Bengali Matinee Idol Abir Chatterjee shares his thoughts on Uttam Kumar with Subhash K Jha.
What does Uttam Kumar mean to you?
I consider him the “Guru” . Forty-five years has passed. But his popularity has grown. I don’t know this has happened to anyone else in this world. His charisma, his charm, his skills, will remain untouchable. We Bengalis, specially film lovers will continue to show our deepest love and admiration for him.
Did you grow up admiring him?
Now if I talk about his acting or superstardom, there was/is/will be no one like him.
What makes him who he is?
No point analysing this enigma. We better immerse ourselves in this saga of love and adulation. Being an actor myself, I have slowly understood how avant-garde and contemporary he was. Much ahead of his time. His hard work and his love and faith for the craft is something people should learn and practice.He is magic. He is part of our culture, our system. He is the ultimate cinematic emotion I have.
When did you first see Uttam Kumar on screen?
I don’t remember actually. It was a norm, kind of a family ritual for us to watch his films on television while I was young. Unfortunately I couldn’t meet him. He died four months before I was born.
