Shabana Azmi Recalls Mithun Chakraborty ‘Was Very Conscious Of The Fact That He Had Jutting Teeth, Dark Skin’ & Added, “My Mother Who Encouraged Him So Much…”
Shabana Azmi reveals Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty had issues with his teeth and skin as a young boy but eventually overcame them. Read on
Shabana Azmi Recalls Mithun Chakraborty ‘Was Very Conscious Of The Fact That He Had Jutting Teeth, Dark Skin’ ( Photo Credit – Instagram; Wikimedia )
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Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty is one of the most popular actors in the film industry. He has been remembered as a Disco Dancer since the film was released in 1982. He also received three National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards for his acting performance. But Shabana Azmi reveals the veteran actor’s insecurities.
Azmi remembered how Mithun, then a student, was urged to let go of his inhibitions by her late mother, Shaukat Kaifi. She claimed that her family’s home in Mumbai’s Janki Kutir was always open to visitors of all kinds, many of whom aspired to succeed in the entertainment industry.
In an interview with CNN-News18, Shabana Azmi described how Mithun Chakraborty had issues with his teeth and skin as a young boy but eventually overcame them with the help of her mother. The renowned poet Kaifi Azmi, Shabana‘s father, had a rule that his door would never be locked.
Shabana said, “Janki Kutir was a place where all kinds of strugglers were always coming, and whether it was Abba or Mummy, they were always encouraging. When I was straight out of the institute, a lot of my institute friends, who had no place to stay in Bombay, would come and stay with us. Some would-be house guests, like Zarina Wahab and Kanwaljit Singh. But Mithun Chakraborty, let me tell you, was very conscious of the fact that he had jutting teeth, so he used to always smile (with his mouth closed). And he was also conscious of the fact that he had dark skin.”
She continued, “This, in spite of the fact that he had worked in the institute, and a lot of those insecurities had gone. But I really, really have to give it to my parents, particularly my mother, who encouraged him so much, and she made him drop his inhibitions. That was something I really appreciated.”
Mithun Chakraborty himself spoke about his insecurities in an appearance on a reality show last year when he said, “I never want anybody to go through what I have gone through in life. Everyone has seen struggles and fought through difficult days, but I was always called out for my skin colour. I have been disrespected for a lot of years because of my skin colour…”
