{"id":11022,"date":"2026-09-06T08:15:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T02:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=11022"},"modified":"2026-09-06T08:15:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T02:45:28","slug":"mahanayak-uttam-kumar-in-posters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/mahanayak-uttam-kumar-in-posters\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahanayak Comes to Life in Posters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Uttam Kumar. Nayak. Mahanayak. Guru.<\/p>\n

Actor. Star. Industry. Legend. Icon.<\/p>\n

The phenomenon that was Uttam Kumar lives on. Not in big fat tomes sitting on the shelves but in the heart of every viewer who has watched\u00a0Antony Firingee, Deya Neya, Nayak, Lal Pathore, Agni Sakshi, Khoka Babur Pratyabartan, Jhinder Bondi, Agniswar, Aami Se O Sakha, Dhanyi Meye.<\/em>.. Not just the old and very old but young entrants to the world of moving images too have unwittingly succumbed and unhesitatingly surrendered to the charisma of the actor who turned 100 on September 3.<\/p>\n

The proof of the pudding? The multiple \u2013 and cross-country exhibitions of posters of films that featured Uttam Kumar. The repeated Facebook posts and displays of archival clicks. The array of magazines that have featured him on the cover. The wordage being published daily, for weeks \u2013 nay, months \u2013 now, in English, Bengali and Hindi. The retrospectives and homages that are being planned by international film festivals across India…<\/p>\n

\u201cNever say die is the lesson I have learnt from his life,\u201d Prime Minister Modi said the other day, in a poignant homage to the thespian. \u201cAlways focused on his work, Uttam Kumar combined dignity with emotional depth,\u201d the PM continued, admiring the actor \u201cknown for his philanthropy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jadu

Jadu Bangsha<\/em> Poster (Pic: Bobby Kohli Collections)<\/p><\/div>\n

__________<\/p>\n

Yes, Uttam Kumar was adored in a way few megastars have been. When he went to a wedding, even the priest stopped his chants mid-sentence to admire him. When he was invited to a dinner at a friend’s house, hundreds tried to gatecrash. And when he died, the surge of wailing humans brought to a standstill buses, cars, trams, taxis, rickshaws, and pheriwalas on the streets of Kolkata. The mass hysteria led poet Achintya Kumar Sengupta to write a poem that still preserves the massive grief \u2013 and the deep cultural impact \u2013 left by the unmatched personality who gave Bengali cinema its golden age.<\/p>\n

\"Uttam

Uttam Kumar’s famous smile (Pic: SMM Ausaja Archives)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI remember that day like yesterday although I was not even 11 years old then,\u201d recounts Prateek Majumdar, a passionate cinephile and the author of\u00a01975: The Year That Transformed Bollywood.<\/em>\u00a0\u201cIt was raining and my father was telling my grandmother that\u00a0he\u00a0<\/em>had passed away. A gloom descended in our house which I am sure was similar to most Bengali households of that time. Because Uttam Kumar felt like one of us\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

So, what lay at the root of the Uttam hysteria? The innate magic of the man born to Chapala Devi and Satkari Chatterjee and was given the name Arun Kumar Chatterjee. The actor who started life as a clerk with the Port Trust of India, and acted in office plays. The hero who was a ‘flop master’ in his initial films but grew and grew and grew to become THE Uttam Kumar \u2013 One and Only.<\/p>\n

The journey of the legend can be traced through the 211 films that hit the screen, beginning with\u00a0Drishtidan<\/em>\u00a0in 1948 till\u00a0Ogo Bodhu Sundari,<\/em>\u00a0released after his heart stopped beating one July morning in 1980, leaving many dreams incomplete. The films were directed by the biggest names of Bengal \u2013 of India, of the world, really \u2013 ranging from Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, to Nitin Bose, Sushil Majumdar, Tarun Majumdar, Ajoy Kar, to Gulzar and Shakti Samanta.<\/p>\n

These films cast him against the top actresses of 1940s, Sandhya Rani and Sumitra Devi; of 1950s, Suchitra Sen, Sabitri Chatterjee, Supriya Devi; of 1960s, Madhabi Mukherjee, Tanuja, Sandhya Roy, Vyjayantimala; to the superstars of 1970s, Aparna Sen, Sharmila Tagore, Moushumi Chatterjee, and Jaya Bhaduri. In these films he shared the screen with illustrious actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Chhabi Biswas, Pahari Sanyal, Biswajit, Anil Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Basanta Chowdhury, Bikash Roy, Kamal Mitra and others.\u00a0 The songs he lip-synced to in these films, whether by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Shyamal Mitra, or Manna Dey, continue to be on our lips\u2026<\/p>\n

