Kolkata: Setting aside differences, the cinematic universe of Bengal united on Thursday morning at Tollygunge to honour the birth centenary of the Mahanayak, as several prominent figures, who were earlier associated with the Trinamool, shared the stage and celebrations. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said his administration was correcting a convention, established by the previous govt by shifting celebrations to the actor’s birth anniversary while observing his death anniversary solely for respectful ‘shhradhanjali’.Urging Tollywood to reclaim its past glory, the CM called upon the film industry to rise again, backed by Mithun Chakraborty’s proposal for a 30% tax-adjusted subsidy for anyone shooting in Bengal.Amid throngs of admirers gathered at Tollygunge in the morning, Adhikari joined personalities, including Ranjit Mallick, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Jeet, Dev, Rituparna Sengupta, Goutam Ghose, Purnima Chakraborty, Rudranil Ghosh, Papiya Adhikary, Sarbari Mukherjee, Haranath Chakraborty, Ratna Ghoshal, Saumitra Mohan and Smita Pandey, to lay floral wreaths at Uttam Kumar’s statue, starting off a year-long tribute.Earlier, Adhikari took to social media and hailed Uttam Kumar as a “towering cultural icon” whose “peerless acting prowess” and “effortless screen presence” redefined cinema. He said PM Narendra Modi had dedicated five minutes to Uttam Kumar on his Aug 30 Mann Ki Baat. “Before I posted on social media, he posted about the Mahanayak on his personal account. The entire country is proud and happy,” he said. On Thursday, Modi posted on X: “Mahanayak Uttam Kumar…a legend whose timeless performances connect with people across generations. Tributes on his birth centenary….”“We were leaders in this platform. There is no denying that we have not been able to progress as much, while the South and Mumbai film industries have advanced. I want our film industry to reclaim its former glory. Our govt will not engage in politics, micromanagement or bossism, we will only cooperate,” the CM said.Highlighting how the film fraternity rallied to celebrate the centenary, with stars like Prosenjit, Mithun, Dev, Jeet, and Sandip Ray driving the plans, Adhikari announced state-backed infrastructure projects, like modernising Uttam Mancha, establishing Uttam Kumar Film Centre and issuing a commemorative coin bearing Uttam Kumar’s image and a postage stamp to mark his birth centenary.The celebration shifted to the Nandan-Rabindra Sadan complex in the evening for a heritage walk. The CM and people from all walks of life were joined by Biswajit Chatterjee, Sandip Ray, Ranjit Mullick and Mamata Shankar, who were part of the procession while seated in a white vintage car. Following the walk and the inauguration of an exhibition on booklets and photos of the Mahanayak, a star-studded event was held at Ektara Mancha, anchored by Jisshu U Sengupta. The gathering featured a cake-cutting and payesh-eating ceremony, attended by Biswajit, Prosenjit, Mamata Shankar, Ranjit Mullick, Sandip Ray, Rituparna, Kanchan Mullick, Jeet, Indrani Halder, Biswanath Basu, Chiranjeet, Roopa Ganguly, Aparajita Auddy, Anjana Basu and Indrani Dutta among others. The CM said, “Uttam Kumar has united everyone. On Friday, we will lay the foundation stone for Uttam Kumar Film Centre. As of now, Rs 25 crore has been allocated.”Praising Adhikari’s efforts, Mithun addressed the audience, saying, “Ekei bole mukhyomontri (This is what you call a chief minister).” He urged the authorities to offer a 30% subsidy to filmmakers shooting in Bengal. Mithun added, “He said, ‘It shall be done. We will not offer cash incentives, but it will be adjusted through taxes. I and the Federation and EIMPA will take a proposal to the CM, and he will approve it.”A surprise musical twist unfolded when BJP MLA Kaustuv Bagchi and his rival, former Trinamool MLA-filmmaker Raj Chakraborty shared the stage to perform ‘Prithibi bodle gechhe‘, famously picturised on Uttam Kumar in ‘Ananda Ashram’.
