Born as Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Uttam Kumar
is one of the greatest legends of Indian cinema. Born in 1926 in North
Calcutta, he is widely acclaimed as the ‘Mahanayak’ of Bengali cinema and his
contributions as an actor, director, producer, singer and music director earned
him both national and international adulation.
His first successful release was a film by
Nitin Bose, Dishtidan, though he came
into limelight only with Basu Paribar.
It was however, Agni Pariksha in
1950, with the famed Suchitra Sen-Uttam Kumar pair that catapulted him into
success. In the following years, this couple ruled the silver screen with many
films like Harano Sur, Shapmochan, Shilpi etc. His on and off-screen chemistry
was notably celebrated with several leading ladies of those days like Supriya Choudhuri, Sabitri Chatterjee, Madhabi
Mukherjee, Sharmila Tagore, Aparna Sen, Mala Sinha and Tanuja among many
others.
Uttam Kumar is especially known for his
natural charisma infront of the camera which brought to the forefront a new era
in cinema, breaking away from the stereotypical dramatization associated with a ‘screen hero’.
According to many, his signature film Nayak
by Satyajit Ray, at the peak of his career, which foretells the story of the
rise of an actor from ordinary backgrounds into superstardom, was written with
him in mind. A perfectionist, never quite satisfied with being just the
‘matinee idol’ he experimented widely with his roles and was also the first
ever recipient of the national award for Best Actor, for his performances in Chiriyakhana and Anthony Firangee in 1967.
His streak of brilliance continued till his
last breath, where a massive heart attack on sets of Ogo Bodhu Sundori in 1980 claimed his life, a year after he came up
with his authorized autobiography – Amaar
Ami. Even after his death he continues to be one of the most legendary
actors who single handedly changed the course of erstwhile Bengali cinema.
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