Uttam Kumar remains one of the most enduring icons of Bengali cinema, whose legacy continues to inspire generations of actors and audiences. As Kolkata celebrates his centenary, we revisit the memories, influence and lasting impact of the Mahanayak through the eyes of someone who grew up hearing his name, later discovered his films, and came to understand the extraordinary place he occupies in Bengali culture and cinema.When did you first become aware of the legend called Uttam Kumar?I was a little kid when I came to know about Uttam Kumar. I mean like I just came to know about the name Uttam Kumar when I just first came to know that he passed away when I was in …I don’t know, maybe first or second standard and I didn’t know anything about Uttam Kumar then and I used to hear this name and I used to like I don’t know …I mean maybe I was very tiny that time and I and I always used to know and you know I used to hear his name Uttam Kumar from my parents, from my grandmother, more from the female members of the family because they were like avid fan of Uttam Kumar and I just heard the name but I didn’t have any connection with what it meant.When did you become aware of Uttam Kumar’s power as a star-actor?Later on I came to know that he’s one of the most revered actors, and the superstar and the Mahanayak but only then it struck me on the day of his death when the radio announced that Uttam Kumar is no more and I think everything stopped in the family everything every little thing stopped in the family and the whole day there was no other activity in Kolkata. People were running from pillar to post to have a glance of Uttam Kumar and I still remember that that whole Kolkata was on the streets to get a glance of him. This is when it struck me.What did it mean to be Uttam Kumar?Yes, that day I realized that he’s something very big and of course and when he was taken away, the whole lorry carrying him was uplifted to a point where Uttam Kumar could be seen by the entire world and his last journey was taken through all the parts of Kolkata with that big entourage of people who went with him. He was taken near our residence also from the from the junction of the house I mean of the road where everybody thronged and to get the last glance of the Mahanayak.Was that your first glance of Uttam Kumar?Yes, with that handsome face I remember with his nostrils stuffed with those little cotton buds, and the chandan had been done, the white flowers were piled up on him, only the face could be seen.  I still remember that one glance of Uttam Kumar which I saw and I later when I grew up, I became aware of his films and know his luminous legacy.When did you begin watching his films? I must have been 16-17. I began to mesmerize myself with Uttam Kumar films with Suchitra Sen. What a blend of   acting prowess and glamour! I don’t know anybody still who could match up to his stardom or who could make everything look so real with his acting nuances, his sensitivity and his smile and his charisma. He was both an actor and a superstar, so the stardom was absolutely unmatched.Which are your favourite Uttam Kumar films?Satyajit Ray rightly did Nayak with him so Nayak is one of my favourites with Sharmila Tagore and obviously other films like Harano Sur, then Jhinder Bondi then obviously my favourites are Shilpi then the one he played doctor then Saptapadi of course then then other films which he did with Supriya Devi, another film of his which was fantastic was Khokababur Pratyabartan where he played the old man. I am   completely in awe of Sanyasi Raja and then he did a film with Aparna Sen called Ekhane Pinjar. I think he was one of the most the sensitive hard-working he actually you know sort of from his first film to his last he showed us a journey of a superstar.How do you explain his durability?Until today all of his films run. We are celebrating a hundred years of Uttam Kumar where the whole of Kolkata is celebrating his stardom in a way which we have never seen before and I think I’m very lucky, I’m very privileged to be the president of Shilpi Sansad which Uttam Kumar had started once upon a time, that organization where he had thought about the artists their troubles. He wanted to cast a lot of people who were not getting work so that was his idea of how to give back to the society and of course helping the actors and I think and later on Madhabi Mukherjee was the president of that and Supriya Devi was the president and now there’s me holding the reins and we are trying to do as much for the institution. I want to definitely make a mark. I want to see that this organization helps a lot of other artists and also to help a lot of artists to bloom which he wanted. The entire city of Kolkata is celebrating Uttam Kumar’s 100th birth anniversary?Our Chief Minister and the entire nation has woken up to celebrate Uttam Kumar’s centenary year and that’s such a big matter of pride for us that a man from Bengal who is ruling hearts all over the world. I think the Mahanayak tag only goes with him. Uttam Kumar is our inspiration. As I moved ahead in my life and as I walked through this industry, I felt how much how much he is there with us every moment every time every reference every style every talk everything… I think we refer to Uttam Kumar whenever it comes to anything to do with acting or anything to do with stardom anything to do with his message to the society about an actor, we always refer to the textbook Uttam Kumar.He is indeed an institution?He’s like a textbook, I think and everything is so real about that man everything is so beautiful about that person that he has made the singers alive through his voice he has made acting alive through director’s eyes. I think he’s the apple of the eye for everyone whosoever is in this Bengali film industry who has worked with Uttam Kumar, I think to get a little glimpse of his or touch of his has been absolutely mesmerizing.Any particular incident related to your memories of the Mahanayak? One  day when I  was  a child, my mother and my entire family,  the big fans of Uttam Kumar, got some tickets for Pathey Holo Deri and I was not on the list of those  going and I still remember that night show I was crying and suddenly my uncle looked at me and said that , you know what you can go for this film it’s more of a family film than an adult one and so that is my first brush with Uttam Kumar’s film where I could actually accompany my family to watch his film and that was such a lovely film. I think we are we are privileged that Uttam Kumar was born into a Bengali family.