India, Sept. 4 -- The word superstar has a Western origin, dating back to its use for cinema icons in the 1950s and 60s. In India, the term was first used in the mainstream media for Rajesh Khanna in the early 70s, during his manic five-year reign. But before that, a variant of the term had already been used for a screen legend, albeit only in part of the country. This is the story of the country's original superstar, or as the fans called him, Mahanayak.

Uttam Kumar, arguably the biggest and most loved actor ever to emerge from Bengali cinema, was born a hundred years ago this week. On September 3, the man revered as the Mahanayak (Great actor) celebrated his birth centenary. Born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay in Calcutta, Uttam Kumar's film...