Bollywood's Mrigayaa (The Royal Hunt) brought aspiring dreams to the global audience

The Royal Hunt for an Actor Mithun Chakraborty continues 

There is no doubt that, Mithun Chakraborty is truly few of the actors who have won the prestigious National Award for the best actor in his maiden film, it's undebatable to express that this movie showed an exemplary ability of his torrendous faculty that brought him the appropriate recognition in India and abroad. But this struggle was truly far from the making of the star status because he came in as an actor, the product of FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) is always an actor, not a star.  It's not surprising that Mithun's debutant talent still remains unscathed, the movie is nearly 41 years old since its making and no director nor any producer or an art movie-maker has ever and would like to risk in remaking this classic cult because till now there is no replacement for Mithun Chakraborty and his extraordinarily histrionic skills that still affirms that the Movie Mrigayaa is far away from being remade. 

Mithun Chakraborty as Ghinua Soren in the Mrinal Sen's Movie Mrigayaa which shattered the myth ' that a dark complexioned Indian actor cannot be a commercially successful hero.

To some extent its true for the current generation that Mrigayaa is remembered primarily because it was the debutant movie of Mithun Chakraborty, the dancing sensation (the pioneer of desi-disco), the dreams of emerging India, Myth-breaker that  a dark complexioned Indian actor cannot be a commercially successful hero , he wrote a true story of a life-struggle who has re-defined the theory of Rags-to-Riches catapulting to streets-to-silver screen-to-Cine Association Head. But this classic movie has its own story to tell that the making would have continued as the producer were keen on making the movie as the script and message were very powerful and relevant to prevalent times as India needed a change but would have slowed down if the rightful protagonist did not materialize.

What strums every person's heart about him is, his sovereignty by touching everyone through his dance grooves and an absolute new-comer in this dynasty-protected- industry to becoming the highest tax-payer in mid-1980's undeniably by being a lead actor in the Bollywood films and still being a down to earth humble actor that could rule the hearts of the Bollywood fans for one full decade before the Khans and their ilk came into force. India loves success stories, which has been created out of zilch, this is one of the reasons 47 years back, destiny charted a journey for him from a political turmoil city of Calcutta to Mumbai through his first film Mrigayaa, wherein a protagonist perfect to T would be able to portray a rebellious rural villager bringing Rural India in the foreground against cruel establishment (shown as Britisher) and with his kindness uniting the village folks to create the masses that were rise against any oppressor.

As it's been said and proved many times, a successful actor will always become a star material with a guarantee of commercial success , Mithun's story is no less, over-all the Brand Mithun generated a cult, this thrice National Award winner,  has Mithunized itself with series of hits with more than 350+ movies, hummable tunes, fancy names like Jimmy, Gun Master G-9 etc…and now pockets of rural-India , North-East of India and Russian countries offers proof of its 'Mithunisation'. His posters are at every prominent public place symbolic with the 70's Hairstyle and still, today young boys emulate his hairstyle moreover fans and followers try to walk, talk, dress, and dance like him. During the period of him helming both the Bollywood as the leading commercial actor with numerous hits and head of Cine associations was considered as the demi-God of the Indian Film Industry in the 80's, the place where he grew up and spent his adolescent in the lane of Jorabagan in the Northwest of Kolkatta is very much revered even today and has huge number of fans paying visit on daily basis.

Cast as a tribal hunter implicated in a murder case, for which Mithun and Mrinal Sen bagged a National Award for Best Actor and Best Film respectively , The role of Ghinua Soren, the lead actor who rises against the oppressors to vanquish their evil desires , the depiction had to be an intense character with rebellious attitude, young ,youthful, having a tribal look, dark, slim, romantic gesture, eyes that speaks anger, agile, swift,  the  gait being rustic should evoke bit of jungle eroticism, movement that belies the Tiger, rustic and uncouth jungle behavior, having a Hindi tone that is understandable by the Indian viewers, moreover could enamor the global audience with a sparkling smile that can lighten the darkness to some extent. The character was truly bit complex and finding the protagonist was not an easy job, for such kind of an actor, the search had too intense and focused. 

Poster of the movie Mrigayaa released in the year 1976

Mrinal Sen, a Dadasaheb Phalke and a Padma Bhushan awardee, the sensitive and accomplished director of the Art Cinema having the script and character in mind, was desperate for the protagonist who could fulfill his Ghinua Soren role. The Royal hunt was secretly on for a He-Man who could be a perfect contour to demonstrate the character of a tribal person, Mrinal Sen often used to go to FTII to teach seminar courses and remembers seeing Mithun Chakraborty (during his tenure as a FTII student from 1972-1974 and later as a lecturer post his graduation in the Acting Course) this dusky, lean student during one of his visits to FTII.  

