#GoldenFrames: Uttam Kumar, the ‘Mahanayak’ of Indian Cinema

Doyen of Bengali cinema Uttam Kumar has worked in over 200 movies in his lifetime. Unlike Bollywood, Bengali cinema has only one name—Uttam Kumar. The actor is popularly known as ‘Mahanayak’, which means great actor. Kumar dominated the Bengali film industry for three decades, working with auteurs such as Satyajit Ray, Niren Lahiri, Nirmal Dey and more. The actor was a charming, handsome and intelligent man who lived life on his own terms. He was also at the centre of many controversies, especially those involving his female co-stars such as Suchitra Sen, Supriya Devi and Sabitri Chatterjee.

In This Pic : Uttam Kumar, GoldenFrames

Uttam Kumar was born as Arun Kumar Chatterjee on September 3, 1926, in Kolkata, West Bengal. He started off as a clerk who used to give part time music lessons to students. It is said that his poverty drove him compulsively to join films.

In This Pic : Uttam Kumar, GoldenFrames

'Nayak' (1966) was his most famous movie. He played a prominent actor who meets a journalist during a train journey where he reveals the tragic side of his glamorous life. The movie was directed by Satyajit Ray, which won the National Award for Best Bengali Feature Film and other multiple awards at international film festivals. The movie gained fame for Kumar's raw acting and ability to play a profoundly flawed character while invoking sympathy. 'Saptapadi' (1961) was based on a novel by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay. The movie is about inter-faith love, starring Uttam Kumar as Krishnendu, a Bengali Hindu, and Suchitra Sen as Rina Brown, an Anglo-Indian.

(Photo: Uttam Kumar in a still from the movie 'Nayak')

In This Pic : Uttam Kumar, GoldenFrames

Uttam Kumar plays the titular role of a Portuguese-Indian man who became a famous Bengali-language poet in this biographical movie 'Antony Firingee' (1967), co-starring Tanuja. The movie is known for Kumar's performance and soundtrack, with Manna Dey and Sandhya Mukherjee on lead vocals.

(Photo: Tanuja and Uttam Kumar in a still from the movie 'Antony Firingee')

In This Pic : Uttam Kumar, Tanuja, goldenframes

'Chowringhee' (1968) is based on a novel of the same name. The movie comprises six stories portraying human tragedy seen from the protagonist's perspective, played by Subhendu Chatterjee. In the movie, Kumar plays Sata, a hotel receptionist, who meets the love of his life but realises his dream only to have everything taken away from him towards the end. The movie was very popular with audiences because of the story and songs like 'Kache Robe' and 'Baro Eka Laage', sung by music legends Hemanta Kumar and Manna Dey. Agradoot's 'Chhadmabeshi' (1971) is the original that inspired Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Chupke Chupke' (1975). Agradoot directed Kumar as a professor who poses as a driver to play a prank on his new brother-in-law.

(Photo: Still from the movie 'Chowringhee')

In This Pic : Uttam Kumar, GoldenFrames