Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty to receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award: I&B minister
New Delhi (PTI): Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, star of films such as “Mrigayaa”, “Surakshaa”, “Disco Dancer”, and “Dance Dance”, was on Monday named recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the government’s highest recognition in the field of cinema.
The announcement comes months after Chakraborty was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour, by the Government of India.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw made the announcement on X.
"Mithun Da’s remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations! Honoured to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Sh. Mithun Chakraborty Ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema," the minister said in the post.
The award will be presented to Chakraborty at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony on October 8, 2024, Vaishnaw said.
The three-member jury -- comprising former Dadasaheb awardee Asha Parekh, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar and filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah -- selected Chakraborty for the prestigious honour.
Chakraborty, 74, is very happy, said his son Namashi Chakaborty about the Dadasaheb Phalke Award announcement.
"We all are feeling very proud. He is in Kolkata, I just spoke to him. He is a self-made superstar and a great citizen. This was long, long overdue but I am so proud that he is finally being awarded with this honour," Namashi told PTI over phone from Los Angeles.
Chakraborty, whose real name is Gourang Chakraborty, is an alumnus of Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) who has predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali cinema.
He made his acting debut with Mrinal Sen's 1976 film "Mrigayaa", for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor. He earned two more National Awards for 1992's "Tahader Katha" (best actor) and 1998's "Swami Vivekananda" (best supporting actor).
Chakraborty shot to stardom with his distinctive dancing style in the 1982 superhit "Disco Dancer", which is widely credited for ushering in the era of disco dancing in India through chartbusters like "I Am A Disco Dancer" and "Yaad Aa Raha Hai".
Then followed several hits like "Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye", "Hum Se Hai Zamana", "Pasand Apni Apni", "Ghar Ek Mandir", “Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki” and “Commando”.
He was also praised for his role in the 1990 film "Agneepath", fronted by Amitabh Bachchan.
A former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, Chakraborty joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.
Chakraborty also served as the head judge or 'grandmaster' on the popular dance reality series "Dance India Dance" from 2009 to 2018.
In 2023, Waheeda Rehman was named recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
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CBI arrests 26 cybercriminals in multi-state crackdown
New Delhi (PTI): In a multi-state crackdown on organised cybercrime, the CBI has arrested 26 alleged cybercriminals involved in fraudulent activities targeting people globally, officials said on Monday.
The action under operation Chakra-III started with raids at 32 different places across Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Visakhapatnam late night last Thursday. The central agency has seized Rs 58.45 lakh cash, locker keys and three luxury vehicles, they said.
Four call centres -- V.C. Inconformities Pvt. Ltd at Regent Plaza, Pune; V.C. Infrometrix Pvt. Ltd, Murli Nagar, Visakhapatnam; Viajex Solutions, Hyderabad; and Atriya Global Services Pvt. Ltd, Visakhapatnam -- were among the places raided by the agency.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) intercepted 170 people engaged in live online criminal activities across the four call centers, the officials said.
"The cybercriminals targeted in this operation were involved in a range of illicit activities, including impersonating... tech support services and approaching victims, especially in the USA in the guise that the victim's systems have been hacked," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
He said the victims were convinced by the criminals that their identities had been stolen and that a large number of unauthorised transactions were being made in their bank accounts.
The scammers told the victims that they were under the scanner of investigation agencies of their respective countries, he added.
"The cybercriminals then induced the victims to transfer their bank holdings into new bank accounts given by cybercriminals in the guise of safeguarding their finances.
"In some instances, the cybercriminals intimidated the victims into transferring funds to them through international gift cards or crypto currency. Extensive wrongful losses were incurred by the victims targeted by this criminal network," the statement said.
So far, the CBI has arrested 10 cybercriminals from Pune, five from Hyderabad and 11 from Visakhapatnam. Further investigation and questioning into the role of other workers at these illegal call centers is ongoing, it said.
"These operations have resulted seizure of critical digital evidence and incriminating material. 951 items have been seized including electronic devices, mobile phones, laptops, financial information, communication records and incriminating material used by this cyber crime network for criminal activity and to defraud victims," the spokesperson said.
This operation has resulted in significant disruption and dismantling of a major trans national technology enabled crime network, he said.