Of all these iconic names, the three topmost are Suchitra Sen, Hemanta Mukherjee, and Satyajit Ray. The man who put India on the map of world cinema scripted Nayak<\/em> with only Uttam Kumar in mind \u2013 causing heartbreak for his \u2018Apu\u2019, it is well known. Hemanta was the voice of the Nayak until some misunderstanding came in the way of their fabled friendship. And his pairing with Suchitra Sen? Incomparable.<\/p>\n

__________<\/p>\n

\"Chandranath

Suchitra-Uttam in Chandranath<\/em>\u00a0(Pic: Internet)<\/p><\/div>\n

The undisputed Mahanayak had found his perfect foil in Mrs Sen. The two halves of the phenomenon, Uttam-Suchitra, shared unmatched popularity \u2013 and a rare camaraderie. If she was too graceful, he was disarmingly comfortable to work with.\u00a0When the duo loved, all of undivided Bengal fell in love. When they teamed as man and wife, every Bengali household redefined its wedded dream. Their\u00a0Pathey Holo Deri<\/em>\u00a0brought Eastmancolour into Tollywood. Their\u00a0Chandranath<\/em>\u00a0netted Rs 230,138 within a week of its release in 1957. Their 30-film partnership had started with\u00a0Saare Chuattar<\/em>, posted landmarks like\u00a0Harano Sur, Agni Pariksha, Shapmochan, Sagarika, Saptapadi,<\/em>\u00a0and came to a halt in 1975 with\u00a0Priyo Bandhabi<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The magnetism of the screen pair is palpable<\/p><\/div>\n

The chemistry between the two\u00a0was claimed perhaps only by Nargis with Raj Kapoor or Elizabeth Taylor with Richard Burton. But unlike the others, Uttam-Suchitra had no need to get \u2018physical\u2019. Both were married when they came to the silver screen. But, confident and liberated, Mrs Sen was seldom a passive object of affection. She, of all his heroines, matched his allure, role for role. And their celebrity status kept growing, film by film. Their teaming together was\u00a0never taken lightly. For, it promised the fawning millions a script with a substantial space for the lady too.\u00a0The impact was such that when posters of new releases announced them in the cast, newlyweds would put off their honeymoons to watch the new release!<\/p>\n

The magnetism of the screen pair is palpable even half a century after he travelled into eternity. The secret? Bengali society of the 50s and 60s identified completely with the star pair who could be Mr & Mrs Ghosh-Bose-Mitra. She was the eternal Radha to his contemporary Krishna. If he was a sophisticated Babu, she made nylon saris and blue sunglasses a rage. If he was a self-respecting Mahim, she could be a self-sacrificing Rina Brown. Perhaps that\u2019s why\u00a0Suchitra Sen\u00a0disappeared from the public eye after Uttam Kumar\u2019s death. On July 25, 1980, she had placed a garland around the charismatic \u2018Guru,\u2019 draped a pallu over her head and receded into the shadows.<\/p>\n

__________<\/p>\n

\"Uttam

Uttam Kumar and Tanuja in Antony Firingee<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

How did Uttam Kumar fare against other leading ladies?\u00a0Popular Bengali film magazines like\u00a0Ultorath<\/em>\u00a0devoted pages to scan the pros and cons of the new pairing \u2013 often dismissively. But look at the numbers:\u00a0He was cast in exactly the same number of films \u2013 30 \u2013 against Supriya Devi, who played his sister in\u00a0Basu<\/em>\u00a0Paribar<\/em>\u00a0but went on to be his partner; and against Sabitri Chatterjee who, it is rumoured, never married because Guru was unavailable! But perhaps his most appealing casting (after Mrs Sen) was with Tanuja \u2013 in the two biggest musicals of all times,\u00a0Deya Neya<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Antony<\/em>\u00a0Firingee<\/em>. Their Rajkumari<\/em> is another musical remembered till today. With Sharmila Tagore, apart from the classic\u00a0Nayak<\/em>, he shared a charming camaraderie in\u00a0Amanush<\/em> and\u00a0Anand<\/em>\u00a0Ashram<\/em>, seen in both Hindi and Bengali. His pairing with Aparna Sen was sustained through the 1970s, with\u00a0Aparichito, Kalankita Nayak, Mem Saheb, Kayahiner Kahini, Jadu Bangsha…<\/em><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, one cannot forget Arundhati Devi \u2013 together they made\u00a0Jatugriha<\/em>, Jhinder Bondi<\/em> and\u00a0Bicharak<\/em>, and\u00a0Shiulibari<\/em>\u00a0titles to remember. Nor Sandhya Roy, his unforgettable leading lady in\u00a0Bhranti Bilas, Dhanraj Tamang<\/em>. Nor his seven-film pairing with Mala Sinha, <\/em>then a star in Bombay (Prithibi Amare Chai, Putrabadhu)<\/em>; or Madhabi Mukherjee\u00a0(Sankhabela, Chhadmabeshi, Biraj Bou)<\/em>, Anjana Bhowmik\u00a0(Nayika Sangbad, Kokhono Megh, Chowringhee),<\/em>\u00a0Arati Bhattacharjee (Stree<\/em>), Kaberi Basu\u00a0(Ami Se O Sakha)<\/em>, Mithu Mukherjee (Mouchak<\/em>), Jaya Bhaduri (Dhanyi Meye),<\/em>\u00a0Moushumi Chatterjee\u00a0(Ogo Bodhu Sundari)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But perhaps ranking above them all is Sumitra Devi, the spellbinding Chhoto Bou of his Bhutnath, in\u00a0Saheb Bibi Golam<\/em>!<\/p>\n

