Hyderabad: In a corner of the Telangana Bengali Film Festival (TBFF), time stood still as visitors stepped into a meticulously curated exhibition celebrating the legacy of Bengali cinema‘s greatest luminary, Uttam Kumar. The collection, showcasing the illustrious career of the ‘Mahanayak’ (great hero), offered a glimpse into the golden era of Bengali cinema.
Curator Indranil Chowdhuri assembled an array of memorabilia that chronicled the journey of a man who transformed from a struggling actor into the most towering figure in Bengali cinema.
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Original film booklets, carefully preserved magazine covers, and over 120 movies in their original formats tell the story of an actor who appeared in 208 Bengali films and 8 Hindi productions.
The festival, organised by the Hyderabad Bengali Samiti, precedes Kumar’s centenary birth year. This tribute is the backdrop for the seventh edition of TBFF. The festival, running from February 7 to 9 at Prasad Preview Theatre, featured a line-up of contemporary Bengali films alongside regional and international selections.
This year’s festival brought additional star power with star Abir Chatterjee receiving the ‘Superstar of the Year’ award. The event also paid homage to master filmmaker Shyam Benegal through screenings of his classics ‘Sooraj ka Satwaa Ghoda’ and ‘Junoon.’ Telugu movies such as ‘Gangster’ and ‘Sharatulu Vartistayi’ were also screened.
The festival’s program included eight acclaimed Bengali films, ranging from the mysterious ‘Chaalchitro’ to the poetic black-and-white ‘Manikbabur Megh.’ A special documentary on filmmaker Aparna Sen also added to the festival’s tapestry.
TBFF, supported by the Department of Language and Culture, Telangana, is a platform for Bengali cinema’s visibility beyond its traditional boundaries. As Moushumi Choudhary, TBFF chairperson, noted, “The festival plays a vital role in bringing Bengali cinema to a wider audience.”
