‘The then govt didn’t honour Uttam Kumar after his death 43 yrs ago’

KOLKATA: Remembering Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar on his 43rd death anniversary, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed disappointment that the then government gave no chance for the fans to pay tribute to him after he died. He passed away on this day in 1980 at the age of 54.

“His body was not kept at Rabindra Sadan by the then government. No arrangement was made to keep the mortal remains of the Maha Nayak of people there for some time and enable his millions of fans to pay respect. Ever since we came to power, we have tried to ensure such things do not happen,” she said without naming any party.

Banerjee became nostalgic while presenting the Mahanayak Samman on Monday at Dhanadhanya Auditorium to a bevy of Tollywood actors.

“I remember my mother and I were standing by the side of the road near our house at night when we heard a passerby saying Uttam Kumar had died. All of a sudden, we were really sad. We can’t forget that day. The world remembers it as the day Mahanayak Uttam Kumar died. We call this day ‘Shraddha Diwas’,” she remarked.

Conferring the ‘Mahanayak’ title to actors Koel Mallick, Ankush, Subhashree Ganguly, Srabanti and Sayantika for their contribution to the Bengali film industry, Banerjee grieved how the then state government didn’t feel it was necessary to keep Uttam Kumar’s body at Rabindra Sadan to allow the common man and his fans to mourn.

“Each year for the past 11 years, we invite Uttam Kumar’s family and Bengali actors to commemorate this momentous day,” she said. Senior director Haranath Chakraborty and actors Anirban Bhattacharya and Sohini Sarkar were bestowed with special honours.

Congratulating the awardees, Banerjee said that they must feel proud of having received the award.

“It is the people that have given the title ‘Mahanayak’ to Uttam Kumar,” she said. Banerjee also mentioned that the state government will recognise all artistes who have worked hard and will be rewarded in due time. “We might not have received any awards, but today’s young generation should be commended for their work. In my time, the younger generation was never allowed to partake in a lot of discussions,” she said.

Meanwhile, at Uttam Mancha on Monday, distressed technicians, who once worked with the Bengali icon were felicitated and also provided medical support. At the age of 90, Gour Karmakar fondly recalled how Uttam Kumar would retreat to his make-up van, where he immersed himself in books when the shot was over. Karmakar had the privilege of working alongside the legend in films like ‘Duti Mon’, ‘Mon Niye’, ‘Jiban Jignasa’ and the cult classic ‘Nayak’ as the assistant cameraman. Karmakar, along with Kartik Mandal, Gokul Pandey, Biresh Chattopadhyay and other senior technicians received medical assistance from the Uttam Kumar Memorial Cultural Committee.

Legendary actress Madhavi Mukherjee was felicitated too. Mukherjee has worked with Uttam in blockbusters like ‘Chaddmabeshi’, ‘Chinna Patra’ and ‘Shanka Bela’.