Grapevine and few inputs from some of the inputs given personally by Mrinal Sen sums up an interesting trivia. During the Convocation of the 1974 Batch, the year Mithun Passed out with the Diploma in Acting. Mrinal was seated among the luminaries on the front row , flanked by Ebrahim Alkazi (Institute Director of NSD , National School of Drama )and Hrishikesh Mukerjee (noted film director) which was a little distant away from the stage. As the convocation was in process wherein several students were studiously called up the stage and were awarded with their respective diplomas and certificates.

As the session was in progress, Mrinal spotted a group of students sitting in the right side , adjacent to the far-side of the stage in the spacious corner , lined-up in a row of around 3 to 4 benches chatting in hushed tones and musing over the award recipients who had gone up to the stage to receive their awards. What made Mrinal catch his attention and kept glued to Mithun was this overly energetic and mischievous behavior of this tall , dark and handsome student was his flashing smile , effrontery and shamelessness of this guy who was goading the girls to be part of his mischievous activity of teasing the other girl students. Mithun as usual was in his self, flirting and flittering his pranks generously to keep the moments alive. The pranks with which he played among the lot kept Mrinal amused and impressed him the lot. Mrinal in his deep thoughts felt, this boy has to be absolutely shameless to behave in such a manner in this occasion that too during the convocation in the presence of luminaries, celebrities and quarter-celebrity like himself. Out of curiosity Mrinal turned to Ebrahim Alkazi inquired to "Who is that boy?". For which Alkazi replied "Don't you know him, he is a Bengali". Mrinal little stunned questioned him humorously "Why? Do I have to know all the bengalis?". On this question, Alkazi little side tracked stating "No ! Not at all, He is a good Actor". (Such comments coming from Alkazi justifies a lot for an actor's credential). Alkazi further added "He is getting his Diploma and his name his Mithun Chakraborty". As they were in mid of the session and it was not right for him to focus on something which was not relevant for the moment, Mrinal diverted his attention towards the stage and concluded for this scene and said "That's all I know about Mithun" as his concentration turned towards the convocation and Mithun was in his self engrossed with the girls.

Few months later, when they decided to make Mrigayaa, Mrinal recalled "I was thinking of somebody who could look like a man , had a presence and almost a He-Man, because most of the actor in the Indian Cinema was seen not like a man. Most of them were seen like a effeminate way". He paused and further continued his long recall "I was looking for a rugged He-Man. Suddenly I remembered the face of this young man and I was impressed by his shamelessness.Because acting for an actor, to be a good actor, it is important for an actor to be shameless. So I thought of him" . 

Vivid memories of this energetic, youthful and charming young man on the campus of the FTII Pune, which has stroked his chord and had etched his memory. When making of Mrigayaa came up, the right protagonist was in the need to play the lead role that could be a perfect fitment, the fresh memories of Mithun sprouted but could not recall the name of this Bengali student, he knew that his search has ended, at one glance he knew this was his Ghinua Soren for the very fact when he had set his eyes on him , he could visualize him as his Ghinua moving around as if the film was in process and had promptly decided to cast him in spite of having a doubt of this unsure and untested newcomer. 

With no details of Mithun's coordinates, Mrinal could only think of connecting with this new find only through alternatives, not losing any moments, he soon got in touch with a common associate of a known friend who was an alumni of FTII, his DOP friend K K Mahajan, a noted cinematographer during the 1970 to 1990's era and a four times National Award winner (one of the award won for Mrinal Sen's Chorus, a 1974 Movie) , requested him to track this young man, who he wished to meet. During the conversation on how he thought of reaching out to Mithun, while speaking Mrinal broke of his conversation for a moment and abruptly continued "I sent a long telegram to my cameraman, K.K Mahajan stating, catch hold of a young man, who got diploma in such a year and who is perhaps a Bengali, tall, dark, well-built and his name starts perhaps with M. Catch hold of him and tell him to send his photographs to me".

