The Bengali film Oti Uttam was released in March this year. The film’s director, Srijit Mujherjee, reportedly worked for six long years in the film, which revolves around the late legendary actor Uttam Kumar. He is still considered an icon of Bengali cinema. Yesterday was Uttam Kumar’s 98th birth anniversary. On this special occasion, let us get to know more about the Bengali star. Uttam Kumar is known by the name of Mahanayak. He is still regarded as a heartthrob by a large number of people in Bengal. His career did not start off smoothly. In his initial days, he didn’t gain much prominence and was also ignored by many well-known directors of that time. Besides trying his hands in the field of acting, he also worked as a clerk to earn his living.
According to media reports, Uttam Kumar’s struggle in the film industry started in 1947 and continued till 1950. During that time, people called him a flop actor. His streak of failures concluded in the year 1952, with the release of the Bengali film Basu Poribar. The film was loved by the audience. Following the success of the film, the veteran actor delivered some back-to-back hits that earned him massive popularity. Some of his films are considered as treasures of the Bengali film industry.
Fans of Bengali films often say that the golden era of the industry ended with the death of the legendary actor. He also excelled in singing, composing songs, producing, and directing films, besides acting.
Talking about his early life, Uttam Kumar was born on September 3, 1926, in a modest family in present-day North Kolkata. From an early age, he developed a strong inclination towards acting. His interest was also supported by his parents.
According to early reports, he also tried his hands on the Hindi film industry with the film Maya Dore in 1947, but the film was never released. In a few years, he emerged as one of the most famous actors in the Bengali film industry. As a composer, he provided music for the film Kal Tumi Aleya. The songs were sung by Hemant Kumar and Asha Bhosle.
In 1967, he again tried his luck in the Bollywood film industry. He was seen in the film Chhoti Si Mulaqat, alongside Vyjayanthimala, Tarun Bose and Rajendranath Malhotra. It was produced by Uttam Kumar himself while the direction was done by Alo Sarkar.
Chhoti Si Mulaqat failed to leave its mark at the box office, leaving the legendary actor in huge debt. Soon after this, his health started to deteriorate. He suffered a heart attack for the first time during the shooting of Satyajit Ray’s Chiriyakhana. His health condition deteriorated further as he suffered two more heart attacks. On the night of July 23, 1980, he had another heart attack and was admitted to Kolkata’s Bellevue Clinic, where five cardiologists treated him. However, 16 hours later on July 24, 1980, the veteran actor passed away at the age of 53.
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