Mithun Chakraborty’s third marriage, and that too with a young Turkish woman – Beyond Bollywood

Twice married, the veteran actor was compelled to marry a Turkish girl who had threatened extreme action if her favourite superstar didn’t oblige her.

By Mayur Lookhar

The popularity of Indian cinema isn’t limited to domestic shores. Bollywood, in particular, has global appeal. Perhaps Raj Kapoor was Hindi cinema’s first global superstar. In contemporary cinema, no one can match Shah Rukh Khan’s global reach. But if there is a star whose global popularity transcends all eras, it has to be our ‘Disco Dancer’ Mithun Chakraborty. In the 80s, Chakraborty found fame in Europe, particularly Eurasia, and mostly among females. At 73, he continues to have both old and young fans across the globe.

Beyond Bollywood recently met with the veteran superstar, who, despite his age and health, travelled a long way to chat with scribes on the sets of his upcoming film The Delhi Files. A simple question about his fandom made Chakraborty nostalgic, and he shared a couple of interesting stories. 

Chakraborty has married twice. He first married actress Helena Luke in 1979, but the marriage barely lasted four months before the couple parted ways. In the same year, Chakraborty married another actor, Yogeeta Bali, who had previously been married to the legendary Kishore Kumar.

In the 80s, the much-married Chakraborty was also romantically linked with actress Srivedi with rumours even suggesting a secret wedding. However, these remained just rumours, as Chakraborty’s marriage to Bali remains strong. The couple has four beautiful children.

Now at 73, Chakraborty proudly sports his white beard, often with a bandana or cap to cover his head. Over the years, the actor has had a few health scares, but the 73-year-old is still stunned by how he continues to receive love from his female fans.  And he was compelled to marry for the third time.

Talking about it, the veteran actor revealed that recently two girls from Turkey had visited his hotel. They had been waiting a long time for their superstar, when Chakraborty’s manager informed him that the girls wouldn’t leave without meeting him.

“One girl said, ‘This is my elder sister, and she wants to marry you. If you don’t marry her, she will do something (extreme).’ I got scared. I tried to reason with them and told them I would visit them when I’m in Turkey next time,” said the actor.

Somehow, he was able to convince the girls to leave, but to his surprise, the sisters returned a year later with the same extreme request.

“Now, I was caught in a pickle. I told my wife, Pinky (nickname for Yogeeta), what had happened, and so I agreed to marry the elder sister. We exchanged rings, and I told her I would meet her in Turkey, but she must go back home,” disclosed Chakraborty.

That’s how Chakraborty got married for the third time. Fortunately for the veteran actor, it didn’t take long for the girl to realise her folly. The actor added that today, this girl laughs over her actions. She found a true soulmate and is happily married.

Chakraborty has been a hit with women of all ages. He also mentioned how his daughter’s 19-year-old friend told her that she liked her father and wanted to marry him. She, however, made it clear that this love was more about respect than actual love.

“This girl told me that she is my fourth-generation fan in the family. She said her grandmother wanted to marry me, but she failed. The same happened with her mother, and now she finally got to meet me. I feel blessed to receive such love from fourth-generation fans,” said Chakraborty. 

Long live such fandom, long live the legend.

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