It wasn't that difficult for Mahajan to connect, as Mithun had got the message through a common friend, long before Mahajan set out to seek him, Mithun landed at the Filmistan Studio where the cinematographer was shooting and sought his attention. Mahajan briefed him to get in touch with Mrinal Sen who was looking for him for his under production movie and also instructed him to send his freshly-shot photos. Mithun was in fix, as this meant expenditure, post the graduation ,he was barely meeting his ends as a lecturer in FTII Pune; undertaking this chance was the only option as the desperation took over, got his photo-shoot done, mailed it through Dadar Post-Office to the film-maker and headed for Pune to continue his teaching profession, unsure of the outcome.

Postway connect to Mrigayaa: Mithun posted his freshly clicked photos for selection for Mrigayaa to Mrinal Sen through the Dadar Post Office

With a deep thought, inhaling lightly his cigarette, Mrinal recalled "And in 3 days I got the photographs, which means Mahajan immediately caught him somewhere in Bombay and then after 5 days he came to meet me.I was very much impressed by him , but I was little worried about his hairdo ( running his right hand over his head with fingers encircling over his hair holding the cigarette) and he was very fond of his way he did his hairdo. And when he started to talk , he started to impress me, saying that he danced with Helen, I suffered it for three time and the fourth time when he said the same". I warned him saying "Next time you say the same , I will throw you out". The role wasn't finalized as Mrinal had to consult the film-maker and request for more meeting was sought. Hence,  Mithun had to wait for few more days.

Days passed by, teaching in FTII Pune and few struggles across the Mumbai studios, he managed to grab a role in Dulal Guha's Amitabh Bachchan Starrer ' Do Anjane' sharing the frame with the star himself on one of the highlighted scene of the movie along with Lalita Pawar, a highly noted, respected and a prolific leading and a character actress, who had appeared in over 700 multi-lingual films and was also honored in the year 1961 by the Government of India as the first lady of Indian cinema. Call it a coincidence or a destiny his presence and the passing shot along with the stalwarts definitely made a mark in the movie and an impact to his career. Looking at the scene, anyone could say, Mithun had an indelible presence, this scene and the movie gave a testimony to his acting ability days ahead and an honorarium from the filmmaker that enabled him to go to Calcutta keeping a rendezvous in mind with Mrinal Sen, which bore him a path that began a long journey to stardom.

Mithun Chakraborty in a cameo role in ' Do Anjaane' with Amitabh Bachchan his first released movie in the year 1976

Kunal Sen, son of the legendary filmmaker, currently based in Chicago recalls "Around 1975 or could be earlier. Dad was moved by the compelling story he read from a book written by Bhagwati Charan Panigrahi some while ago and was toying with the idea of making this into a movie, later when approached by a financier, he decided to make it into a film, with Mithun in mind he thought of approaching him and felt If he couldn't reach him, or if he didn't like him when he came to Calcutta to see him, then I am sure he would have looked for someone else, but I don't think he had anyone else in mind." And destiny acknowledged as Mithun was in Calcutta and had come to meet him. The meeting affirmed Mrinal's conviction but had to wait as the blueprint of the movie production was nearing completion, two to three months later with a final round of meeting in presence of an eminent film-maker, Mrinal Sen sealed the career of this young man, who would become the highest tax payer of the 80's, with the signing amount of Rs.500 as the token for Mrigayaa that also gave the confidence to the debutante in achieving more awards in his forthcoming critically acclaimed movies.

Mrinal Sen during the making of the movie, Photo Courtesy Kunal Sen

Director Mrinal Sen with the Co-Script Writer Arun Kaul during the making of the movie, Photo Courtesy Kunal Sen

As his body of work showcases, Mrinal Sen known to be Classic film maker and art-house heavyweight during the era of 1970's, always believed in his conviction and belief, his intuition was so strong that, he was sure that his belief in his selection will never fail, during his travel to Kolkatta (Calcutta during 1975) his conviction about Mithun had created an imprint and was sure that there was no better choice than having Mithun Chakraborty in the lead role. Mithun had a good physique, lean look of tribal, dark, disarming smile, young enough and overall an intense look that defined the lead character of Ghinua Soren. Still unsure of plunging in with this untested protagonist, he decided to appraise carefully and this was going to be a final meeting with this young man in Kolkatta to know his choice or to be sure; whether this young newbie actor was willing to act in Mrigayaa or not?. Mrinal's intuition played an angel and was dead-sure of his conviction. He liked Mithun, further even Hrishikesh Mukherjee seconded his choice and was adamant that Mithun was the final choice. Once again Mrinal's intuition cemented his choice and with the warm smile, he beamed "His audition was up to the mark and his presence suited well with the character, we went ahead with the shoot. And then the day before we started shooting, I called an adivasi barber and got his hair cut and he was completely heart-broken, and that was how we got started making him feel disappointed".

