Thirty five years ago on this day, one of the most powerful stars left a void in the Bangla movie scene. Uttam Kumar, the great actor of the Bengal, passed away on 24 July in 1980 at the age of 53 and he was then at the peak of his popularity and influence on the audience.
In the beginning, Uttam Kumar had to wade through a rough road. He did not become ‘Uttam Kumar’ overnight. Born in his maternal uncle’s home in north Kolkata, Uttam Kumar was known as Arun Kumar before he entered the star-studded world.
His first few movies were not commercially successful. However, it was his passion which kept him gunning for his dream.
Then in 1952, his movie Basu Paribar earned massive success. And the rest is history. He did not have to look back from that point.
Uttam Kumar paired up with Suchitra Sen in numerous movies as the pair became synonymous with Bangla films.
This multitalented star was a film actor, director, producer, singer and music composer and playback singer. In his 30-year acting career, he performed in about 200 movies.
For outstanding performance in movies such as Hrid, Harano Sur, Saptapadi, Nayak, Chiriakhana, Antony Phiringi, Grihodaho, Ekhane Pinjar, Stri, Omanush, Bonhishikha and Anando Ashrom - Uttam Kumar bagged numerous prestigious awards, including Bengal Film Journalists Association Award, Certificate of Merit, Filmfare Award, Cultural Journalists Award, Prosad Potrika Award and Bhorot Award.
Legendary film director Satyajit Ray once said, “There is no hero like Uttam. I was mesmerised by his acting skill.”
Prolific actress Suchitra Sen said, “He is great, a great artiste.”
The great actor himself revealed the secret of outstanding acting skill. In his words, “The key is - be natural. I never actually ‘act’ in the movies. I tried to remain as natural as possible on the screen.”
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