About this stamp
The Mahanayak of Bengali Cinema
Uttam Kumar was born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay on 3 September 1926 in Calcutta. His first released film, Drishtidan, came out in 1948, and during the 1950s he became one of the leading actors of Bengali cinema through films such as Agnipariksha, Saptapadi, Harano Sur and Sagarika, earning the title “Mahanayak” (The Great Hero).
A Versatile Artist
He showed great range as an actor, notably in Satyajit Ray’s Nayak (1966), and received the National Film Award for Best Actor for Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana. He also worked as a producer, director, singer and music composer, and acted in more than 100 films during the Golden Era of Bengali cinema.
Birth Centenary
Uttam Kumar died on 24 July 1980 at the age of 53. Tollygunge metro station in Kolkata was renamed Mahanayak Uttam Kumar station in his honour. The Department of Posts issued a commemorative postage stamp on 4 September 2026 to mark his birth centenary.