"Mithun looked slightly urban" recalls Kunal as quoted by Mrinal Sen to his son during his long chat with the future star "and contemporary with his thick fluffy hair and was aghast when he was told to cut off his hair to an unfashionable style, after bit of cajoling he yielded and the film went on floors." Kunal Sen Remarks "Mithun agreed, as the film-production was progressing on the drawing board, there was no looking back. If not for Mithun then Mrinal would have worked with someone else, but whether that person would have done it as well or not is impossible to tell?  And once Mithun on the role, it was as if the role was customized for him, Mrinal was very happy with his performance and making of the movie went very smoothly." Feeling convinced to his decision and the good progress the filmmaking was going on, Mrinal once again beamed " So it was no problem for me to have him, because I saw him and found him to be good enough for me and I didn't care to know how good he is as an actor. But I had an hunch that he would do very well. For the same reason that he could tease the girls the way he did, that was very impressive".

Rehearsals, gearing up for the shots , Mrinal with his penchant for being meticulous , rigors Mithun to perfection

Mithun in between the shots during the production of the Mrigayaa Movie

Actor Hemu Shetty ,  Speech Reformer and a well-known actor from Bollywood  also being touted as the next Bollywood Villain and Bollywood Baddie, recently ranked favourite by bunt community within the inner circle as the promising Actor in the Tulu Cinema, ( now coined as TULUWOOD) and has also been nicknamed as the Tulu Actor and  with his long experience as an acting coach , with an ability of a #HistrionicAnalyzer and penchant of an  #HistrionicWriter , overall a celebrated self-styled campaigner of Mithun Chakraborty compliments  , in regards to the movie "This movie had all the predatory elements of a Bollywood formula films, Corruption, friendship, betrayal, romance, treachery, attempt to rape, kidnap, revenge, anger, enemy chase, backdrop setting, plot, animal-hunt, serene landscape of the tribal India, Courtroom scene, extortion etc, what stood apart was the depiction of intense characterization that brought histrionics, exciting screenplay and individual acting skills forefront. Mithun with his intrinsic animal instinct stood apart exhibiting his flaming and burning desire to explore the Bollywood arena." For a newcomer just out of the acting Institute with a burning ambition, desperate to succeed, inherent with fame-hunger and hardship in life, Mithun emerged as the finest actor India has ever witnessed avers Actor Hemu Shetty "Mithun hardly looks a debutant, every shot, scenes and passing moments he emerges as a story-teller and overall excels in intense scenes. He comes with intense force combined with an animal instinct to portray his diary of action and romance with torrendous faculty, exhibiting an exploding prowess in the screen" It gives a high credibility for a first timer just a fresher out of an acting institute without any significant experience to bag a National award as best actor for his maiden film.

Mrigayaa (1976 ) a drama film directed by Mrinal Sen and produced by K. Rajeshwara Rao. Based on a short story "Shikar" by Bhagbati Charan Panigrahi, the film  portrayed the relationship between the British colonialists and native villagers, and their exploitation by Indian landlords in 1920's India. It also depicts the friendship between a British administrator, who has a flair for game hunting, and a native tribal, who is an expert archer. The lead actors Mithun Chakraborty and Mamata Shankar, both made their cinematic debuts through the film. Mrigayaa won two awards Best Feature Film and Best Actor. It also won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie apart from being nominated for the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival in 1977: Photo Courtesy Kunal Sen

Mithun and his Mentor

Mithun ranks Mrigayaa as technically his noteworthy film that showcased his potential as one of the finest actors FTII and India has ever produced; and never fails to credit Mrinal Sen as his mentor. "He is my God because God gives you a chance and he gave me a chance," he once told The Telegraph Newspaper.

Junior Mithun, aptly coined to Late Richard Jayakar, a very aspirational entity who used to eat, breathe, portray and caper every ounce of Mithun Chakraborty effortlessly like a carbon copy of the actor himself, a diehard fan of Mithun ; a childhood friend and a classmate of Actor Hemu Shetty commented post watching the movie aired in the Sunday slot of Doordarshan TV Channel in the late 80's " Mithun's performance is yet so compelling, hard-hitting and so convincing in its role of a rebellious tribal yet romantic and kind at heart, looks as if who has lived all his life in tribal land and understands the environs, inherently entitled for rising to defend his people and his lady love Dungri , so beautifully essayed and portrayed by the talented Mamata Shankar, synergistically both making striking debuts. It displays tons and tons of accomplishment for a newcomer to achieve this recognition by the first movie itself, truly a born talent and value-add performer."

