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Veteran actor and Padma awardee Mithun Chakraborty, who has gained global recognition as a ‘disco dancer’ in the Indian cinema world on the strength of his unmatched acting and dance, is in the headlines these days for his very sharp and emotional statement. Recently, Mithun Da himself has broken his silence after the case of him being allegedly ignored and sidelined during the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) came to light. Speaking in his familiar style and outspoken style, Mithun Chakraborty sarcastically said that he is a very small actor in the industry, perhaps that is why it was not considered necessary to ask him in this big event. After this incident, there has been a new earthquake in both the cultural and political corridors of West Bengal, because his supporters and many intellectuals believe that this is not just an neglect of an actor, but an open insult to a global icon and a son of Bengal born in the soil of Bengal, on which the war of words has intensified even among the political parties.
What is the whole controversy and why has the issue of Kolkata Film Festival heated up?
Kolkata International Film Festival is considered to be a very prestigious and grand annual event organized by the Government of West Bengal and the Art and Culture Department of the state, in which all the renowned film personalities of the country and abroad participate. During this year’s festival, when Mithun Chakraborty’s name was seen missing from the lists of inauguration and main programs and he did not get any official invitation or proper respect on the stage, there was huge anger among his fans. Questions were bound to be raised when a senior artist like Mithun Da, who hails from the land of West Bengal and has touched the pinnacle of cinema in Hindi, Bengali and other Indian languages on the strength of his hard work, was ignored in this manner. When the media and journalists questioned the actor about this, his pain came out and he gave a very polite but sharp response to his neglect, which left everyone thinking.
‘I am a very small actor’: What is the deep meaning of Mithun Da’s statement?
When the media asked Mithun Chakraborty a question about not being invited to the Kolkata Film Festival and not getting attention, he replied in a very sarcastic and heart-touching manner that “I am a very small actor, perhaps that is why I was not considered worthy of being invited.” This one sentence of his has exposed the internal politics going on in the Indian cinema world and cultural events. If an actor like Mithun Chakraborty, who has worked in hundreds of successful films throughout his life and has been awarded the Padma Award, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, as well as the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, expresses pain at his neglect by calling himself a ‘small actor’, then it is a very shameful situation for any civilized society and cultural platform. This statement points to how in today’s times, personal political ideology and flattery are being given priority over art and merit.
Invites outside artists, but gives step-motherly treatment to Bengal’s own son
The most sensitive aspect of this entire controversy is that on one hand, to enhance the glory of Kolkata Film Festival, all the big Bollywood stars, producers and external guests from every corner of the country and from Mumbai film industry are invited and given state honours, while on the other hand, Mithun Chakraborty, who grew up in West Bengal and has brought glory to Bengal all over the world, is sidelined in this way. Local people and art lovers of Bengal say that this cannot be just an administrative mistake, but a deep political and ideological bias is working behind it. Since Mithun Chakraborty is currently associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is considered a vocal critic of the current ruling party of the state, Trinamool Congress (TMC), it is feared that due to these political differences, he has been shown the way out of Bengal’s biggest cultural festival.
The world of art and artists should be beyond politics
After this alleged insult to Mithun Chakraborty, the debate has once again erupted in the cultural corridors across the country whether art, literature and cinema are now being viewed through the lens of politics? History is witness to the fact that Bengal has always been a land of art, literature, music and acting, where great personalities like Rabindranath Tagore to Satyajit Ray and Uttam Kumar never limited their art by political boundaries. An artist is not identified by his party or ideological leanings, but by his films, his acting and his popularity among the public. When governments or cultural institutions, out of political hatred, start insulting the great sons and stalwarts of their own state, it hurts the dignity of the entire culture. The public and cine lovers believe that this kind of petty politics should end and every artist should get the respect he deserves, whether his political views match with those in power or not.
Anger of fans on social media and questions on future cultural events
As soon as the news of Mithun Chakraborty being ignored and his painful statement went viral on social media platforms, millions of his fans and supporters got angry. People are strongly criticizing the state government and the film festival organizers through trends like #MithunChakraborty and #BoycottKIFF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans say that Mithun da has ruled the hearts of people for decades through his films and he does not need any platform certificate, but doing injustice to a legend of Bengal in this way is intolerable. This entire incident has proved that the public still does not tolerate insults to their favorite artists. In the coming time, it will be very interesting to see whether there is any clarification or apology on this matter from the cultural organizers of the state and the government, or whether this controversy becomes another big issue in the politics of Bengal and keeps resonating forever.