Kolkata, 07 August (H.S.): The West Bengal government has announced year-long celebrations to commemorate the birth centenary of legendary Bengali actor Uttam Kumar, with the aim of highlighting his cinematic legacy and immense contribution to Bengali culture for a new generation. To oversee the celebrations, the state has constituted a high-level advisory committee.
The committee, formed by the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, brings together senior government officials and prominent personalities from the Bengali film industry. Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari will serve as the Chief Patron, while veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty has been named Co-Patron.
Renowned filmmaker Sandip Ray has been appointed Chairman of the committee, with actor Prosenjit Chatterjee serving as Executive Chairman. Information and Cultural Affairs Secretary Soumitra Mohan will act as the Member Secretary.
Commenting on the initiative, BJP MLA and actor Rudranil Ghosh said Uttam Kumar was not only an iconic actor but also played a pivotal role in building the Bengali film industry. He said the state government and the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs aim to revive a healthy creative environment reminiscent of Bengali cinema's golden era through discussions and collaborative efforts. According to him, the centenary celebrations will provide a platform for meaningful exchanges on preserving Uttam Kumar's legacy.
Rudranil Ghosh also said another meeting on the preparations is scheduled to be held on Friday.
Earlier, Prosenjit Chatterjee had met the Chief Minister to discuss plans for the centenary celebrations and ways to transform the occasion into a broad-based cultural initiative.
The committee includes several leading figures from the Bengali film industry, including actors Dev, Jeet, Abir Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, Rituparna Sengupta, Rupa Ganguly, Rudranil Ghosh, and Gaurav Chatterjee. Filmmakers Srijit Mukherji, Kaushik Ganguly, and several other noted directors are also members, along with film personalities Shibashish Bandyopadhyay, Soumik Haldar, Jayanta Kundu, and Premendu Bikash Chaki.
Apart from organising commemorative events, the committee will prepare plans for exhibitions, memorial publications, preservation of archives and memorabilia, research initiatives, and a series of cultural programmes centred on Uttam Kumar's life and work. The state government also plans to involve educational institutions and cultural organisations across West Bengal in the year-long celebrations.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
