India, Sept. 3 -- A century after his birth, Uttam Kumar remains difficult to place in a single frame.

He was the romantic hero whose smile could turn an ordinary scene into a cinematic moment.

He was also the troubled star of Satyajit Ray's Nayak, the murderer of Sesh Anka, the frighteningly dark Bhabesh Banerjee of Bagh Bondi Khela, the eccentric performers of comedies and the deeply human figures who populated some of Bengali cinema's finest dramas.

That ability to change without losing his hold over the audience was perhaps the defining quality of Uttam Kumar.

Born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay on September 3, 1926, in Calcutta, he came from an ordinary middle-class family.

On Thursday, September 3, 2026, Bengal marked his birth cente...