Actor who gave India's first Rs 100 crore hit, broke Sholay's record; not Shah Rukh, Salman, Amitabh, Aamir, Rajinikanth

Disco Dancer is the first Indian film that crossed Rs 100 crore in its worldwide gross. Directed by Babbar Subhash, the musical blockbuster starred Mithun Chakraborty as Anil aka Jimmy, a street singer who becomes a disco star

Disco Dancer was a success in India, earning over Rs 6 crore. But the real collections came from overseas, particularly the Soviet Union. Upon its Russia release in 1984, Disco Dancer 12 crore tickets for an approximate gross earnings of 60 million roubles (roughly Rs 94.28 crore). That brought Disco Dancer’s total worldwide gross to Rs 100.68 crore

Till 1984, the highest grossing Indian film had been Sippy’s iconic Sholay, which had earned Rs 30 crore worldwide. Disco Dancer more than tripled that and held the record for a decade till it was bettered by Hum Aapke Hain Koun

Mithun Chakraborty, hence, became the first Indian actor to deliver a Rs 100-crore hit, something even Amitabh Bachchan had not managed till then and the three Khans would not for another decade

Disco Dancer also starred Rajesh Khanna, Kim Yashpal, and Om Puri. But alongside Mithun, the true star of the film was composer Bappi Lahiri, whose desi disco tunes captivated audiences worldwide, making the film a phenomenon

Disco Dancer was a sleeper hit considering Mithun wasn’t an A-lister at the time, Rajesh Khanna’s star had faded, and Kim was a newcomer. Yet, the film managed to leave a lasting impression in Bollywood, even inspiring a musical three decades later