KOLKATA, July 24 -- Even 45 years after his demise, Uttam Kumar, the 'Mahanayak' of Bengali cinema remains immortal in the minds of the Bengalis. From TRP charts to living room conversations, Uttam Kumar's magic hasn't faded one bit. His films still find new fans and his charm continues to melt hearts.

On the occasion of his 45th death anniversary, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tribute to the iconic star at an event held at Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium on Thursday. "Even after all these years, Uttam Kumar is still our matinee idol," she said.

"I had the honour of meeting Suchitra Sen and Supriya Devi, two actresses who worked with him, but I never got the chance to meet Uttam Kumar himself and I consider that a great personal loss.

I grew up watching his films with my mother and listening to the songs from his movies. He remains an inseparable part of Bengali culture and our emotional universe," she said.

As in previous years, the state government honoured several film personalities with the Mahanayak Samman, a tribute to Uttam Kumar's enduring legacy. Among those felicitated this year were veteran filmmaker Goutam Ghose, actress Gargi Roy Chowdhury, singers Iman Chakraborty and Rupankar Bagchi, makeup artist Somnath Kundu and production designer Anindya Addhya. This award tradition began in 2013, and till date 25 actors and actresses have been honoured under this initiative.

During her speech, Banerjee also raised concerns about the current state of Bengali TV serials. "Some of the subjects being shown aren't suitable for children. And why are so many serials using Hindi songs now?" she asked.

"I respect every language, but Bengali is our mother tongue. We should love and celebrate it with all our heart," she said. She also reiterated her call for a new language movement in Bengal, accusing the BJP of what she termed "linguistic terrorism," and vowed to continue standing up for Bengali language and identity.

Meanwhile, across the city at Uttam Mancha, another event titled 'Uttam Smaran Sandhya' was held, where veteran actress Shakuntala Barua received the Jibonkriti Samman (Lifetime Achievement Award). Senior film technicians Biswajit Banerjee and Anup Kumar Biswas were also given financial and medical assistance as part of the event's outreach efforts.

Nandan also hosted an eight-day Uttam Kumar Film Festival, organised by Shilpi Sansad. The festival was inaugurated by actress Rituparna Sengupta and kicked off with the screening of the classic 'Saptapadi' starring the iconic duo of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.