Mithun Chakraborty threatens Ekta Kapoor!

By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, May 29 (IANS) National Award winning actor Mithun Chakraborty threatens TV tycoon Ekta Kapoor - on screen. It happens in her home production "C Kkompany".

"That's right," laughed Mithun. "I've a seriously funny role in Ekta's 'C Kkompany'. I play this small time don called Dattu Satellite, who has a fascination for TV artistes.

"I go and warn Ekta against torturing her TV artistes. I'm having so much fun with varied characters," Mithun told IANS.

His son Mimoh's tame debut "Jimmy" and his non-performer "Don Muthuswamy", which released this week, are far from defeat for the actor's spirit. "He'll fight his way to his destiny. No one can stop him," he says about Mimoh.

Mithun himself is back in action and doing different kinds of roles.

"I enjoyed playing a funny gangster in 'Don Muthuswamy'. Imagine a Bengali playing a south Indian don. I've played a south Indian before in 'Agneepath'."

Filmmakers are today willing to write roles specially for the actor. This is one of the busiest phases in the 1970s superstar's career.

"I've just finished 'Phir Kabhi' with Dimple Kapadia and Rati Agnihotri produced by Culture Company and UTV. It's a very different love story about a happily married man whose first love returns after his wife dies. His granddaughter plays cupid.

"My character keeps talking to his dead wife. I've done a lot of films with Dimple. She's a pal and she's given a great performance."

Mithun is partial about his two former co-stars - Ranjita Kaur, whom he fondly calls Robby and Padmini Kolhapure.

He said: "Robby and Padmini Kolhapure were my very favourite co-stars and buddies. Padmini drifted away after she got married. But Robby and I are still buddies. You'll be surprised to see we still fight like we used to."

The pair featured in over a dozen films in the 1980s. Among them "Tarana" and "Surakshaa" were big hits. Now the 50-plus pair is coming back together.

It was a very emotional journey down memory lane for Mithun when he met up with his steadiest and most adored co-star Ranjita in Pune some time ago.

"I met Robby in Pune very recently. She lives there now. Together we visited the Pune Film Institute where my whole journey as an actor began. I went to touch and kiss the number on the room where I stayed. It was a very emotional journey."

"Ashu Trikha's 'Zindagi Tere Naam' brings me and Ranjita together after many years. It was an extremely nostalgic experience for both of us. Interestingly, there's a flashback where two youngsters who look like us will play our parts."

Mithun gets sentimental about all his co-stars.

"I was friendly with all my co-stars. I've worked with all of them from Rekha to Shabana Azmi to Zeenat Aman to Parveen Babi.

"I even worked with Sharmila Tagoreji in a Bengali film directed by Uttam Kumar where she had a double role with me and Uttamda."

In his last release "My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves', he played newcomer Nikhil Diwedi's mentor.

"I played a Catholic priest. But he was no ordinary priest. I didn't just preach, I fought as well. In the end I showed the protagonist my martial arts skill to fight injustice. It was a very interesting role.

"Director E. Niwas is a very good friend of mine. And the debutant, Nikhil, is unconventional, just like I was when I came in."

• Television