Kolkata: The four-day Uttam Kumar centenary celebrations, went far beyond traditional retrospectives by revisiting cherished memories through official commemorative stamp, special cover, and silver coin releases, celluloid print screenings at a film festival, a rare letter written by the actor seeking membership of the West Bengal Parapsychology Society, and recollections of how he refused to endorse cancel culture.Capturing the breathtaking scale of the celebrations, actor Biswajit Chatterjee wondered aloud backstage that a tribute of this magnitude for an actor’s centenary has perhaps never happened anywhere else in the world.Speaking about his stardom, actor Biswajit Chatterjee recalled a day when even train drivers, who craved for a glimpse of Guru, refused to depart upon hearing a whisper campaign that the Mahanayak was arriving at Howrah Station. Yet, as time moved forward, many wondered if Gen Z—having never grown up watching Uttam Kumar—would show any real interest in his films or a centenary tribute. That doubt was firmly put to rest as celluloid screenings of ‘Harano Sur’ and ‘Nayak’ at Radha Studio drew massive crowds of youngsters.At one event, actor Ritwik Chakraborty busted the myth that acting for stage and screen requires the same approach, pointing out how Uttam Kumar mastered both by shooting for films during the day and performing in commercial theatre during the evenings. Sisir Mancha, a venue that has too often witnessed masterclasses and discussions play out to thinning audiences, was overflowing with cinephiles eager to absorb analysis on Uttam Kumar. Mamata Shankar also recollected how her parents repeatedly turned down Uttam Kumar’s offers for her to make a screen debut while she was still in school.Actor Ranjit Mullick highlighted Uttam Kumar’s resistance to exclusionary practices. Recalling how the Mahanayak refused to even listen to anyone advising him against casting Ranjit Mullick simply for not belonging to Shilpi Sansad of which Uttam Kumar was the founding president of the Sansad.This inclusiveness was also present in the felicitation ceremony and the effort to honour the behind-the-camera talents alongside the stars. Thus, all associated with Uttam Kumar’s films—including actors Sabitri Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Mita Chatterjee (94) from ‘Nabojanmo’, Biswajit Chatterjee, Mithun Chakraborty, Ranjit Mallick, Dipankar Dey, Ratna Ghoshal, Kalyani Mondal, and Shakuntala Barua, and filmmakers Prabhat Roy and Biresh Chattopadhyay—were felicitated alongside production assistant Bishu Das, and assistant production manager Kartik Mondal.Keeping that spirit of inclusivity alive, everyone in Tollywood came together on Sunday for the grand finale at Rabindra Sadan, titled ‘Ami Je Jalsaghare’.
