Subhash K Jha looks back at Mithun Chakraborty’s Don Muthu Swami, which hit the big screen in 2008.
After his sterling performance as an aging but fearless Bengali newspaper editor in Mani Ratnam’s Guru, Mithun Chakraborty played the role of an aging, naïve gangster in Ashim Samanta’s Don Muthu Swami which clocks 17 years. The role was inspired by Sylvester Stallone’s stint in John Landis’ 1991 comic-crime drama Oscar.
Mithun’s film was titled Don Muthu Swami. It was directed by Ashim, son of the late filmmaker Shakti Samanta. Shakti Samanta and Mithun teamed up in the past for a Hindi-Bengali film called Aar Paar and Khwab.
What makes this project interesting is the casting of TV star Rohit Roy as the gangster’s conniving accountant.
Said Rohit, “It was a comic role. And I was very excited about trying my hand at comedy for the first time. Also, because of the banner. I freaked out on Shakti-da’s Rajesh Khanna classics like Aradhana, Amar Prem and Kati Patang.”
In fact, a lot of Rajesh Khanna’s mannerisms are discernible in Rohit’s performances.
Rohit agrees, “Yes, that must be because my mother was a big Rajesh Khanna fan. She must have watched all his films repeatedly while she was carrying me. In fact, when I was shooting with Anju Mahendruji she’d often tell me I reminded her of Rajesh Khanna ji (Anju and Rajesh Khanna were together for many years). So now it feels great to be working with a banner that’s done so much memorable work with Rajesh Khanna.”