Appropriate casting and Intense portrayal, Mithun confessed in one of the video interviews " Who could have been a better tribal than me and better suited for this role", the film that rates him as India's most evolved and finest actors.

His acting stood up and was really compelling in the movie until the end, expressed , Nalini Shetty, a diehard fan of Mithun " even when I see this Mrinal Sen's Mrigayaa movie today, as for my personal views were concerned about his journey of success and of movie’s accomplishments ,  his style, appeal , grace, looks and expression gave a strong feeling that he had a making of a future Bollywood star and Mrigayaa had to be memorable even until today because of milestones it created." 

Jayanta Bose a resident of Kolkatta, a life-long admirer of Mithunda since his childhood days, admits that Mithunda runs in his blood and have committed himself to servicing the cause for Mithunda's objective in the upliftment of poor and needy people, having been closely associated with the star in regards to innumerable social work joyfully says 
" Mithunda's performance in the Mrigayaa movie was truly enchanting and very adorable; as a person, he is truly a God in every sense, a dedicated performer for every role in the life.The Indian film industry is yet to see an actor and a person like Mithun, I feel it is a distant possibility, as one actor in every millennium comes as an overall performer like him. Mrigayaa wouldn't have been possible without Mithunda, no other actor will be able to provide the justice and complete fulfilment to Ghinua the way Mithunda has given to its utmost dedication, if this has to be remade in the current scenario, the actor whom I feel could provide some nuances to the character as per the priority would be Irfan Khan and the next would be Nawazuddin Siddiqui, apart from them I think the remaking of the movie has to be shelved." Jayanta also affirms his views on behalf of his friends who have great degree of loyalty, love and immense dedication for the star and are part of the Mithunda's loyalty club titled Mithun's Citizens' Welfare Organisation, a highly active unit for the social upliftment operating in Kolkata, collectively providing social services to the needy people during Mithunda's Birthday and his visit to Kolkatta.

The script itself was intense, compelling and very much relevant to India, as it was subjected to bohemian, extortion, treachery and political power. Mithun's indulgent in the character was very quick, just passed out from FTII and keen to assimilate (a highlight of a true learner and a basic step for a good actor), Kunal Sen who was closely associated with the team during the making of the movie says " Considering Mithun’s ability we didn't have to tweak the script, he effortlessly got under the nerves of the character, being around the genuine setting and the backdrop of the jungle, it became easier for him." Excerpts from Mithun's interview from one of the online portal in which he said  "We landed at the location in the village near Massanjore  which had a perfect setting of a semi-jungle located on the border of West Bengal and Bihar (now in Jharkhand) for two to three days, I was just made to observe, Mrinal was busy interacting with the locals, tribals and crew around the set to get the feel of the same and I was constantly along with him to get into the skin of the character."  

Mithun gets a catch for a bakshish, nothing less than a National Award for the best actor, which brought aspiring dreams to the global audience

Actor Hemu Shetty  with his years of experiences , having acquired the ability of an  #HistrionicAnalyzer and penchant of an  #HistrionicWriter , overall a celebrated self-styled campaigner of Mithun Chakraborty exemplifies   "A National Award doesn't come by serendipity or by Luck, in 1970's it was a difficult era, experiencing Hard-ship, Hunger, burning ambition and studiousness paid off, all combined in his persona and jet-filled energy that injected a slot in the minds of the viewers, building a new set of audience and fans, thereby creating a new slot in the Bharatwood." 

Joyful moment for the team on receiving the telegram that informed the selection of the Mrigayaa movie for the Moscow Film Festival in 1977

Says Masood Akhtar, a civil engineer-turned-actor and an avid Mithun Chakraborty fan, his invocation was so enormous that, by sheer luck it turned out that the movie ' Kasam Paida Karne wale ki' got destined to be shot in Bangalore near an Engineering college where he was studying and this fan Masood Akhtar could not give up this opportunity of meeting his idol along with his classmate says " Such a down to earth and an humble actor", as he had confessed his love and adoration for the Mrigayaa movie which he has seen innumerable times and the star was moved a lot by his devotion for the same. Masood's emotions for his star was filled up remarked " Mithun not only won the richly deserved National Award at the 24th National Film Awards for the best actor and for the Best feature film, he also won the etched emotions of love and loyalty in the hearts of the people across the world for his extraordinary acting and dancing skills, it's very apt for his acting ability that the fourth estate of the Bengal state also conferred him the prestigious BFJA (Bengali Film Journalist Association ) Awards for the Best Actor for movie Mrigayaa. Good work with devotion pays in the true sense, it also won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie apart from being nominated for the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival in 1977, truly commendable." 

