The legacy of Uttam Kumar stretches way beyond his superstardom in Bengali cinema and being a Mahanayak (superstar) of Bengali cinema. Uttam...
The legacy of Uttam Kumar stretches way beyond his superstardom in Bengali cinema and being a Mahanayak (superstar) of Bengali cinema. Uttam Kumar’s iconic status in Bengali cinema is unrivalled even 44 years after his untimely death on July 24, 1980. The legend of Uttam Kumar looms large over the subconscious of the Bangali Bhodrolok and Bhodromohila even today. When nearly four and a half decades later an Oti Uttam is made, crowds flock to the cinemas to get a glimpse of their hero on the big screen yet again. Such is the magic of Uttam Kumar!
Hence, given his superstardom and immense popularity,
it was not surprising that a number of his Bengali hits were remade in
Hindi. Interestingly enough, the first one was done by Uttam Kumar
himself. As part of our tribute to the Mahanayak on his death anniversary today
here are some of his films that had prominent Hindi remakes:
Chhoti Si Mulaqaat (1967)
Director: Ali Sircar
Starring: Uttam Kumar, Vyajanthimala
Primarily a project forwarded
by Uttam himself, in an attempt to set foot in the Hindi film
industry, Chhoti Si Mulaqaat was the Hindi version
of his Bengali blockbuster Agni Pariksha (1954) directed
by Agradoot and co-starring Suchitra Sen with
whom Uttam would form one of the most legendary pairings in cinema.
Based on a story by Ashapurna Devi, Agni Pariksha was
a bumper hit. Chhoti Si Mulaqaat, however, failed to
create the same magic as the Bengali original and flopped badly at the box
office, thereby creating a roadblock to Uttam’s Hindi cinema
journey.
Lal Patthar (1971)
Director: Sushil Majumdar
Starring: Raaj Kumar, Hema Malini, Raakhee,
Vinod Mehra
A Hindi remake
of Sushil Majumdar’s smash hit from 1964 of the same name Lal
Patthar had Raaj Kumar essaying Uttam Kumar’s role
of Raai Bahadur with aplomb. The story of a complex landlord and his
complex relationships with two women in his life, his mistress and a much
younger wife, Lal Patthar was an in-depth analysis
of the psychologies of human beings and the consequences of some of their
actions. Sushil Majumdar’s able direction ensured the essence of the film
remained the same in Hindi as well as Bangla. Uttam, however, reigned supreme
over Raaj Kumar, who nonetheless put in a fine nuanced performance.
Amar Prem (1972)
Director: Shakti Samanta
Starring: Rajesh
Khanna, Sharmila Tagore
Amar Prem was
the Hindi remake of Uttam’s super-successful Nishi Padma,
which was based on a short
story Hinger Kochuri by Bibhutibhushan Bandhopadhyay.
Rajesh Khanna put in a fine performance as Anand Babu and the music
of Rahul Dev Burman was a smash hit, both contributing greatly to the
success of the film. However opinions remain divided over who did a
better job, Uttam or Rajesh. Over five decades later, the answer is
still uncertain.
Chupke Chupke (1975)
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Starring: Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Om
Prakash
Based on the rib-tickling comedy Chhadmabeshi starring
Uttam Kumar, Madhabi Mukherjee, and Bikas Roy, Chupke Chupke had Dharmendra reprising Uttam’s role. Dharmendra’s
inborn flair for comedy ably guided by the keen and witty direction
of Hrishikesh Mukherjee makes this remake a more enjoyable version
than its Bengali original. Not to underplay the brilliance of Chhadmabeshi,
but where the Hindi film scores over the original is
the marvellous chemistry of Dharmendra and Om Prakash when
compared to that of Uttam and Bikash Roy
in the Bengali version.
Anurodh (1977)
Director: Shakti Samanta
Starring: Rajesh Khanna, Simple
Kapadia
Based on the hit Bengali film Deya Neya (1963)
which starred Uttam Kumar and Tanuja, the Hindi version had
Rajesh Khanna’s sister-in-law Simple Kapadia opposite him. Although the film
had a decent soundtrack, it was not a patch on the original film both in
terms of its entertainment quotient and the soundtrack. The film paled when
compared to the effervescent and highly enjoyable Bengali original.
