Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, lovingly called ‘Mithun da’ and the original ‘Disco Dancer’ of Indian cinema, was once the most popular name who largely dominated single-screen film theatres across India. In that golden era of cinema, when the industry was gradually moving towards multiplexes and massively budgeted films, the mass was largely held by not any Bachchan or Khan, but Mithun, who had become more of a phenomenon than a star.
Film exhibitor remembers Mithun Chakraborty’s single-screen supremacy
In a recent conversation with Digital Commentary, film exhibitor Vishek Chauhan, owner of the iconic Roopbani Cinema in Bihar, recalled how Mithun Chakraborty’s consistent output kept single screens alive and running in the 1980s and 90s. During his Ooty days, Raj Babbar was his prime producer, and the superstar used to deliver two films a month. Every Mithun film was housefull back in the day. Vishek said:
“Mithun is a legend, no matter what anyone says about him or his work. There was a time when he was giving us two films every month… Every Mithun film used to open with 100% occupancy, and we knew that we were going to have a good week ahead.”