Ongoing discussion with Masood Akhtar in regards to suggesting value-add inputs for the story, Actor Hemu Shetty further adds " Both of us agree that Mithun won the abundantly justifiable National Award for the best actor and to add up the same the film too received the best film of the year award because of perfect cast and apt script that went along with the whole crew, Mithun is the only solo lead star graduated from FTII to become the most sought, saleable and a highly commercial star (the status that's been held until today), who has crisscrossed from parallel to commercial cinema, winning awards, accolades and has a huge chunk of fans following across the world." 

Mithun Chakraborty accepting his best actor award from Honourable Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, the then president of India

Mrinal Sen accepting the best film award for the year 1976 for the movie Mrigayaa from Honourable Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, the then president of India

Narendranath Dasgupta , a veteran journalist, movie buff, currently a PR professional and a connoisseurs of Hindi, western and Bengali films says "Mrinal who believed in closer to life characterization had made a highly meaningful cinema, no crass music, no frivolous dance, and dialogues, the message conveyed was based on contemporary experiential's. It was the cinema that came closest to the ground reality the Mrinal Sen way, the corruption and feudalism of rural India are hardly visible in Indian cinema in these times but this was a story that remained true to its course. Mrigayaa had all the elements of ground realities that prevailed during his time and now traces also remains in few pockets of India in the modern form. The natural settings, Sen's powerful direction, forceful messaging and the support of a dedicated skilled crew contributed to conjure this off-the-established-track offering, which helped him to win the rightly deserved National Award for best film and Mithun as Ghinua Soren too scored the National award for the best actor that deemed appropriate, a good platform and a head start for a perfect actor." 

Mithun as Ghinua displaying his skills in archery to will the loyalty and bakshish (rewards) from the designated British administrator, the story set on the pre-Independence period

Actor Hemu Shetty, who specializes in doing villainize roles finds the Zamindar character interesting and exciting and assumes proximity to the negative role done appropriately says " look!….Here, enters the human beast, the despicable money merchant, eyeing the young helpless womenfolk with his vicious, hungry and lecherous eyes played brilliantly by Sajal Roychudhury,  much to the anger of Ghinua Soren, the protagonist portrayed impeccably by Mithun, it is Mithun's eyes and gestures scorching with seething anger, on the verge of explosion, that steals the show."  Hard to believe it was Mithun's debut movie. He dominates the frame whenever he graces the screen, looking every bit of a tribal with a good heart but possessing a fire within to protest, ignite and fight injustice. He is a hunter by nature, his big catches attracting big rewards from the British administrator, played by Robert Wright, who spent many years in good old Calcutta working as the top executive at the Tollygunge Club in Calcutta. Actor Hemu Shetty further supplements “In Ghinua's death, the village folk, led by Dungri, come to discover the way to fight, to be counted in their own simple manner. What strikes you most is Mithun's histrionic incursions as he carries the movie on his shoulder single-handedly. His dialogues are brash and loud when needed but he uses his expressions superbly to animate the role." 

Adulation unlimited, close encounter with the Moscow International Film Festival, regaling the International audience during his visit along with Mrinal Sen, Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Mamata Shankar and the troupes in the year 1977

Watcher of this movie for innumerable times, Masood Akhtar who claims to be an enthusiastic fan of Mithun Chakraborty and is keen to supplement with enormous complements to this blog for the very fact of being bowled by extraordinary sense of film-making by Mrinal Sen, this director also to be known as the maverick film-maker also a Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and a Padma Bhushan awardee. Masood couldn't stop exclaiming after experiencing the passionate multi-views, now given an opportunity to express his views and also willing to double up as a critic for the Bollywood remarked " Ten points to this movie,  from the one-to-ten scale, Mrigayaa is truly an excellent and a remarkable movie, highlighting the essence and experiential of British India, it's been more than 41 years, nobody has ever thought of re-making the same and I am sure the current generation filmmaker will shudder the thought of remaking the same as they inherently lack the skill, quality, and approach of what Mrinal Sen had. This classiness' you could expect only from Mrinal Sen to achieve it. A pity they don't make movies like this anymore; it just won't fit into the multiplex, cozy hand-holding movie-viewing mood, popcorn-and-cold-drink culture. Over and above, nobody would also dare to go and shoot in the Naxal prone areas to get the originality. Truly decades and decades back Mrinal had re-defined the way of making even the art-films to a large extent." Further to this Masood has expressed his sadness even after reading this blog, no producer will ever come forward to re-make this movie. Is his lamenting justifiable?

