Mithun Chakraborty appointed Bengal govt cultural advisor, gets Cabinet minister rank

Veteran actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty was on Wednesday appointed an advisor to the West Bengal government's Information and Cultural Affairs Department and accorded the rank of a Cabinet minister.

The appointment takes effect immediately, according to a state government notification.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had recently announced that Chakraborty would be brought into the government as a cultural advisor.

Chakraborty entered the BJP in March 2021 at a rally at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground that was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He went on to campaign extensively for the party during that year's West Bengal Assembly election and was later inducted into the BJP's state core committee in 2022.

Before joining the BJP, Chakraborty was a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member. He was nominated to the Upper House in 2014 but resigned in December 2016, citing health reasons. When he joined the BJP, he described his association with the TMC as a "bad decision".

A five-decade film career

Chakraborty's public profile was built long before his political career.

Born in Kolkata, he made his acting debut in Mrinal Sen's Mrigayaa in 1976 and won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the performance. He later became one of Hindi cinema's leading stars of the 1980s, with Disco Dancer among his best-known films.

He has also remained closely associated with Bengali cinema throughout his career.

The state government's decision to bring him into a formal cultural role follows his involvement in recent cultural initiatives, including the centenary celebrations of Bengali film icon Uttam Kumar. Adhikari had announced the plan to appoint him as cultural adviser during the foundation-laying ceremony of the Uttam Kumar Film Centre in New Town.

The exact scope of Chakraborty's new responsibilities is expected to be clarified as he takes charge.