I am the poor man’s Amitabh - Mithun Chakraborty

Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun Chakraborty have never teamed up again after Agneepath much to the dismay of film aficionados. Mithun who was widely tipped to take over the throne of Amitabh as the numero uno then, was all set to work with him again in Jaadugar but reportedly both actors didn’t get along well while shooting due to which Mithun thought it was wise to leave and was ultimately replaced by Aditya Pancholi. Even today, when both legends are in the sunset of their respective careers, comparisons still continue to pour in. When asked how it feels when compared to the iconic Bachchan, Mithun said he doesn’t feel bad at all. “I feel great when I get compared to a great actor like him. And even I am Amitabh Bachchan, don’t you think? I am the poor man’s Amitabh while he is the Amitabh of the Richie Rich. I am the Amitabh of film producers while he is the Amitabh of the corporates,” quipped Mithun who is no less a living legend in Bengal. For a man who spawned generation of obsessed youngsters to take to dancing, Mithun feels that it’s necessary to encourage youngsters in dance reality shows. Talking about his consistent usage of the epithet ‘Kya baat,’ in Dance India Dance, Mithun explains, “Kya baat is a part of my strategy to boost the contestants. Everyone is born with an X-factor. So my idea is to refine that X-factor. So I praise them effusively.” The actor who has been juggling movies and television at frenzied pace will now be seen in Akshay Kumar’s Boss. Talking in detail about his character, Mithun says, “I play the role of a father who holds his values and morals in high stead and wants to keep it alive at all cost. An unsavoury incident happens due to which I throw Akshay out of my house. And then there comes a time when I go back to him asking for help to rescue my younger son Shiv. And then I get to know that whatever Akshay had done in the past was something that he did for me. The message that goes out is father is always right.” Thankfully, Mithun says he has never encountered a similar situation with his son in real life, Mimoh!