New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- In the birth centenary year of Bengal's ultimate matinee idol, the West Bengal government has made elaborate arrangements to celebrate the one and only Uttam Kumar. But as the city decks itself up in the Mahanayak's charisma, there is another side to the actor that many youngsters may not be aware of. For most Uttam fans, 'Nayak', 'Chowringhee', 'Antony Firingee', 'Jatugriha', 'Agnishwar', 'Sanyasi Raja' and of course, 'Saptapadi' remain legendary. Yet not many know that the Bengali matinee idol also acted in a Manmohan Desai film, 'Desh Premee', in 1982, alongside Amitabh Bachchan.
The film boasted an impressive cast, including Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore, Premnath, Shammi Kapoor, Amjad Khan, Parikshit Sahni and Parveen Babi. However, Mohammed Rafi, who sang the title track of the film and Uttam had both passed away before the film was released. Actor Sudhir Dalvi lent his voice to Uttam in the film. Unfortunately, like several other Manmohan Desai-Amitabh collaborations, 'Desh Premee' didn't work wonders at the box office. Last year, Big B shared a photograph on social media with Uttam Kumar and captioned it: "Ek mahaan kalakar ke saath. The great Uttam Kumar. Guru from Bengal... We worked together in DESH PREMEE... Together!"
It is said that when Bachchan met Uttam Kumar on the sets of the film, he touched his feet. Interestingly, Amitabh had started his career as an executive with a British managing agency in Kolkata before going on to become one of the biggest stars in Hindi cinema. Uttam, however, despite repeated attempts, could never replicate in Hindi films the kind of success and stardom he enjoyed in Bengal.
It is an irony that Agradoot's 'Agni Pariksha', one of the many Uttam-Suchitra blockbusters of 1954 in Bengali, didn't meet with the same success when Uttam produced its Hindi version. Adapted from Ashapurna Devi's novel of the same name, the story was first remade as a Telugu-Tamil bilingual in 1959. Uttam later decided to produce its Hindi version in 1967 as 'Chhoti Si Mulaqat'. Directed by Alo Sircar, the film featured Uttam and Vyjayanthimala as the romantic leads. But the film incurred huge losses for Uttam, leaving him almost bankrupt.
In fact, this remains a strange irony in Uttam Kumar's career. His blockbuster Bengali films, including 'Chhoddobeshi' ('Chupke Chupke'), 'Deya Neya' ('Anurodh'), 'Bhranti Bilas' ('Angoor'), 'Nishipadma' ('Amar Prem'), 'Uttarayan' ('Hum Dono') and 'Lal Pathor' ('Lal Patthar'), went on to become hits when remade in Hindi. Yet, when Uttam himself attempted to replicate that success with 'Chhoti Si Mulaqat', it backfired.
Many also believe that Uttam's Hindi-film sojourn could have been very different had he made his debut with Raj Kapoor's 'Sangam'. Raj Kapoor had offered Uttam the role that Rajendra Kumar eventually played. Uttam, however, at the height of his stardom, was unwilling to take what he perceived as the film's second lead. Uttam had earlier rejected an offer to play the lead in 'Jagte Raho'. The film, which starred Raj Kapoor, went on to become a major success overseas, riding on the Showman's overwhelming popularity. It was also produced in Bengali as 'Ek Din Raatre', with Raj Kapoor, Chhabi Biswas, Pahari Sanyal, Nargis Dutt and Daisy Irani in the cast. Hemanta Mukherjee, the iconic composer-singer and one of Uttam's closest friends, also wanted to cast him in Bees Saal Baad opposite Waheeda Rehman. It is said that Uttam declined because he felt the heroine had greater prominence in the story.
It was Shakti Samanta who eventually gave Uttam his much-needed success in Hindi cinema. With 'Amanush' (1975) and 'Anand Ashram' (1977), both starring Sharmila Tagore and made in Bengali and Hindi, Uttam finally found success in Bollywood. Yet even his admirers wouldn't necessarily consider these films to be representative of his best work.
Not many may know that Uttam also worked under the direction of Gulzar in 'Kitaab' in 1977. Based on Samaresh Basu's Bengali story Pathik, the film featured Vidya Sinha, Shreeram Lagoo and Asit Sen. In 1978, he went on to work in bilingual films such as 'Bandie' and 'Nishan'. Bhimsain, known as the Father of Indian Animation, directed Uttam in the 1979 Hindi film 'Dooriyan'. Sharmila was, once again, the obvious choice opposite the Bengali icon. 'Dooriyan', too, bombed at the box office.
Uttam is the darling of the masses in Bengal. He is the 'Mahanayak'. No actor in Bengal has been able to reach the stature he has achieved, even 46 years after his death. His status, acting charisma and range remain unmatched.
Critics believe that had Uttam tried his luck in Hindi cinema earlier in his career, he might have struck gold. There's no denying his immense talent, his sheer range as an actor and his extraordinary command over his craft. But by the time Uttam (41) ventured seriously into Hindi cinema, greats such as Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Rajendra Kumar and later, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra were already dominating the Hindi film landscape. And yet, none of that alters the larger truth. Uttam remains Bengal's king of hearts. And that truth remains untouched.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.