Md Saifuddin Al Quaderi
The star Uttam Kumar from the black and white films of old is often times unknown to the present generation. Unless those concerned are true film enthusiasts of the Indian subcontinent probably you haven’t heard the name of Uttam Kumar. But, it is never too late to learn about great personas from history. Maybe a touch up on the old history books about films of the late 40s and early 50s will freshen up the memory a tad about this maestro of dialogues and almost poetic actor.
There are probably two occasions in the history of Bengal which actually represent Bengal when a death became history. The first was the passing of Rabindranath Tagore on 7 August 1941. This is supposed to have caused mass tantrum amongst his admirers who gathered around his corpse while it was being taken away for his end rituals.
The second time was the passing of Arun Kumar Chatterjee popularly known by his film name Uttam Kumar in 1980. He was carried, with dignity, in a covered carriage. His passing led to mourning which lasted for weeks. The primitive version of televisions endlessly, and tiresomely, looped his movies for the public to watch and reminisce in the glory of this once renowned actor of the big screen.
In the beginning Uttam Kumar started working as a simple clerk. He used to give music lessons part time to earn some extra cash to female students and perhaps might never have come into the spot lights of a film set if his monetary instability has not driven him. Still his uplift was quite slow and painful.
During the late fifties, the taste of film goers and audience changed drastically. They wanted more to see on the screen and this they found through Uttam Kumar. Although his debut to the screen was through ‘Drishtidan’ (1948) he truly achieved the spot light through ‘Agni Pariksha’ (1954). He didn’t have to look back to his days of poverty afterwards. And, until the end he remained the best choice for any producer who wanted to make any film and turn over a good profit.
His first few films were flops, and he wanted to pursue a very lucrative career as a clerk in the then Kolkata. But, soon after his failures came his success and what a success he was! Between 1945 and 1980, he acted in an astounding 375 films, averaging nearly 11 films per year. He played roles in both Bangla and Hindi films, paired against almost every heroine one could think of in those times: from Sabitri Debi and Madhabi Mukherjee, to, much later, Aparna Sen.
But, truth be told it was Uttam-Suchitra pair that turned Bangalis over with his innocent gentleman look image and her innate sophistication was an unbeatable on-screen combination.
He started churning out blockbusters by the dozens because of which he was designated ‘Mahanayak’ – ‘Great Hero’ – long before he died. Yet, he was not the greatest actor to have starred in Bengali cinema and his heavily accented Hindi ensured that his Bollywood productions didn’t do well at the box office.
Given his persona as the biggest romantic hero of all time in Bangla films, it is perhaps surprising that his two most enduring performances were anything but that. These two occurred back to back, in a turbulent time in Bengal, 1966 and 1967.
Uttam was and will remain the Mahanayak. The most bankable star, ever, in Bengali cinema. On the occasion of his death anniversary on July 24, it is worth noting how much of his extraordinary performances have left the bangla cinema industry till this date.
