Satyajit Ray had once said, “There is none like Uttam and never will be. He was and he is unparalleled in Bengali, even Indian cinema.”
The auteur’s words are vindicated in the way the matinee idol continues to rule the heart of every Bengali even 42 years after his death.
The Uttam Kumar Death Anniversary Memorial Cultural Committee paid its annual tribute to the actor with Uttam Smaran Sandhya, with Anandabazar Online as the digital media partner, at Uttam Mancha on July 24. The second instalment of the programme will be held at the same venue on September 3 to mark Uttam Kumar’s 96th birth anniversary.
The curtains went up on Sunday’s event with organising committee member Abhishek Roy, general secretary Tanmoy Kar and other guests paying floral tributes before the matinee idol’s photograph. A standing ovation followed.
The ceremonial lamp was lit by Debashis Kumar, member, board of administrators of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, sports personality Sambaran Banerjee and the organising committee members.
Ratna Ghoshal receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from Peerless Hospital managing director Sujit Kar Purkayastha. Soumyajit Dey/My Kolkata
On anchor Kaushik Sengupta’s request, Debashis Kumar narrated a brief history of the auditorium, giving due recognition to actors Tarun Kumar (Uttam Kumar’s younger brother) and Satya Bandhopadhyay for their efforts. He touched upon the fact that after taking over the auditorium, Kolkata Municipal Corporation had retained all old employees in their respective positions.
Uttam Kumar, Debashis Kumar said, “...continues to be a legend for those of us who were lucky to have seen him alive and performing but also those who revel in his persona through visual depictions alone…”
Debashis Kumar mentioned how the Bengal government had introduced the ‘Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Award’ to honour deserving artistes.
“Uttam Kumar touched hearts with his myriad portrayals on screen and each of his roles occupied a special place,” said Sambaran Banerjee.
Debashis Kumar lights the ceremonial lamp in the presence of guests and dignitaries. Soumyajit Dey/My Kolkata
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to actress Ratna Ghosal. As vignettes of her acting down the decades played out on the screen behind, Ghosal took the stage and was joined by Peerless Hospital managing director Sujit Kar Purkayastha.
On behalf of the organising committee, Kaushik Bhattacharya presented Kar Purkayastha with a memento. Bhattacharya said Ghosal had not only acted in more than 60 movies but dabbled in theatre too and represented the country abroad as a dance exponent.
Singer Manomay Bhattacharya presents a song at the event Soumyajit Dey/My Kolkata
The doctor handed over the awards and citation to the legendary actress. A health card from Peerless Hospital was an added tribute. Ghosal thanked Peerless Hospital and the organisers. Kar Purkayastha, in turn, spoke highly of Ghosal’s acting.
The committee invited three technicians from the Bengali cinema industry — electrician Khadu Patra, production assistant Biswanath Das and production manager Tapas Das — to honour their contribution to filmmaking.
Patra could not attend because of ill health and his citation was handed over to a family member. Deputy managing director of Peerless Hospital Ravindra Pai and Ghosal handed over the memorabilia and health support certificates offering discounted rates for treatment at Peerless Hospital to the trio. It was also announced that Peerless Hospital had accepted the responsibility of looking after the health and well-being of 45 other technicians from the Bengali film industry.
Ratna Ghoshal presents the memorabilia and health support certificates to technicians in the presence of Peerless Hospital deputy managing director Ravindra Pai. Soumyajit Dey/My Kolkata
Kartik Banerjee, an unwavering guide for the committee, iterated how Uttam Kumar could never be dead as long as a Bengali was alive in this world.
The memorial event was interspersed with the performances of 27 artistes from the contemporary world of cinema and music. As each one took the stage to perform, the audience were transported to the glorious years of Uttam Kumar. Among those who performed were Sutopa Bhattacharya, Jojo, Gurjit Singh, Monomoy Bhattacharya, Sispiya Banerjee, Gourab Sarkar, Chandrika Bhattacharya, Aritra Dasgupta, Saptak Bhattacharya, Babul Supriyo, Manoj Murali Nair, Saikat Mitra, Lopamudra Mitra, Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta, Sujoy Bhowmick, Arfin Rana, Madhuri Dey, Trijoy Dey, Debarati Dasgupta, Sushmita Sen, Anamika Saha and Devlina Kumar.
Singer Srikanta Acharya enthralls the audience at the event. Soumyajit Dey/My Kolkata
Speaking to My Kolkata, Uttam Kumar Death Anniversary Memorial Cultural Committee general secretary Tanmoy Kar said, “We have been observing the birth and death anniversaries of our favourite ‘Mahanayakְ Uttam Kumar’ every year and striving to keep alive the humanitarian trait of our beloved Mahanayak by extending healthcare support and insurance benefits to many individuals from the film industry. We organise free health check-up camps for technicians and we preserve and restore irreplaceable prints of the thespian’s cinematic portrayal for posterity.”