People discouraged B Subash to cast me in Disco Dancer, recalls Mithun Chakraborty : Bollywood News

Even after over 40 years, director Babbar Subhash’s musical hit Disco Dancer continues to remain iconic. The Mithun Chakraborty starrer was a song and dance movie that was also high on emotions. A musical show based on the film titled Disco Dancer – The Musical is currently being played in Mumbai till April 23. The show had premiered last year in London.

People discouraged B Subash to cast me in Disco Dancer, recalls Mithun Chakraborty

Its first performance in Mumbai happened a few days back. It was graced by Mithun Chakraborty himself. The veteran actor went nostalgic thinking about how he was cast in the film by Babbar Subhash despite the fact that he wasn’t a star at that time.

Recalling how B Subhash offered him the film, Chakraborty said, “I was shooting Taqdeer Ka Badshah with Babbar sahab. I was sitting outside the studio in Worli in between shots. B Subhash came towards me and said that he wants to make a musical film. I said, ‘Very good.’ He then said he wants to make that film with me. I said, ‘Subhash ji, I am not even a star. How will you make it?’ He said, ‘I won’t be making it by looking at you. I will be making it by looking at your legs. The magic you have in your legs, I am going to put money on that.’”

People close to B Subhash didn’t support his decision to cast Chakraborty in the titular role of Disco Dancer. “People discouraged Subhash ji a lot,” recalled Chakraborty. “They asked him not to do the film with me and that he will lose his money. He was told, ‘See how he looks, and he is not a star.’ But Subhash ji always said that if he makes this film, it will be with me. Subhash ji made this film while facing a lot of problems. I have been its witness and his companion.”

Before the shoot, Chakraborty asked his friend to shoot him while rehearsing the dance steps from the film’s famous song ‘Yaad Aa Raha Hai Tera Pyar’ and showed it to B Subhash. Chakraborty added, “B Subhash ji said, ‘I don’t want you to change even an inch from this. Just do exactly what you have done here.’”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of Disco Dancer – The Musical, Bappi Lahiri’s daughter Rema recalls how her father brought disco genre from New York to Bollywood