Start Centenary Particular – Uttam Kumar’s Hindi movie business tryst: Hits, misses & what-ifs
Within the beginning centenary 12 months of Bengal’s final matinee idol, the West Bengal authorities has made elaborate preparations to rejoice the one and solely Uttam Kumar. However as the town decks itself up within the Mahanayak’s charisma, there may be one other aspect to the actor that many kids is probably not conscious of. For many Uttam followers, ‘Nayak’, ‘Chowringhee’, ‘Antony Firingee’, ‘Jatugriha’, ‘Agnishwar’, ‘Sanyasi Raja’ and naturally, ‘Saptapadi’ stay legendary. But not many know that the Bengali matinee idol additionally acted in a Manmohan Desai movie, ‘Desh Premee’, in 1982, alongside Amitabh Bachchan.
The movie boasted a powerful solid, together with Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore, Premnath, Shammi Kapoor, Amjad Khan, Parikshit Sahni and Parveen Babi. Nonetheless, Mohammed Rafi, who sang the title monitor of the movie and Uttam had each handed away earlier than the movie was launched. Actor Sudhir Dalvi lent his voice to Uttam within the movie. Sadly, like a number of different Manmohan Desai-Amitabh collaborations, ‘Desh Premee’ didn’t work wonders on the field workplace. Final 12 months, Large B shared {a photograph} on social media with Uttam Kumar and captioned it: “Ek mahaan kalakar ke saath… The nice Uttam Kumar… Guru from Bengal… We labored collectively in DESH PREMEE… Collectively!”
It’s mentioned that when Bachchan met Uttam Kumar on the units of the movie, he touched his toes. Curiously, Amitabh had began his profession as an government with a British managing company in Kolkata earlier than happening to develop into one of many greatest stars in Hindi cinema. Uttam, nonetheless, regardless of repeated makes an attempt, may by no means replicate in Hindi movies the form of success and stardom he loved in Bengal.
It’s an irony that Agradoot’s ‘Agni Pariksha’, one of many many Uttam-Suchitra blockbusters of 1954 in Bengali, didn’t meet with the identical success when Uttam produced its Hindi model. Tailored from Ashapurna Devi’s novel of the identical title, the story was first remade as a Telugu-Tamil bilingual in 1959. Uttam later determined to provide its Hindi model in 1967 as ‘Chhoti Si Mulaqat’. Directed by Alo Sircar, the movie featured Uttam and Vyjayanthimala because the romantic leads. However the movie incurred big losses for Uttam, leaving him nearly bankrupt.
In actual fact, this stays a wierd irony in Uttam Kumar’s profession. His blockbuster Bengali movies, together with ‘Chhoddobeshi’ (‘Chupke Chupke’), ‘Deya Neya’ (‘Anurodh’), ‘Bhranti Bilas’ (‘Angoor’), ‘Nishipadma’ (‘Amar Prem’), ‘Uttarayan’ (‘Hum Dono’) and ‘Lal Pathor’ (‘Lal Patthar’), went on to develop into hits when remade in Hindi. But, when Uttam himself tried to copy that success with ‘Chhoti Si Mulaqat’, it backfired.
Many additionally consider that Uttam’s Hindi-film sojourn may have been very totally different had he made his debut with Raj Kapoor’s ‘Sangam’. Raj Kapoor had supplied Uttam the function that Rajendra Kumar finally performed. Uttam, nonetheless, on the top of his stardom, was unwilling to take what he perceived because the movie’s second lead. Uttam had earlier rejected a proposal to play the lead in ‘Jagte Raho’. The movie, which starred Raj Kapoor, went on to develop into a significant success abroad, driving on the Showman’s overwhelming reputation. It was additionally produced in Bengali as ‘Ek Din Raatre’, with Raj Kapoor, Chhabi Biswas, Pahari Sanyal, Nargis Dutt and Daisy Irani within the solid. Hemanta Mukherjee, the enduring composer-singer and one among Uttam’s closest associates, additionally needed to solid him in Bees Saal Baad reverse Waheeda Rehman. It’s mentioned that Uttam declined as a result of he felt the heroine had better prominence within the story.
It was Shakti Samanta who finally gave Uttam his much-needed success in Hindi cinema. With ‘Amanush’ (1975) and ‘Anand Ashram’ (1977), each starring Sharmila Tagore and made in Bengali and Hindi, Uttam lastly discovered success in Bollywood. But even his admirers wouldn’t essentially think about these movies to be consultant of his greatest work.
Not many might know that Uttam additionally labored beneath the route of Gulzar in ‘Kitaab’ in 1977. Primarily based on Samaresh Basu’s Bengali story Pathik, the movie featured Vidya Sinha, Shreeram Lagoo and Asit Sen. In 1978, he went on to work in bilingual movies equivalent to ‘Bandie’ and ‘Nishan’. Bhimsain, often known as the Father of Indian Animation, directed Uttam within the 1979 Hindi movie ‘Dooriyan’. Sharmila was, as soon as once more, the apparent alternative reverse the Bengali icon. ‘Dooriyan’, too, bombed on the field workplace.
Uttam is the darling of the lots in Bengal. He’s the ‘Mahanayak’. No actor in Bengal has been capable of attain the stature he has achieved, even 46 years after his dying. His standing, appearing charisma and vary stay unmatched.
Critics consider that had Uttam tried his luck in Hindi cinema earlier in his profession, he may need struck gold. There’s no denying his immense expertise, his sheer vary as an actor and his extraordinary command over his craft. However by the point Uttam (41) ventured significantly into Hindi cinema, greats equivalent to Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Rajendra Kumar and later, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra have been already dominating the Hindi movie panorama. And but, none of that alters the bigger reality. Uttam stays Bengal’s king of hearts. And that reality stays untouched.
