DanceChakraborty was given the moniker of a dancing star with Lahiri firmly backing him with songs like I Am A Disco Dancer Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Yaad Aa Raha Hai Come CloserThe 71-year-old actor said the best part about Lahiri was that he operated without any ego If there was a suggestion Chakraborty had Lahiri was all earsBappi da was very open he was an ego-less man If you told him Bappi da I heard a song would you like to hear I want a similar song he would be open to it If he liked it he would work on it That was the best part otherwise we would be scared to approach any other music directors worried how they would react to suggestions When Lahiri passed away fans flooded social media with songs of the duo recalling their collaboration which dominated music charts the entire 80sChakraborty said he was in Bengaluru when his long-time collaborator breathed his last but he was so grief-stricken he didnt want to to remember Bappi Da in that stateI was in Bangalore when he passed away Main woh samaay nahi dekhna chahta tha I didnt want to see him like that I want to remember Bappi da the way I know him I just dont want to remember this Bappi da I dont even want to see because Bappi da will remain with me forever That is my thinking the actor saidWhen my father passed away during the pandemic I could not come I didnt want to see him like that I wanted to remember him for how we were Similarly I want to remember Bappi da for how we used to sit together and make songs listen to songs I just want to remember the good days with him he addedThough Lahiri is credited for revolutionising the disco sound for Hindi film music landscape in the 70s and 80s the veteran said the composer should never be boxed in that imageHe should not be confined to just disco he was a genius He gave hit songs for every hero every heroine every producer Nobody can forget him he is a legend and I am sure his soul would be in heaven I will miss him forever he addedChakraborty currently stars in Prime Videos psychological thriller series Bestseller which marks his digital debutBacked by filmmaker Siddharth Malhotras Alchemy Production LLP and directed by Mukul Abhyankar Bestseller also stars Shruti Haasan Arjan Bajwa Gauahar Khan Satyajeet Dubey and Sonalee Kulkarni PTI JUR BK BK