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CM gives Mahanayak Samman to Tollywood’s finest

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee handed over the Mahanayak Samman to Aparna Sen and Paran Bandyopadhyay in a programme at Nazrul Mancha on Tuesday, organised by the state government to commemorate the 38th death anniversary of matinee idol Uttam Kumar.

Besides handing over the Mahanayak Samman, the Chief Minister also gave the Barsha Shera Chalacchitra Samman awards in different categories. Noor Islam and Samiul Alam received the Barsha Shera Chalacchitra Samman (Child artist) for their performances in the movie Sahaj Paather Gappo.

The best producer award went to Shree Venkatesh Films and the award was received by Shrikant Mohta. Kaushik Ganguly got the best scriptwriter award for his film Bisarjan while Abir Chatterjee received the best actor award for his performance in the same movie. Mimi Chakraborty received the best actress award for her role in the film Dhananjay.

While addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister recollected her memories about Uttam Kumar. She said: “Uttam Kumar is a legend. I remember the day when he died. I and my mother were standing near our house when some youths came and told us that Uttam Kumar was no more. It was a day of mourning. We cannot think about cinema without Uttam Kumar.”

While speaking about Tollywood, the Chief Minister spoke about the infrastructural development that her government has ensured for the industry. She further said that the state is much ahead of many others in terms of talent, if not in terms of financial condition.

In the mesmerising event, legendary singers sung songs from Uttam Kumar’s movies. Singers including Haimanti Shukla, Antara Chowdhury and Jojo performed on Tuesday. Indranil Sen, minister of state for the Information and Cultural Affairs department and Vivek Kumar, Principal Secretary of the department, also sang songs from movies of Uttam Kumar.

Aparna Sen, who received the Mahanayak Samman, said: “I was too small when I worked with Uttam Kumar. But I have one regret that I have failed to direct a film with him as the lead actor.” Veteran actor Paran Bandyopadhyay, who also received the award, said: “Uttam Kumar is still alive among all of us.”

The matinee idol had acted in 187 films, including Nayak and Chiriakhana, which were directed by the legendary Satyajit Ray. Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, the best romantic pair of Bengali cinema, were featured in films including Agnipariksha, Saptapadi and Har Mana Har. Besides Suchitra Sen, he had also acted opposite Supriya Devi, Sabitri Chatterjee, Anjana Bhowmick, Tanuja and Aparna Sen. He was equally brilliant in character role and seriocomic.