Yogeeta Bali's bitter-sweet journey with Mithun Chakraborty: Birthday special

Yogeeta Bali, niece of the late actress-singer Geeta Bali, is a former actress who shone briefly in Hindi cinema in the 70s and mid 80s. Born in Bombay, Yogeeta Bali made her debut with the little known film Parwana (1971), starring Amitabh Bachchan and Navin Nischol. She worked with a few of the top names of the time like Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Mehra and Sanjeev Kumar. However, she came to be known more for the events in her personal life rather than her accomplishments in cinema.

Bali was the third wife of late singer-actor Kishore Kumar, but their marriage lasted for just two years, from 1976 to 1978. She then married fellow actor Mithun Chakraborty in 1979. The couple have three sons and a daughter. From the look of, it seems the two have led a happy life but this relationship has had its share of controversies too.

As Yogeeta Bali turns 65 today (13 August), we look at the bitter-sweet journey of the couple's love story.

In the late 1970s, Chakraborty was rumoured to be dating actress Sarika, with whom he worked in a couple of films like, Hamara Sansar (1978) and Ghamandee (1981). Chakraborty was a rising star while Sarika was looking to make a mark in the industry. They dated for a few months, before abruptly breaking the relationship. The actor was then linked with model, starlet Helena Luke. The duo were said to be madly in love and got married in 1979. This marriage though is said to have lasted for just four months.

Chakraborty got pally with Kishore Kumar’s wife Yogeeta Bali on the sets of Khwab (1980) and their friendship grew stronger. Bali and Chakraborty’s rumoured affair is said to be one of the reasons that ended their respective wrecked marriages to Kishore Kumar and Helena Luke. For long, the couple headlined the gossip sections, and all the brouhaha came true when Bali told India Today magazine, “Baat pakki ho gai hai. (The news is confirmed)  It’s true. We'll be married here in Bombay in July."

The duo tied the knot in 1979. Given their failed relationships in the past, one would have expected Bali and Chakraborty to lead a happy ever after life. However, in the mid 80s, this marriage went through some turbulent times when Chakraborty was rumoured to be having a secret affair with Sridevi. Though never confirmed, a secret marriage is said to have taken place too. Even though Bali is said to have moved out of Chakraborty’s home with her two young children, she never walked out of the marriage.   

“I will accept it even if he takes on a second wife,” Bali was quoted by magazine Star and Style then. 

The alleged Sridevi-Mithun affair lasted only for a couple of years. Sridevi ended the affair in 1988 after she learnt that Mithun had lied to her about divorcing Bali. She went on to marry close friend Boney Kapoor.  

A heartbroken Mithun made amends and reunited with his wife and the birth of their third son Namashi cemented their bond. Thereafter, the couple led a private life and no tales of discord were ever reported.