Kamal Ghorui
Namashi Chakraborty, son of veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty and yesteryear star Yogita Bali, has opened up about the defining moment that shaped his approach to the film industry — a lesson in discomfort delivered before his very first audition.Speaking to Pooja Samant, Namashi recalled how he began searching for work independently in Mumbai in 2016. When he informed his father about his first audition for an advertisement, Mithun Chakraborty made it clear that privilege would have no place that day.“When I got my first audition in April 2016, my dad told me, ‘Go for it.’ Then he added, ‘You’re not going in the Mercedes today. The audition is in Andheri, take an auto from here, go to the jetty, then take another auto,’” Namashi shared.Mithun underlined the mindset he expected his son to carry. “‘Today, my son is not going for an audition. Namashi Chakraborty, a first-timer, is going to give an audition. Go with that attitude,’ he told me.”
‘Start from zero’
At the time, Namashi admitted he did not fully grasp why travelling by auto mattered. The lesson, however, soon became clear.“He told me I had to start from zero and forget the comfort I had grown up with. That day, for the first time in my life, I took an auto and went to Versova jetty. I gave a good audition, but the project didn’t work out. Still, that day taught me what independence truly means,” he said.The experience, he added, left a lasting impact. “Even today, I travel by auto when I need to. That day, he removed the baggage from my shoulders. It was uncomfortable at first, but it was humbling and necessary.”
‘I hated special treatment’
Namashi also spoke about another form of discomfort — the special treatment he received once people discovered his surname.“The moment people found out I was Mithun Chakraborty’s son, they would make me sit in an air-conditioned room, which I hated,” he said. “Other boys were auditioning for the same role. Just because I’m someone’s son doesn’t mean I deserve special treatment.”He said he repeatedly asked casting teams to treat him like any other newcomer. “I would tell them, ‘Please don’t treat me specially. If surname matters more than talent, then the whole audition process is pointless.’”Rejecting the insider–outsider debate, Namashi asserted, “In front of the camera, only talent matters. Not your background, not your surname.”
How The Bengal Files role came his way
Addressing assumptions around nepotism, Namashi clarified that his role in Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files came only after multiple auditions.“My dad shares a long bond with Pallavi Joshi ma’am, but when The Bengal Files was happening, he didn’t even mention my name,” he said. “It was my mom who casually told Vivek sir that her younger son is also an actor. By then, my film Bad Boy with Rajkumar Santoshi sir had already released.” Namashi recalled being called to Agnihotri’s office and being asked about the kind of roles he was open to. “I said yes. Then he asked if I’d do a hero’s role, and I said yes to that too. He told me he thought I’d only want to play the hero.”The part was far from assured. “I auditioned three times—for Gulam, then for another character, and then again for Gulam. Only after that did I get the part,” he said. “My dad had no contribution, and my mom didn’t get me the role either. I earned it through auditions.”
