Tribute to the Mahanayak on his 46th death anniversary. The legacy of Uttam Kumar stretches way beyond his superstardom in Bangla cinema and...
Tribute to the Mahanayak on his 46th death anniversary.
The legacy of Uttam Kumar stretches way beyond his superstardom in Bangla cinema and being a Mahanayak (superstar) of Bangla cine no no ma. Uttam Kumar’s iconic status in Bangla cinema is unrivalled even 46 years since his untimely death. The legend of Uttam Kumar looms large over the subconscious of the Bangali Bhodrolok and Bhodromohila even today. Even today when nearly 4 and a half decades later an Oti Uttam is made crowds flock to the cinemas to get a glimpse of their hero on big screen yet again. Such is the magic of Uttam.
Hence given his super stardom and immense popularity it was not surprising that a number of his Bangla hits were remade in Hindi with the first one done by Uttam Kumar himself. Here are some his films which had prominent Hindi remakes.
Chhoti Si Mulaqaat (1967)
Director: Alo Sircar
Starring: Uttam Kumar, Vyjayanthimala
Primarily a project forwarded by Uttam himself, in an attempt to set foot in the Hindi film industry, Chhoti Si Mulaqat 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 Debi, Agni Pariksha was a bumper hit. Chhoti Si Mukqaat however failed to create the same magic as the Bengali original and flopped badly at the box office, thereby creating a road block 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 Rai Bahadur with aplomb. The story of a complexed landlord and his complexed relationships with two women in his life, his first wife and a much younger second 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 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 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, Bikash 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 film lags behind 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, Vinod Mehra, 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 or the soundtrack. The film definitely 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, 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 which have also been made into Hindi. The difference here being, 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 mesmerising, and his on screen pairing with Suchitra Sen proving to be 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, 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 starter 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 original 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.
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 (author: Love Coffee Murder and 1975 The Year That Transformed Bollywood)
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