Uttam Kumar At 100: Kolkata Celebrates The Enduring Legacy Of Bengali Cinema’s Mahanayak

On his 100th birth anniversary, Kolkata gave Uttam Kumar a celebration worth his legendary stature. Called Mahanayak (The Great Hero), Kumar was the leading light of Bengali cinema from the 1950s to the 1970s, in a career that spanned over five decades. Born on September 3, 1926, Uttam Kumar, whose original name was Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay, died on July 24, 1980.

On the actor’s birth centenary, his face was seen across several prominent landmarks across Kolkata, in the form of gigantic cut-outs and posters. West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari paid tribute to Kumar in Tollygunge and announced that the state would mark his birth centenary with a year-long calendar of events. Several film personalities visited the actor’s Bhowanipore residence, with actress Rituparna Sengupta wearing a specially designed saree featuring iconic scenes from Kumar’s hit films.

Prosenjit Chatterjee, who had portrayed Kumar in a 2016 TV series called Mahanayak, based on the life of the actor, was also present, while Raima Sen shared a tribute to him on her Instagram, a photo of Kumar with her grandmother Suchitra Sen from a movie. At Nandan, the film and cultural center located in the heart of Kolkata, an exhibition of film booklets, original behind-the-scenes stills, advertisements, magazines, and DVDs related to the iconic actor is on display.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too paid a rich tribute to Kumar, saying his timeless performances connect with people across generations. “Mahanayak Uttam Kumar… A legend whose timeless performances connect with people across generations. Tributes on his birth centenary,” Modi said in a post on X. The PM had also shared part of his August 30 radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’ where he described Kumar as a versatile actor who became deeply embedded in people’s hearts through his performances.

“Film lovers believe that Satyajit Ray wrote the entire script for the film ‘Nayak’ (‘The Hero’) with Mahanayak Uttam Kumar in mind. Shriman Satyajit Ray had remarked that he possessed remarkable emotional depth alongside great dignity. Uttam Kumar worked very hard to bring his characters to life, and was known not only for his natural ease but also for his philanthropy. His life offers another great lesson: never give up. Although his early films did not fare well, he remained focused on his work. It was this dedication that enabled him to reach such great heights,” Modi had said.

Kumar worked in 211 films till his death in 1980, and some of his superhit films were Agni Pariksha (1954), Nayak (1966), Saptapadi (1961), Chiriyakhana (1967), Anthony Firingee (1967) and Chowringhee (1968). He was the first one to receive the National Award in the Best Actor category for his work in Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana. Also known for his philanthropic side,

he was part of relief works during the Kolkata communal riots of 1946 and for the 1978 flood had organised a charity cricket match between artists from the Bengali film industry and the Bombay film industry. While Kumar was the captain of the Bengal team, the Bombay team was captained by Dilip Kumar.