West Bengal chief minister visits the veteran actor

Entertainment Desk:

Actor Mithun Chakraborty has been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata after falling ill.

The news initially stayed under wraps, but came to light after a photo surfaced of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visiting him at the hospital on Friday.

Anandabazar reported that the “Disco Dancer” star underwent surgery on his hand at the private hospital, located along the bypass in south Kolkata.

He had injured the same hand two years ago, which had also required surgery at the time.

After leaving the hospital, the chief minister said: “He is Bengal’s treasure. This has nothing to do with politics. But Mahaguru has played a huge role behind the nationalist government coming to power in Bengal.

“He’s had a small operation. He’s doing well.”

Suvendu said Mithun had not wanted news of his hospitalisation to become public.

He later posted photos of his meeting with Mithun on social media himself.

Hospital authorities said the actor is recovering well after the surgery and could be discharged within a day or two.

Mithun left Mamata Banerjee’s camp to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) several years ago, a move that sparked considerable controversy.

Ahead of this year’s West Bengal assembly election, he campaigned for the ruling BJP across parts of the state over the past month and a half.

Born Gouranga Chakraborty in Bangladesh’s Barishal, he later rose to fame in Indian cinema under the name Mithun Chakraborty.

He made his film debut in 1976 with Mrinal Sen’s “Mrigayaa”, winning the National Film Award for Best Actor for his very first role.

He later moved to Mumbai, though his early days there were far from easy.

After years of struggle, the 1982 release of “Disco Dancer” transformed his career, propelling him to the peak of popularity across the subcontinent.

He went on to marry Bollywood actress Yogita Bali.

Mithun’s unconventional dance style helped reshape audience tastes across both Bengals, in Bangladesh and India, through the 1980s and 90s.

Across more than four decades, the actor has appeared in over 370 films.

He has also won National Film Awards for “Tahader Kotha” and “Swami Vivekananda”.

Now 75, Mithun has grown considerably more selective in choosing roles.

He says he now wants to play characters that will “enrich him further as an artiste”.