Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterji.

There was a popular debate in the 60s about who was a superior actor of Bengali films Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterji. The debate did arise because Soumitra acted in the films of one of the greatest directors of world cinema Satyajit Ray. His performance in the films Apur Sangsar, Sonar Kella, Joy Baba Felunath, Abhijaan, were highly appreciated by the intellectual audience.

Where as Uttam Kumar was the greatest charishmatic hero who could perform in any type of role including zamindar in the film Stri, Sanyasi Raja. He played the role of king in the film Zinder Bandi. Who played the double role in Bhranti Bilas and in the serio-comic subject matter showed his comedy skills. No Indian actor had given better lips in songs like Uttam Kumar. He received even national award for best performance in the film Antony Firingi where all the songs sung by Manna Dey were master-pieces.

In fact the entire Bengali film industry revolved around Uttam Kumar, as Hemant Kumar, Shaymal Mitra, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar got success in Bengali films by giving playback for Uttam Kumar. The best directors of Bengal like Ajoy Kar, Tapan Sinha, Pinaki Mukherjee, Agradut, Agragami could experiment in Bengali films only due to Uttam Kumar. The careers of best actresses of Bengali films like Suchitra Sen, Arundhuti Debi, Sabitri Chatterji, were related to Uttam Kumar as they complimented his powerful performances. Lastly the tremendous performance of Chabi Biswas, Bikash Roy, Kali Banerjee were associated with epic films where Uttam Kumar played the central character.

Soumitra Chatterjee was a very cultured, educated, soft personality and is still respected for his selective performances by every section of the society. But Uttam Kumar was the uncrowned monarch and the debate was resolved by Satyajit Ray himself by casting Uttam Kumar in the epic film Nayak, where he showed he was unparallel matinee idol. Instead of proving the greater worth of both actors, the viewers should appreciate their performances and their films should be restored and preserved.

Riya Sen –the young performer of bollywood.

Riya Sen –the young performer of bollywood

Riya Sen, the daughter of Moon Moon Sen and the granddaughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen, had started her career in the early 1990s, with the film Vishkanya, where she played the role of young Puja Bedi. She had a lot to prove as her grandmother had dominated Bengali films and acted in dignified roles in bollywood films under the direction of legendary directors like Bimal Roy, Gulzar, etc.

Riya Sen acted in the film Jhankaar Beats which was related to compositions of RD Burman, with other performers like Shayan Munshi, Rahul Bose, Juhi Chawla, Sanajy Puri, and others. She got partial success in the film Shaadi No. 1, where she herself, Aarti Chhabria and Sophie Chowdhury influenced Fardeen Khan, Zayed Khan and Sharman Joshi and that led to problems in their marital life. Their wives Esha Deol, Ayesha Takia and Soha Ali Khan were informed by Sanjay Dutt, about the activities of their husbands. Sanjay Dutt helped all these husbands to maintain their wedlock and be loyal to their wives. Although Riya Sen’s role was small, she kept her mark in her performance

She acted in small roles in the films Dil Vil Pyar Vyar, Qayamat, Plan, etc., in small roles, and got a prominent role in the film Apna Sapna Money Money. In that film she acted along with other performers like Ritesh Deshmukh, Celina Jaitley, Anupam Kher, etc. The film was serio-comic in nature and Ritesh Dehsmukh disguised himself as a music teacher who came to Anupam Kher’s wife to teach music and marry his daughter.

She also performed in musical videos, and also acted in Malayalam film titled Ananthbhadram which was critically acclaimed. Inspite of all these performances she is still in search of landmark roles in bollywood films, which can establish her in the competitive film industry. Even her sister Raima Sen got scope of acting in good films like Godmother with Shabana Azmi

The viewers expect Riya Sen to do well in good roles in future and continue the legacy that was built of monumental performances of her grandmother Suchitra Sen.