At that time in May 1966 when Uttam Kumar received a telephone call from Satyajit Ray.
“Uttam, nayak will be prime tomorrow at Indira Cinema.
I hope you will be there,” Ray said.
“But manikda, press and public will also be there.
Do you think I have to go? There will be a Pandemonium,” he replied.
“Uttam, don’t forget it is the Satyajit Ray movie.
Please be there,” Ray command.
The next day, the news of the presence of Uttam Kumar at Cinema Hall spread and all hell broke out that day.
In the afternoon, the road to Bhowanipore was barricled.
Uttam Kumar cars – by most A Chevrolet Impala accounts – must be tested through by-lanes pathways.
The theater really trembled under the weight of Duyuri’s song, ‘Teacher, Teacher’, with demands to catch a glimpse of stars.
The Hall manager rushed to Ray.
“Sir, if we don’t take it on stage, there will be serious legal and order problems.” A few minutes later, the lights burned and made it looked standing on the platform right in front of the screen.
He raised his hand and the crowd suddenly fell silent, as if it waved from a wand.
“I ask you to be quiet and watch a movie.
Don’t forget it is the Satyajit Ray movie,” Uttam asked everyone.
This story is an exciting testimony for two perennials in Bengal and maybe Apokrip.
But it didn’t take anything from what this story testified – whether it was Satyajit Ray swayed over the cast, the bending theater manager and phenomenal fame Uttam Kumar.
In some cases, the story of the cosmopolitanism also summarizes fantasies which are Bengali cinemas.
But as is known, not Ray who colonizes the cinema, is it as a fantasy or commercial.
That’s Uttam Kumar.
And only Uttam Kumar!
Some of Kumar’s first film was placed on the box office, and he decided to continue – then profitable – career as a trust officer of Port Calcutta.
However, the Arun family has a theater culture at home, even his brothers assured him to return to the film.
And the rest is history! After the first few flops, what career he enjoyed.
Between 1945 and 1980, he carried out 375 extraordinary films, an average of almost 11 films every year.
He has an essay role in the film Bangla and Hindi, acting opposite to almost every hero in those days: both Sabitri Debi and Madhabi Mukherjee, for, Aparna Sen.
But it is Uttam-Suchitra Jodi which is Bengalal floors for years: with pictures of Bhadralok Effete Uttam and the sophistication of the default Suchistra with restrained sexuality, their partner becomes unbeatable and bankable on the screen.
However, Suchitra Sen decided to be responsible in 1979, one year before the death of a tragic Uttam.
Celebrated in life and death, giving a blockbuster on a dozen, he became ‘mahanayak’ – ‘big hero’ – long before he died.
However, he was not the biggest actor to dominate the Bengali cinema and his Hindi who accented accented also disappointed his Bollywood production at the box office.
Considering his personality as the biggest Bengali Romantic Hero of all time, it is surprising that the two most eternal shows are nothing but that.
Both of them came out back to the back, during turbulent time in Bengal, in 1966 and 1967 – nayak and Chiriyakhana.
There may be two such incidents in a history of Kolkata representing Bengal – when death turned out to be a history.
The first event was the death of Rabindranath Tagore on August 7, 1941.
It caused mass hysteria – thousands of people gathered around their bodies while on their way to cremation.
What surprised many people had tore his hair and beard for memento! It was a disaster.
However, the second time was not too ugly.
That’s when Arun Kumar Chatterjee died in 1980.
He was taken, with many dignity, on a closed train.
No one got the chance to collect pieces of beard or whiskers, because he didn’t have it.
His death saw all the forests cut, such as Media Bengali lamented him for days.
The primitive TV that we have, without stopping, and Tiresomely, began to show the film.
Because it’s not Arun Kumar Chatterjee who died: Uttam Kumar has died.
And everyone shouted their hearts when they passed for days.