__________<\/p>\n

Prateek started watching these films in his late teens \u201cand got hooked on them.\u201d Being an avid Uttam lover, he started collecting any printed matter on the idol. \u201cIn those days, much, much before the Internet and Google, I could get information only from the film magazines,\u201d he shares, taking us to the story of his 22-year collection of Anandalok, Prasad, Ultorath, Robbar, Poribartan, Saptahik Bartaman, Gharoa, Sunday, Star & Style, Filmfare\u00a0<\/em>among others. They only had to feature the icon on the cover or even an item inside. His passion didn’t stop with magazines. Books and booklets too are among the memorabilia he has hoarded.<\/p>\n

\"Uttam

A rare photo of Uttam Kumar and Asha Parekh from the unreleased film Jhankar<\/em> (Pic: SMM Ausaja Archives)<\/p><\/div>\n

SMM Ausaja, a passionate archivist of film memorabilia, and author of\u00a0The Bachchans: A Saga of Excellence,<\/em>\u00a0had started in Kanpur by collecting Amitabh Bachchan postcards. He is eloquent on the artistry behind film posters and the importance of preserving the legacy of this \u201clost art of hand-designed posters.\u201d His collaborations with Bengali cinema\u2019s legends \u2013 notably, Ray and Mrs Sen – highlight his dedication to this cause. \u201cCinema is a mighty element of Culture\u2026 And honouring it by preserving our cultural heritage is the collective responsibility of society,\u201d he underscored, speaking at The Lens and Legacy exhibition hosted by NGMA Mumbai in April.<\/p>\n

Last month, in an exhibition titled \u2018Swaraj\u2019, Neville Tuli\u2019s Research Centre for India Studies mounted film posters along with vintage photographs and political cartoons, archival newspapers and forgotten objects to offer an understanding of how India came to be. \u201cThese allow you to enter history in a completely different way,\u201d he says in a national daily. Because \u201can image can reveal relationships, emotions, symbols and contradictions that several pages of texts might fail to communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n

These exhibitions highlight another reality: Though India continues to produce the maximum number of films in the world, preserving cinema heritage \u2013 memorabilia in particular \u2013 largely depends on individual efforts. While a small country like Switzerland has a museum devoted to an \u2018exile\u2019 Charlie Chaplin, we have not wasted a thought in similarly honouring Ashok Kumar, our first superstar who steered Bombay Talkies into becoming today\u2019s Bollywood!<\/p>\n

__________<\/p>\n

\"Ami

Ami je jalsaghare<\/em> in art<\/p><\/div>\n

Posters of many Uttam Kumar movies craft the visual of\u00a0Aami Je Jalsaghare<\/em>, a musical tribute to \u201cParar Dadu\u201d of Suveendu Banerjee. The harmonium soloist brings lyrical depth to his playing of the\u00a0peti\u00a0<\/em>that has a unique place in Hindustani music soirees. But, more than the musical reference to the immortal\u00a0Antony Firingee<\/em>, this Gaya gharana player wanted to offer his homage to the Centurion with whom he shares a timeless bond. \u201cI am a resident of Bhowanipore \u2013 the neighbourhood where Uttam Kumar lived close to his cousins, my grandfather and father,\u201d the graded AIR artiste shares. \u201cSo, I wanted to offer my best homage \u2013 my music. And what could be better than this immortal number?\u201d<\/p>\n