Aanchal (1980)
Director: Anil Ganguly
Starring: Rajesh Khanna, Raakhee, Rekha,
Amol Palekar
Based on a story by Tarashankar Bandhopadhyay, Aanchal was
remade from its Bengali original Champadaangar Bou. This 1954 film
had Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee, and Anubhav Gupta in the lead roles and
Rajesh Khanna reprised Uttam’s role in the Hindi version. Both the versions
were successful but Uttam scored slightly higher than Rajesh in the original
version.
Agni Pareeksha (1981)
Director: Kamal Majumdar
Starring: Amol Palekar, Parikshit Sahni, Rameshwari
Based on the 1964 film Agni Sanskar,
this was a film with an intriguing storyline and fine
performances. Parikshit Sahni played Uttam’s role
while Amol Palekar reprised the role done by Anil Chatterjee in
the original Bengali version. Palekar’s role was more layered and had
various shades as compared to Parikshit’s which was a conventional
lead. And Parikshit in no way could manage the charisma and screen
presence of Uttam to make a powerful impact. The Hindi version didn’t
fare well at the box office, unfortunately.
Bemisal (1982)
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Starring:
Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee, Vinod Mehra
Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s last film with Amitabh was
based on Uttam Kumar’s smash hit Aami Shey O Shokha.
The original Bengali and its Hindi counterpart perhaps have the most divided
opinions amongst fans of both Uttam as well
as Bachchan regarding whose performance was better. For me personally
it was an honourable tie with both actors putting in one of their
best performances in the respective films.
Apart from these direct remakes, there have been a few
other Uttam Kumar movies that have also been made in Hindi. The
difference here is, that both the Bengali and Hindi films have been made
independently from a Hollywood original. Or sometimes even a common novel.
Like Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night was
made as Chori Chori (1956) with Raj Kapoor in Hindi and
as Chawa Pawa (1959) with Uttam Kumar in
Bengali. Both films enjoyed tremendous success at the box
office. Uttam’s performance was mesmerizing, and his on-screen
pairing with Suchitra Sen was utterly memorable.
Ronald Coleman’s Random Harvest was
made by Uttam Kumar in his own production of Harano Sur, another
classic movie of his with Suchitra Sen in the lead role. Many years
later Ramanand Sagar’s 1979 Prem Bandhan had a
similar storyline with Rajesh Khanna, Rekha, and Mousumi Chatterjee in
lead roles.
Another Uttam Kumar film which was also made
in Hindi from a common original source was Bhranti Bilash (1963)
which was based on William Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors. It
also had two Hindi counterparts. The 1968 Kishore Kumar, Asit Sen
starrer Do Dooni Chaar, and the 1982 Sanjeev
Kumar, Deven Verma starrer Angoor.
Writer Subodh Ghosh’s short story Jatugriha was
made in Bengali under the same name in 1964 starring Uttam Kumar
and Madhabi Mukherjee. It was also the source material for Gulzar's
classic Ijaazat made in 1987
with Rekha, Naseeruddin Shah, and Anuradha Patel.
AJ Cronin’s Beyond This Place was
made in 1955 as the Bengali film Shabar Oporey starring Uttam Kumar
and Suchitra Sen. The Hindi adaptation Kala Pani starring
Dev Anand and Madhubala was made three years later in 1958.
Aporichito starring Uttam Kumar Soumitro Chatterjee
and Aparna Sen, made in 1969 was adapted from Fyodor
Dostoevsky’s The Idiot. The same literary source was also the
inspiration for the 1998 film Yugpurush. Jackie Shroff essayed the
role played by Uttam in the Bengali avatar whereas
Nana Patekar and Manisha Koirala played the roles done by Soumitro and Aparna respectively.
Apart from these films, Uttam Kumar also
appeared in a couple of bilingual films (films made in two languages, Hindi and
Bengali, simultaneously). Producer-director Shakti Samanta made two films
with Uttam Kumar, both of which did very well at the box office. Amanush (1975)
was a blockbuster hit which also earned Uttam Kumar a Filmfare nomination for
Best Actor and Anand Ashram (1978) was a hit too. The music of
both films was very popular as well.
Uttam Kumar is firmly embedded in the
subconscious of the Bengali cinema-goer thanks to his charm, charisma, and
talent. A look at some of the films and performances which are made in Hindi,
based on his cinema, is an appropriate indication of the comparison between
other actors and Uttam himself. And in most cases, it is Uttam who
emerges triumphant.
By Pratik Majumdar
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