PM Narendra Modi honoured Uttam Kumar during his birth centenary celebrations.
West Bengal announced ₹25 crore for the new Uttam Kumar Film Centre.
The New Town project will include two 750-seater cinema halls.
Uttam Kumar Birth Centenary: West Bengal Announces ₹25 Crore Film Centre, PM Modi Pays Tribute
Uttam Kumar Birth Centenary celebrations have brought fresh attention to the Bengali cinema icon, with PM Narendra Modi paying tribute and West Bengal announcing a ₹25 crore film centre in his memory, featuring cinemas, production studios and advanced post-production facilities.
Summary
The birth centenary of Bengali cinema legend Uttam Kumar was marked with tributes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the West Bengal government, which announced a ₹25 crore film centre in his memory. The Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Film Centre will come up in New Town, near Kolkata, with facilities to support cinema and the wider entertainment industry.
Uttam Kumar Film Centre to feature cinema halls and studios
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari laid the foundation stone for the project on Friday in the presence of actors including Mithun Chakraborty, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Ranjit Mullick and Rituparna Sengupta. The centre will be divided into three sections.
The first will have two 750-seat cinema halls, while the second will feature a 1,000-seat auditorium, an open-air theatre and a cafeteria. The third section will house facilities for animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, extended reality, and post-production, along with studios for film production.
The state government has initially allocated ₹25 crore. Adhikari said the soil test and site selection had been completed, while the detailed project report process was underway. Construction is expected to begin after the monsoon.
PM Modi remembers Uttam Kumar on his birth centenary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute to Uttam Kumar through a social media video featuring photographs and scenes from his films. He described the actor as a versatile performer whose work continued to hold a special place among audiences.
Referring to Satyajit Ray's Nayak, Modi recalled that film lovers had often noted how Ray had written the role with Uttam Kumar in mind. The actor's performance was also praised for its dignity and emotional depth.
Uttam Kumar, whose original name was Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay, was born on September 3, 1926. He became one of Bengali cinema's defining stars through films including Saptapadi, Harano Sur, Nayak and Antony Firingee. His celebrated pairing with Suchitra Sen remains an important part of Bengali film history.
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Uttam Kumar died on July 24, 1980. His centenary celebrations have brought renewed focus to his contribution to Indian cinema, with the new film centre intended to preserve his legacy while creating infrastructure for future generations of filmmakers.
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