As for the casting of Mithun is concerned in Mrigayaa, Mrinal today feels that this was one of his best decision and seconded his thoughts on numerous occasions.

Social media is full of Mithun Chakraborty Fan clubs:
A regular watcher of Mithun movies since her childhood and a fan of Mithun, Sapna Sen says, "Mithun broke the traditionalism of a lead actor, he was the first actor in Hindi movies to be an all- in- one material, who came with a jovial and benign look to entertain and rule the masses to give a complete worth of their money. This tall, dark, charming and handsome boy who stole the heart of millions with his debut film in 1976 still continues to entertain the audience with his amazing moves, exceptional wit, awesome performances, punchy actions and attractive looks, the show in Bollywood will change, many will come and go, but Mithun will remain always immortal."   

A content writer from a social media company based in Kolkata, Surojit Nag and an ardent fan, steady follower and an ardent watcher of Mithun's movies says " Mrigayaa is one of the finest movies of Mithun's which display his acting skills and I remember most of the scenes from the movie despite seeing once during my early years, one of best scene is in the courtroom where he confesses killing the animal metaphorically indicating a devilish human pleading not guilty. All the scenes enacted are memorable and the movie is class apart, if the movie is to be re-made and the protagonist which I feel can very much closely resemble Ghinua is none other than the actor Aamir Khan, who can give complete justice to the character in evaluation on the basis the actor’s earlier roles in Lagaan and Ghajini performed to uttermost …….of course the director of the remake should have the calibre of Mrinal Sen." 

Social media is inundated with  Mithun Fan Clubs and a whole lot  of conversations occur continuously between the followers , fans and Mithun enthusiasts , one of them with enormous number of followers  is Abhirup Gosh nicknamed , Wafaa Mithun, who  manages a Facebook page , titled Mithun Chakraborty Great Kingdom says (quoted ad verbatim in his FB Post)  " Sen's 1976 film 'Mrigayaa' is a classy film. Honestly, Our great Mithun Chakraborty is the life of this film. I mean this was his first debut film and he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. Wow! His performance here, despite being his debut, leaves you stunned….Performance-Wise, I can't help myself but praise Mithun's performance. I've been shocked and I am proud to know that India has a talent like Mithun……On the whole, 'Mrigayaa' is a classy watch. Mithun's performance alone is enough to keep you gripped. Two Thumbs Up!" 

Dipankar Chakraborty from Shibupur feels short of words as his love for Mithun is too  engulfing for him, says " I have seen multiple times on Youtube, his role as Ghinua is unique and I see that there is no replacement for Mithun, he has done excellently well, his best scene is the one which he boasts about his skills with Dungri his wife in the movie." 

A teacher by profession, Nitin Gujarati from Jamnagar , has his facebook page inundated with his emotions and passion for Mithun replied " Mithun has achieved a lot today however this was a prediction one got from watching the Mrigayaa movie looking at his acting and winning the prestigious National Award for the best actor, truly an accomplished  in terms of being the most versatile actor, best dancer, an action star and an incomparable star of Indian Cinema and one of the most famous Indian stars in Russia."

Says Abu Aamir from Bandipur, when queried upon, who he thinks can be a replacement for Mithun, if the film is supposed for remaking " I have seen Mrigayaa Movie in my childhood days, I enjoy every part of the movie….Mithun Chakraborty, The Talent King has Given 100% performance in this debut movie, if Mrigayaa is to be remade....First, second and third choice Is Only Mithunda 4th choice it can be Aamir 0r Shahrukh Khan........Mithun Chakraborty Is My Heartbeat....no one can replace him."

