On Uttam Kumar’s birth centenary, West Bengal CM vows to keep politics out of Tollywood

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said the government will leave politics out of the Bengali film industry while launching the birth centenary celebrations of late actor Uttam Kumar. “I assure you that the State government will not interfere in anything.

There will be no politics. I want everything to be transparent. There is talent and I want that talent to receive proper nourishment,” Mr. Adhikari said while addressing one of the largest gatherings to celebrate the event at Tollygunge, home to the Bengali film industry.

At the event, organised next to one of the tallest statues of Uttam Kumar in the city, the CM said the Bengali film industry in its heyday was one of the best in the country. He added that renovation would be undertaken at institutions named after the actor as part of the celebrations.

Actor-turned-Trinamool Congress MP Dev (Deepak Adhikari); actors Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, and Jeet; and director Haranath Chakraborty were among the top artistes present at the event. During the tenure of the previous Trinamool Congress government, several artistes and the party were accused of “politicising” the Bengali film industry.

The government is holding a four-day celebration to commemorate the life and works of the actor popularly known as the ‘Mahanayak’ of Bengali cinema. Uttam Kumar was born on September 3, 1926 in north Kolkata and died aged 53 on July 24, 1980.

Kolkata was decked up on Thursday, with roads from the actor’s home to Tollygunge filled with murals, cut-outs, and cultural events to honour his contributions to the industry. Some old single-screen cinema halls were also decked up as part of the celebrations.

A stretch of the walls outside the Tollygunge metro station, also known as the Mahanayak Uttam Kumar station, was painted with graffiti highlighting the famous films and dialogues of the actor. Mr. Adhikari also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had paid tribute to the actor in a social media post.

“Mahanayak Uttam Kumar... a legend whose timeless performances connect with people across generations. Tributes on his birth centenary,” Mr. Modi wrote on social media. The Prime Minister had spoken about the late actor in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme on August 30.

Mr. Adhikari will lay the foundation stone for the Uttam Kumar Film Centre in New Town on Friday. India Post will also launch a special postage stamp commemorating the actor. The Uttam Kumar Film Festival will also kick-start at Nandan, with Nayak, Satyajit Ray’s celebrated 1966 movie starring Uttam Kumar.