Modi tribute to Uttam Kumar revives memories of a clumsy attempt in July

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a special mention of Bengali cinema icon Uttam Kumar (1926-1980) in his Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, 30 August ahead of the birth centenary of the actor, who died young at 53 of heart failure. Calling Kumar a “versatile performer”, Modi said, "On 3 September, we will mark the birth centenary of legendary actor Uttam Kumar. A versatile performer, he captivated audiences with his remarkable portrayals and earned a lasting place in the hearts of people." 

The prime minister recalled that Uttam Kumar’s journey was not an easy one, with several early films failing to make an impact. Modi also remembered passing Uttam Kumar’s home during a roadshow and receiving a photograph of the actor as a gift.  

The mention in Mann Ki Baat signals that the centenary is likely to be turned into a political spectacle by the BJP this year after the party’s spectacular electoral triumph in May, when it dislodged the 15-year-old Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee.   

The reference comes following attempts by the Sangh Parivar in recent months to redefine Bengali culture. Attempts to paint the iconic Academy of Fine Arts orange failed to amuse Bengal's artistic fraternity, who protested and wrote to the state government, demanding that the original white be restored. When no action was taken, a group of theatre activists painted the building white. Within days, the state painted it back in orange.

There has also been a backlash to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s fatwa to keep non-vegetarian food away from Durga Puja pandals during the festivities in October this year. 

An attempt to commemorate Uttam Kumar's death anniversary on 24 July this year, however, turned into a fiasco as chief minister Suvendu Adhikari hurriedly unveiled a bust of the actor, sculpted by an unknown artist. The ungainly, clumsy sculpture was criticised by artists, film personalities and others and ridiculed for its apparent lack of any resemblance to the late actor. The embarrassment was particularly acute because the state government had hurriedly removed an equally ungainly statue of football legend Lionel Messi installed by the previous dispensation.  

"Is this a statue of Uttam Kumar? Is this a joke?" Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh had asked on X. "The state government should immediately remove this statue and install a proper one… people agree that this is not Uttam Kumar. Remove this statue and replace it with one created by a skilled artist”. 

As photographs of the bust spread across social media, people joked, "If this is Uttam Kumar, then I am Shah Rukh Khan." Comments such as "This isn't Uttam. This is adham", and "if I saw that face in the middle of the night, I'd be terrified", had flooded the Internet. 

BJP leaders and actors aligned to the party such as Roopa Ganguly, Papiya Adhikari and Rudranil Ghosh attended the unveiling ceremony but have not publicly defended the controversial sculpture. Director Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay also declined to comment. 

Singer and media personality Parama Banerjee exclaimed, “Was it really respectful to display such a hideous, ugly bust of him in a public place with such fanfare?” National Award-winning director Kaushik Ganguly too did not hide his disappointment. "I think painters would do a better job than this artist," he said, adding that poor-quality public sculptures raise serious concerns about artistic standards in Bengal. 

Veteran sculptor Bimal Kundu said, "You cannot finish a proper sculpture in three or four days. Even three months would be challenging. Public art is suffering because inaugurations are prioritised over the artistic process." Artist Sanatan Dinda had blamed the government's commissioning process. "These works are awarded through tenders where the focus is on keeping costs low. People selecting artists often have little understanding of art, while deserving sculptors are rarely paid what they deserve," he said. 

Art historian Partha Dasgupta reflected, "Historically, statues in the city were commissioned with greater artistic scrutiny. Today, there is no advisory committee to evaluate such projects”. Sculptor Saurav Roy Chowdhury said, “You cannot rely on imagination alone. I feel this work shows negligence." 

Uttam Kumar acted alongside Amitabh Bachchan in the multi-starrer Desh Premee (1982) and with acclaimed method actor Sanjeev Kumar in Arjun Pandit (1976), having made his Hindi debut opposite Vyjayantimala in Chhoti Si Mulaqat (1967), a remake of his Bengali hit Agni Pariksha. His memorable collaborations with Sharmila Tagore included Satyajit Ray's Nayak (1966), as well as commercial successes Amanush (1975) and Ananda Ashram (1977). He also starred alongside Amjad Khan and Amol Palekar in Plot No. 5 (1981), which was released after his death.