Actor Hemu Shetty who has a fine connoisseur in picking up the heart gripping scenes in a movie that define the highlight of the histrionic senses of the movie, would like to share few of the scenes that really stirred him and the below-mentioned scenes have special fondness because he has been smitten  by the same, professes " Mithun has invested more-than-what-he-can-offer in the movie, Imagine an actor, who being a non-Hindi conversationalists took enormous efforts in nurturing the language by thrusting himself to its best so that he gets an utmost fluency of the dialect, provide justice to the character, sacrifice all his efforts for the value-add for the movie; hence the outcome was fruitfully enormous, the first Film getting a National Award it speaks volumes for a Newcomer and Mithun had volumes and volumes of talent" 

An intensely fire-jetting out expression from Mithun portraying his excruciating and anguish look when Dungri, his screen wife, kidnapped by the local landlord

Court scene during the trial of a murderer, Mithun was perplexed when he had to perform this scene as he couldn’t visualize the scene , Mrinal being actor's director, just told him to feel as if he is like an angry caged tiger, just wanting to break-out, Mithun enacted naturally and the performance was radiantly brilliant  , the result was truly body stirring to see the evocativeness of an animal-instinctive oozing out from a raw actor that made even the juries of all movie selectors to affirm their decision.

Collage of the two scenes put together, both the scenes are the hallmark of the movie

Mrinal Sen's current photograph: sourced from Kunal Sen's page of Facebook

Collage of some available stills from the Mrigayaa movie

It's not surprising that Mithun's debutant talent still remains untouched, the movie is nearly 41 years old, released in the month of June in the year 1976, since its making no director nor any producer has ever risked and would like to risk in remaking this classic cult because till now there is no replacement for him and his extraordinarily histrionic skills . Mrigayaa (The Royal Hunt) for the remake of Mrigayaa (The 1976 Movie) will never end as Mrinal Sen's power-packed movie needs an appropriate overall reprise, this again is a hard-hitting message that Mithun is truly irreplaceable, you get only one of his ilk in the millennium. Mithun with his huge success and glory has brought and will continue bringing aspiring dreams to Indians and global audience.

Acknowledgements
Mrigayaa movie has been my favorite, most memorable and mind-etched movie from all the facades since its inception. I still remember the movie poster which was published in the cinema pages of The Times of India during my school days. The Movie takes the viewers and the unknowledgeable Urban India into the deepest part of the country where the feudalism, bohemianism, and exploitation of the draconian law existed. Along the other things, even the deepest friendship becomes unreliable and treachery is uncommon. In my deepest inside, an urge had triggered me to write this piece in regards to the paramount protagonist of the two entities that gave this wonderful classic and won the most prestigious award of that time, the National Award. I am not a good writer, it's just an urge that has erupted from within because of my fixation for this movie.

Deepest regards and heartfelt thankfulness for the kind support from Kunal Sen, son of the legendary filmmaker, without his support and co-operation, the very opportunity of catering the viewers of the Movie Mrigayaa and the fans of Mrinal and Mithun. From my perspective getting an actor who could be tight-fit for Ghinua's role was a distant catch, it was destiny that brought Mithun and Mrinal together. Again a coincidence both of them share the same Alma Mater, St Scottish Church College in Kolkatta, the very words which have been shared by most of the fans who follow them adoringly and would like to dedicate their allegiance for this classic movie.

Courtesy to all who have been very supportive in providing all the necessary inputs to complete this piece, this is not an original work, the authenticity is through all the inputs, quotes, narratives that have been gathered by speaking and writing to people who gave pertinent inputs to fulfill the same. It was easier to pick up many nuances and conversations from the Facebook and other social media from where I could make this content-rich; similarly, Images and pictures have been sourced through innumerable loyal fan clubs of Mithun and groups operating on the web.

I cannot hold myself in re-iterating my inner desire of thanking both father for his immense contribution in building this institution and to his son for providing me the valuable inputs, which will remain very valuable throughout my life. Kunal did his best in providing all that was and could have been possible to share, deeply moved by his reply when I had put forward my request, I couldn’t restrain the impatience of sharing the emailed quote which is as follows " I am glad to hear that you have such respect towards Mithun, my father, and the film. Unfortunately, my father is not capable of responding to the (or any) questions at this point. Over the last few years, he has lost a lot of his mental functions and cannot remember much or process his thoughts well. At 93 years that is not all that surprising. He is also not in a position to talk on the phone anymore. I am really sorry to disappoint you." Deepest regards to Kunal Sen, for giving his valuable inputs on behalf of Mrinal Sen, I extend my valuable thanksgiving to you on behalf of the loyal Mrinal Sen and Mithun fans across the world, to make this possible.