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

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on the occasion of his birth centenary celebrations to actor Uttam Kumar in Kolkata on Thursday. | Photo credit: ANI

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said the government will keep politics out of the Bengali film industry and start 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 it to get proper nourishment,” Mr. Adhikari said while addressing one of the biggest gatherings to celebrate the event in Tollygunge, the home of the Bengali film industry.

At the event, organized next to one of the tallest statues of Uttam Kumar in the city, the CM said that the Bengali film industry in its heyday was one of the best in the country. He added that as part of the celebrations, reconstruction will be carried out in institutions named after the actor.

Actor turned Trinamool Congress MP Dev (Deepak Adhikari); actors Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta and Jeet; and director Haranath Chakraborty were among the top performers present at the event.

During the tenure of the previous Trinamool Congress government, several artistes and the party were accused of “politicizing” the Bengali film industry.

The government is organizing a four-day celebration to commemorate the life and works of the actor known as the ‘Mahanayak’ of Bengali cinema. Uttam Kumar was born on September 3, 1926 in North Calcutta and died at the age of 53 on July 24, 1980.

Kolkata was decorated on Thursday, with the roads from the actor’s home to Tollygunge lined with murals, cutouts and cultural events to honor his contribution to the industry.

As part of the celebrations, some old single-screen cinemas were also decorated. A stretch of walls outside the Tollygunge metro station, also known as the Mahanayak Uttam Kumar station, has been painted with graffiti highlighting the actor’s famous films and dialogues.

Mr. Adhikari also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the actor in a post on social media. “Mahanayak Uttam Kumar… a legend whose timeless performances connect with people across generations. Tribute to his birth centenary,” Mr Modi wrote on social media.

The Prime Minister spoke about the late actor on his radio show ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on 30 August.

Film center, stamp

Mr. Adhikari will lay the foundation stone for the Uttam Kumar Film Center in New Town on Friday. India Post will also launch a special postage stamp commemorating the actor. Uttam Kumar Film Festival Nayak, Satyajit Ray’s famous 1966 film starring Uttam Kumar, will also be launched at Nandan.

Published – 04 Sep 2026 01:27 IST