West Bengal Celebrates Birth Centenary of Cinema Legend Uttam Kumar

The West Bengal government has launched a four day celebration to commemorate the birth centenary of the legendary Bengali actor Uttam Kumar, popularly known as the Mahanayak. The festivities include a tribute ceremony at a statue near the Tollygunge metro station, the installation of murals and graffiti throughout Kolkata, and the upcoming launch of a special postage stamp. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attended the events and announced the foundation stone laying for the Uttam Kumar Film Centre in New Town, as well as the start of the Uttam Kumar Film Festival at Nandan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute to the actor via a video statement and a social media post. The events were attended by several prominent figures from the Bengali film industry, including actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta. While a center leaning source framed the celebrations as a cultural power play by the BJP government to solidify control over the film industry, a center left leaning source focused on Chief Minister Adhikari's vow to keep politics out of Tollywood and his promise of transparency for the industry.