Kolkata, Sept. 1 -- On the birth centenary of Bengali cinema's Mahanayak Uttam Kumar, the West Bengal government is organising a four-day programme to commemorate the legendary actor and introduce his legacy to younger generations.
MoS for Information and Cultural Affairs Purnima Chakraborty announced the celebrations at a press conference at Nandan on Tuesday. Titled 'Satabarshe Mahanayak: A Century of Stardom', the programme will begin on September 3 with the garlanding of Uttam Kumar's statues at Tollygunge and Ahiritola. A 20-foot cut-out of the actor will also be unveiled at Bijoli, the iconic cinema hall.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will pay tribute to the actor and participate in a 'padayatra' with artistes from the Academy of Fine Arts. He will also attend a programme at Ektara Mancha. An exhibition showcasing Uttam Kumar's life and work will be held at Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarshashala.
IAS officer Saumitra Mohan, who is also secretary to Bengal Governor R N Ravi, said a major highlight would be the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Uttam Kumar Film Centre at New Town.
A film festival will also be organised at Nandan and Radha Studio, with Satyajit Ray's 'Nayak' as the inaugural film.
A programme at Rabindra Sadan will feature the felicitation of several Tollywood stalwarts. BJP senior leaders Sukanta Majumdar and Samik Bhattacharya will also attend the inauguration of a commemorative stamp and envelope dedicated to Uttam Kumar.
On September 5, discussions on Uttam Kumar will be held at Sisir Mancha, actor Prosenjit Chatterjee said. A musical programme featuring popular songs from the actor's films will also be organised.
The press conference was attended by actors Jeet, Jisshu Sengupta, Rudranil Ghosh and Roopa Ganguly, among others, along with Uttam Kumar's daughter-in-law Mahua Chattopadhyay and BJP MLAs. Later, Tollywood celebrities and BJP leaders inaugurated LED vans to promote the celebrations across the city.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.