Today is the 92nd birth anniversary of Bengali cinema’s greatest star – Uttam Kumar. Known as ‘Mahanayak’ (great actor), Uttam Kumar delivered some of the best known classics of the Bengali film industry in the years following the country’s independence.
While his fans continue to eulogise him as the greatest romantic actor of all time, Uttam Kumar also displayed his range through the kind of cinema that is associated with the likes of Satyajit Ray thus becoming the first Indian actor to win the National Award for Best Actor following its constitution in 1967.
On the occasion of his birth anniversary on 3 September, Sudipta Chanda, a film publicity material collector, is set to release a unique calendar featuring posters of the various films starring the Mahanayak.
The calendar features 24 film posters – two each for every month of the year – covering the actor’s popular films as well as the lesser-known ones.
Posters of films such as Harano Sur, Dui Bhai, Shapmochan, Ogo Badhu Sundori, Saptapadi, Nayak, Abak Prithibi, Sagarika, Chirodiner, Antony Firingi, Dhannyi Meye, Kankabotir Ghat, Shikar and Putro Badhu find place in the calendar.
The calendar will be released today at Uttam Manch at 5.30 pm at a musical concert in memory of Uttam Kumar.
The concert – Surer Akashe Tumi Je Go Shuktara – has been organised by Shyam Sarkar.
Sutapa Bhattacharya, Shampa Kundu, Parnava, Sujoy Bhowmick, Sumana Chakraborty, Sispiya Banerjee, Samik Paul and others will be performing at the event.
Veteran actresses Madhabi Mukherjee and Sabitri Chatterjee, two of Uttam Kumar’s co-actors, and his grandson Gaurab Chatterjee will also be present on the occasion.
Earlier today, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tributes to the iconic actor.
“Tribute to Mahanayak Uttam Kumar on his birth anniversary,” wrote Banerjee on her Twitter.
Uttam Kumar ruled the Bengali film industry from 1950 to his death on 24 July 1980 aged 53.