Uttam Ekai 100: Celebrating the centenary of ‘Mahanayak’

Undoubtedly, the heartthrob of many a million young adults in the 1950s through 1970s, Uttam Kumar, reigns supreme till the day in Bengali nostalgia. During a career spanning about three decades, he occupied the Bengali imagination like no other in popular culture. A single smile of his, a simple gesture, a quick glance would make you miss a heartbeat. Uttam Kumar acted in over 200 Bengali films in varied roles, besides some memorable Bollywood films in Hindi. He was the first recipient of the National Film Award for ‘Best Actor’.

To celebrate the centenary of the iconic artist, popularly known as Mahanayak, the Bengal Association has organised a two-day film festival on September 6 and September 7, 2025, at Muktadhara Auditorium, Bhai Vir Singh Marg near Gole Market, New Delhi. In all, six films starring Uttam Kumar in stellar roles will be screened for the eager audience. Kumar starred in two of Satyajit Ray’s films, out of which ‘Nayak’ will be screened. Sharmila Tagore, who played an equally significant character in ‘Nayak' and many other films alongside Uttam Kumar, will be the Chief Guest at the inauguration of the festival.

“The idea of screening Uttam Kumar films is to bring back the spirit of the bygone era when people thronged the single-screen theatres to experience the charm of their favourite actor and actress. These were not big-budget films, yet they left an indelible mark on our collective psyche,” said Rahul Mukherjee, Chief Curator of the festival. Sauranshu Sinha, General Secretary of Bengal Association, added that getting newly released films from the producers has become increasingly difficult and more expensive.

The festival, aptly named ‘Uttam Ekai 100’, is expected to run a full house as hundreds of film lovers have evinced keen interest. There will be a food festival alongside the premises to cater to the taste buds.