Meet actor who was called 'flop master', then became superstar, did 30 films with one heroine, became 'Mahanayak' before Amitabh, he is..

Whenever Bengali cinema is discussed, one can't forget the contribution of Arun Kumar Chatterjee aka Uttam Kumar. He was the first superstar of Bengali films, who took the regional cinema to another level. However, his journey wasn't a cakewalk. He had to struggle to achieve success. He came, saw, lost battles, and then conquered. 

Uttam Kumar was called 'flop master general'

Born on September 3, 1926, in Ahiritola area of Kolkata. After his studies, Uttam worked in Kolkata Port Trust, but his passion for theatre and acting pulled him towards the stage. In 1948, he entered cinema with the film Drishtidan, but this film flopped. After this, six more films failed one after the other. People started teasing him by calling him 'flop master general'. Not one or two but seven of his films flopped consecutively. During that period, he was even given the tag of 'Flop Master General'.

Uttam Kumar's comeback and rise to stardom

Despite multiple failures, Uttam Kumar did not give up and made a strong comeback with the 1952 film Basu Parivar. The film was a superhit at the box office, and after this, he never looked back. Then in 1966, he led Nayak, and that took his career to new heights.

How Uttam Kumar became 'Mahanayak'

In Nayak, he played the role of a famous superstar, Arindam Mukherjee. His character in the film shows the struggles going on within an actor, which was similar to Uttam's real life. Director Satyajit Ray praised this film a lot. He said that Uttam Kumar is the true superstar. After this, the word 'Mahanayak' became the identity of Uttam Kumar. 

Uttam Kumar did 30 films with one heroine 

Uttam's pairing with Suchitra Sen was loved, praised, and adored by fans in Bengali cinema. He worked with Suchitra Sen in a total of 30 films, including Sharey Chuattar, Saptapadi, Amar Prem, Harano Sur, out of which 29 were hits. On this, Uttam Kumar himself admitted in an interview that if Suchitra Sen was not there, he would never have become Uttam Kumar.

Uttam Kumar's successful stint in Bollywood

After making a name in Bengali films, he also stepped into Hindi films. His most popular Hindi film was 'Amanush' released in 1975, in which his acting was highly appreciated. Directed by Shakti Samanta, this film was made in both Bengali and Hindi languages. Apart from this, he also worked in films like Anand Ashram, Chhoti Si Mulakat, and Dooriyaan.

Uttam Kumar's demise: The end of an era

On July 23, 1980, Uttam Kumar suffered chest pain during the shooting of the film Ogo Bodhu Shundori. He drove himself to the hospital. Despite treatment, he died the next day on July 24, 1980, at the age of 53. July 25, 2025, marks the 45th death anniversary of Bengali superstar.