The film songs featuring the matinee idol, Uttam Kumar, have been staged by the truckload and, yet, never fail to grace the charts, continuing to hold sentimentality for the listeners. His 43rd death anniversary was marked by the showcasing of his trademark ballads that left most in the audience misty-eyed.
Of the singers that evening, Saikat Mitra (perhaps one of the few performers with a real connection to the matinee idol) brought in a breathy murmur to the low-volume, flourishing “Bondhu amaar chole geche” (a non-film song). On popular demand, he sang the famous “Gaane bhuban bhoriye debe” from the film, Deya Neya, keeping a uniformly superb pitch and bringing the last line to a misty embrace, sending the crowd into raptures. A close second would be the highly able Manomoy Bhattacharya, who never fails to deliver. His “Ami jamini tumi shashi he” from Antony Firingee was delightfully laid back with some good vibes.
The reality show singers, Arkadeep Mishra and Arfin Rana, brought an impressive lightness to “Nari choritro” (Ogo Badhu Sundari) and “Bachao ke acho” (Chhaddabeshi), respectively. Together they brought the house down with “Eei toh jibon” (Ogo Badhu Sundari), playing it straight and keeping it within their familiar comfort zones. Sujoy Bhowmick brought a bouncy luminosity to “Ejeno ajana ek path” (Rajkanya), underlining his own breezy stage presence.
Veteran Lopamudra Mitra sang “Amaro bicharo tumi koro” from the film, Bicharak, in her trademark style. Slightly fidgety performances came from Dipabali Dutta (“Dole dodul dole jhulona”) and Sispia Banerjee (“Aaj gun gun gun kunje amaar”).
The programme was held at Uttam Mancha.
