Legendary actor Mithun Chakraborty was in his element in Los Angeles, USA from where he exclusively spoke to Bollywood Hungama about his upcoming Bengali film, Kabuliwala produced by Jio Studios and SVF Entertainment. It's slated to release on December 22. The veteran artist was in his element as he talked about the film, his journey and a lot more.
You have worked in several films in your illustrious career. At this stage of your career, what prompts you to sign a project especially a film like Kabuliwala that requires some sort of prep?
I have done more than 375 films. Nowadays, I choose a film that tickles me. Doing the same thing again and again doesn’t excite me anymore. Though I am doing a film called Baap, which is action-packed. Right now, it’s interesting because I haven’t gotten into this space of late. But whatever I do nowadays, it has to give me a kick. Hence, I picked The Kashmir Files, Projapati etc. I finished Riwaj and then I picked up Kabuliwala.
You have been born and brought up in Kolkata. Kabuliwala has also been shot in City Of Joy. Do you feel special and excited when you have to shoot a film in Kolkata?
I usually make it a point to work in 1 or 2 Bengali films every now and then. I have been doing this since my superstardom days. It helps me be in touch with my matribhoomi. So, that way, there’s no excitement as such. But this film excited me a lot as we have depicted Kolkata of 1965. We also shot a part of the film near the India-Pakistan border at Kargil. We were at 12,000 feet above sea level. It was risky as my doctor had warned me not to cross 10,000 feet. Thankfully, God was kind and nothing happened (smiles).
Was it a challenge to master the Afghani accent?
I told the director about my understanding of the process. Ek Bengali Afghani bol raha hai is not important. Lekin iss film mein ek Afghani Bengali bol raha hai. He’s a Pathan who’s speaking in Bengali. In a Bengali film, if a Bengali character speaks Afghani, I felt it wouldn’t be justified. So, we went for vice-versa.
Secondly, I had an Afghani friend, Jamaluddin Khan. He was a cook who taught me to cook food. He was a very close friend. For my shoots, he used to carry a dabba which consisted of fish, chicken, mutton or some subzi. Woh baith ke mujhe uss dabbe mein se khilata tha aur kisi ko dabbe mein se khaane nahin deta tha! I used to tell everyone in the unit, ‘Khan saab will come. He’s my friend. Inki izzat karna’. He had a breathing issue. While speaking, kuch shabd woh kha jaate the (demonstrated how he spoke). He would say in Afghani accent, ‘Main allah ko bola hai ki tu number 1 banega. Tu dekhna, mere dost’! I copied him totally for Kabuliwala.
At one point, even his daughter was getting married. I expressed the desire to give him some money for the wedding. He refused citing ‘Meri beti hai. Tu kyun paisa dega’. Later, we lost contact. If he’s alive, I’d like to tribute Kabuliwala to my friend, Jamaluddin Khan.
How easy or hard was it to form a bond with Anumegha Kahali?
She’s a born actor. She killed it. You have to be very careful working with her! I always love children. So from the first day, we hit it off nicely. Aur aisi dosti ho gayi ki woh mujhe chod ke kahin jaati hi nahin thi. You have to see her in the film – she’s just outstanding and you’ll get deeply connected with her character.
What do you do on the day your film releases? Do you check for reviews or ask around how the audience is reacting to the film?
Mujhe ab koi fark nahin padta. Earlier, I used to get a fever on Friday and even dysentery! Now it doesn’t make any difference. I only wish that the producer recovers his investment so that he can make one more film.
More Pages: Kabuliwala Box Office Collection
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