KOLKATA, July 27 -- Uttam Kumar's recently inaugurated statue at Keoratala crematorium has come under sharp criticism, with netizens, admirers, politicians and members of the Bengali film industry saying it bears little resemblance to the Mahanayak. West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari unveiled the statue at Keoratala crematorium on the actor's 47th death anniversary.

Images of the statue have gone viral on social media. Some netizens said it looked fit for a horror film, while others said that statues of legendary personalities should not be distorted in such a manner. "I think whenever we are planning a statue of a legend in Kolkata, a renowned sculptor should be consulted. Also, we have the Government College of Art and Craft here and there's a separate department of sculpture. They can be contacted too," said director Subrata Sen, who also shared the image on social media.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh also took to social media to criticise the newly-inaugurated statue of the 'Nayak' actor. The TMC MLA said the state government should immediately remove the statue and install a "proper one". "Is this supposed to be a statue of Uttam Kumar? Is this a joke? The state government installed it. Can you imagine what would have happened if Mamata Banerjee had unveiled this statue? But now, there's complete silence. Can't the BJP's actors and actresses see this? The state government should immediately remove this statue and install a proper one. Don't make a mockery of Uttam Kumar's legacy," he said.

National Award-winning director Kaushik Ganguly said such sculptures raise serious concerns about the artistes today. "I think the painters would do a better job than these artistes. Even the sculpture of Uttam Kumar at Tollygunge is not proper," he said. Other Tollywood personalities, including Satarupa Sanyal, Phalguni Chatterjee, Debapratim Dasgupta and Atanu Ghosh, also expressed concern over the statue. Director Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay refused to comment on the matter.

The July 24 ceremony at Keoratala crematorium was attended by BJP leaders and actors Roopa Ganguly, Papiya Adhikari and Rudranil Ghosh. Actor Rituparna Sengupta, Uttam Kumar's daughter-in-law Mahua Chattopadhyay and granddaughter Nabamita Chattopadhyay were also present. Millennium Post tried contacting Ganguly, Ghosh and Adhikari, but they were unavailable for comment.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.