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From left-wing to right-wing: Pallavi Joshi talks about political arc of Mithun Chakraborty, his contribution to cinema
IANS | August 22, 2025 2:39 PM CST

Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress-producer Pallavi Joshi, who is awaiting the release of her upcoming film ‘The Bengal Files’, has spoken up about her experience of working with veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty in the film.

Pallavi spoke with IANS at her home in the Andheri area of Mumbai, ahead of the film’s release, and said that working with the senior actor was a surreal experience.

She told IANS, “Mithun Chakraborty has always been an enigma to me because I see three different personalities in one person. There is a disco dancer. Then there is an actor who has been performing roles like Ramkrishna Paramhansa. And then there was a beautiful film I had seen of his called ‘Titli’, which was directed by Aparna Sen. He was amazing in that film”.

She shared that he is a star, who knows his job, as she said, “He did not really care about acting so much in those films, just concentrated more on his dance and everything. And then there are some films which he has done purely for money. And yet, there is also that actor who won the National Award for ‘Mrigya’, and then he's a three-time national award winner. For somebody who has gone the full spectrum, there is so much to learn from him”.

The actress said that she is in awe of the senior actor, who was recently lionised with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest honour in the field of cinema.

She further mentioned, “His entire demeanor is that of a star. So when he sits down and starts talking, it's Mithun Chakraborty, the star who's sitting there in front of you. When he opens his mouth, it is a very well-read person who speaks to you. And then when he starts telling you a few things about what you should be doing in this film, it's that cinematic nerd inside him who understands cinema so well. He's giving you those suggestions”.

As a political figure, Mithun has covered the full spectrum of left to right. He was involved in the Naxalbari movement when he was very young, he left the movement after his family suffered a crisis. He then went on to graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), became a superstar, tried his luck in politics with great returns.

He joined TMC, which lies at the centre-left of the political spectrum, and now is in BJP, which is a right-wing party.

Pallavi, on her part hasn’t had an elaborate discussion with the actor when it comes to politics but whatever she has heard from him on the subject, is enough to impress her.

“He surprises me with his deep understanding of cinema. Politics, of course, I've never really had a chance to discuss with him. I'm not really very interested in that aspect. But I'm sure he's had conversations with Vivek. I've overheard some of them. And I'm just blown away by that man. And to have him as your co-actor in the same frame, it sometimes feels surreal”, she added.

‘The Bengal Files’ stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, and Darshan Kumar. The film is written and directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and produced by Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi and Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri.

Presented by Tej Narayan Agarwal & I Am Buddha, The film is a worldwide release by Zee Studios, and will arrive in theatres on September 5, 2025.

--IANS

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