Ahead of the centenary birth anniversary of Bengali cinema’s legendary ‘Mahanayak’ Uttam Kumar on September 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to him during the 137th episode of his radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’. The Prime Minister noted that although Uttam Kumar began his acting career in 1948 with Drishtidan, several of his initial films failed at the box office. However, Basu Paribar (1952) and Sharey Chuattar (1953) turned out to be major milestones in his career.

PM Modi highlighted that acclaimed director Satyajit Ray had written the script for the iconic film Nayak specifically keeping Uttam Kumar in mind. Quoting Ray, the Prime Minister shared that Uttam Kumar possessed extraordinary emotional depth, elegance, and dedication to bringing any character to life. Known for classic hit pairs with Suchitra Sen and winning the National Film Award for Best Actor in 1967 for Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana, Uttam Kumar remains a timeless icon despite passing away in 1980.