Forty-six years after Uttam Kumar’s death, Bengal’s Mahanayak remains unmatched. Monojit Lahiri revisits his enduring stardom, extraordinary screen presence and legacy through memories, critical reflections and comparisons with generations of Bengali cinema’s celebrated leading men.

In Life And Death, Uttam Kumar Remains - Bengal’s Unrivalled Numero Uno…

Uttam Kumar belongs to that very special, select group of stars who have not only refused mortality but have made a permanent home in the collective memory of Bengal. On his 46th death anniversary, which was on July 24th, Monojit Lahiri pays a tribute to Bengal’s timeless ace of hearts.

It was a friend’s casual comment that triggered this piece. “Boss, the Guru packed up four and a half decades ago, but in that time, there has not been one single hero who could remotely replicate his stature, aura or presence. Bollywood too had this problem with the Dilip-Dev-Raj era ending but they managed brilliantly to overcome this by unspooling tons of dazzling, exciting talent in every decade, who captured popular imagination. Here, apart from Ranjit Mullick and Dipankar Dey, we had a Prosenjit, Tapas Pal, Victor Banerjee, Chiranjit & co. in the eighties. Today, it is Dev, Jeet, Jisshu, Abir, Param, Anirban, Soham, Ankush, Yash & gang... Successful as they are, can they hold a candle to the alluring charm of Uttam Kumar?”

Frankly, I had never looked at the pre- and post-1980 Tolly scene in that fashion, but now that he made that loaded comment, it certainly provided food for thought. I pulled back in an attempt to see the big picture and do an honest reality check!

Stardom Beyond A Sell-By Date

I remember once having a brief conversation with veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal about films and film personalities that are meant to stay forever. Sharp, informed and articulate, he believed that “today, it’s a sell-by-date thing and the walking into the sunset and happy-ending foreverness has gone forever. The invasion of technology and consumerism has dramatically altered ideas, tastes, values and lifestyle with consuming replacing experiencing! The result is that barring a very few, special and unique films and personalities, most are consigned to the dusty alcoves of selective memory”.

Clearly Uttam Kumar belongs to that very special, select group of stars who have not only refused mortality but have made a permanent home in the collective memory of Bengal. Ray’s unstinted praise for Uttam’s prowess as an actor, post Nayak: “Uttam’s work shows rare virtues of grace, spontaneity and confidence. Such a combination is not easy to come by and it’s hard to see anyone taking his place in the cinema of West Bengal in the near future” – is well known. And the awe & reverence that industry-wallahs & his fans [cutting across generations] continuously hold him in remains unmatched.

Aparna Sen Remembers Uttam Kumar

Tollygunge’s most respected Director/Actor Aparna Sen – who’s co-starred with the icon in several super hits across the seventies – recalls their association with respect, affection, admiration, nostalgia and gratitude. “He was easily the best leading man I’ve had the privilege of working with – a super presence who attracted attention without demanding it. His excellent acting qualities and flair for inventiveness were often lost in the blaze of his romantic fire-power. An exceptionally modest man, he was a very hard-working professional who never took his fame for granted. He was always looking at avenues to better his performance and welcomed tips from his co-artistes. He was also a human being of great charm and chivalry, very protective about his heroines. As a romantic hero, he was superb – the best. Made you feel totally comfortable. Held you just right. A little inflexion in his voice, a faraway look in the eyes... he invented little nuances and they worked wonders. A lovable, sweet man, he was an ideal co-star from whom I learnt a lot. My everlasting regret is that I couldn’t direct him in one of my films...”

The Instinctive Actor And Star

Veteran, renowned and respected film critic Saibal Chatterjee offers his evolved take on the legend’s enduring popularity. He believes that Uttam was one of a kind. Neither a product of any Film School, Method or Stage, Uttam Kumar was a born natural, an instinctive, spontaneous actor, self-made, self-driven, forever filling – even his worst critics – with large doses of surprise and delight!

“Sure he had mannerisms but isn’t that the trademark of a Star? However, if and whenever required, he had no problem dropping them and whamming home a winner! Over and above everything, it has to be those killer looks and heart-stopping style! It chloroformed everyone, everywhere across all strata of society.”

Then of course, Chatterjee adds, the essential goodness, charm and sweetness that was writ large on his handsome, totally transported face. No wonder that before he arrived and after he left, there is no other actor so crazily desired as brother, friend, son, husband and lover by diverse age groups across generations!

However, Chatterjee is quick to mention that Uttam’s unique position in the collective mindscape of the people is neither to dismiss, devalue nor lessen the worth of other heroes.

Bengali Cinema After Uttam Kumar

Movie-goers of the eighties will remember the tremendous contribution of Prosenjit Chatterjee in that Uttam-less orphaned industry, with zero focus, direction, agenda or leadership. The young star pulled out all the stops to unleash one hit after another and save the bankrupt industry from collapsing. Admittedly, it was trash-with-flash, Bollywood and South Xerox copies, but it did generate much-needed revenue. Once slightly stabilised, Prosenjit – no longer the earlier Possenjit! – moved across to associate with quality filmmakers like the late Rituparno Ghosh, Goutam Ghosh, Kaushik Ganguly, Shibu-Nandita Roy, Srijit Mukherjee and gang to surprise us with his fine, mature performances. In recent times, Jeet and Dev have certainly enjoyed their moments of glory as Super-Stars with mass followings.

Jisshu Sengupta remains the handsomest actor of the entire lot with a big female fan following. Param is the thinking man’s hero while the new kid on the block, undoubtedly, is the maverick Anirban Chakravarty. A chameleon with sex appeal, this brilliant actor is indeed a show-stopper... but, despite their looks, talent and appeal, can they ever measure up to the Numero Uno’s chutzpah?

Uttam Kumar And Soumitra Chatterjee

Interestingly, when it comes to the veteran Soumitra Chatterjee, Uttam’s illustrious contemporary and competitor – they shared the screen in over six super-hit films – for the first time sparks fly! At their peak, there definitely were solid, separate Uttam and Soumitra camps.

The Ray discovery (and favourite) provided an interesting antithesis to the Guru. Perceived and positioned as a cerebral actor symbolising a refined sensibility, Soumitra was constantly the first choice of a constituency that shared a similar culture-scape. The educated, cultured middle-class movie-goers, more classy than massy, and into literature, poetry, music... you get the drift?

But at the end of the day, as Saibal Chatterjee explains, “If a star is about blazing the marquee and zonking mass audiences, then Soumitra had fans, Uttam had devotees. Soumitra was an actor, Uttam, a Mahanayak! That last scene in Ray’s Nayak when he puts on his dark glasses, defines his persona. Superstar!”

Why The Mahanayak Lives On

For an actor to be adored, worshipped and benchmarked even after decades of his exit, must mean that he was kissed by genius.

What better way to end this tribute to a titanic personality than echo the words of a great film critic, famously describing the impact of a charismatic screen personality. “Some actors occupy the screen, few rule it; Some actors hold an audience, few possess them; Some actors light up the screen, few ignite it; These chosen combustible few blaze with the X factors of screen acting - intensity, intelligence, authority. There is a power apart from the role itself and when these rare mesmeric luminaries burn the screen, the fellow actors are as rapt as the audience.”

That was Uttam Kumar. When comes such another…