New sculpture of celebrated actor Uttam Kumar in Kolkata draws flak from artists

Artists in West Bengal have expressed outrage over a statue of Bengali cinema icon Uttam Kumar, which was recently unveiled at Keoratala Crematorium in Kolkata by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. “Neither does the statue have any resemblance to the yesteryear superstar, nor is it a work of art,” said critics. 

Uttam Kumar, who is known as the “Mahanayak“ (superstar) of Bengali cinema, is held in high regard in the cultural circles of Bengal. However, this recently unveiled statue of the artist has left artists in the State unsettled. 

“This is very ugly; the people who do this work are incompetent, and the people who commission it are equally incompetent. They do not understand art. People who are close to politicians are becoming artists now. This work is done through tenders; but artwork through tenders is absurd, and this is the result. Artists are low-paid. They work on short deadlines; how will they deliver?“ celebrated senior artist and sculptor Sanatan Dinda told The Hindu. 

Mr. Dinda also said Kolkata is becoming a jungle of fibreglass artwork and that it shows very badly on Bengalis who were once highly regarded for their understanding of art and culture. He added that artists are not asked for suggestions when such pieces are commissioned and are done on the freewill of politicians, leading to these badly done artwork across the city. 

“No one has ever insulted Uttam Kumar more than this. This man had walked out of Bollywood because he said artists are not respected there, and they did this to him. Any artist who has loved the work of Uttam Kumar will say that he did not deserve this,” veteran playwright and artist Chandan Sen said. He also called for immediate removal of the sculpture. 

Not only artists but political parties in the Opposition have criticised the move. Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh urged the State government not to install this statue and suggested that it be replaced with something better. “Everyone who sees it is saying that whatever else it may be, it cannot be the Mahanayak’s statue. Perhaps it was inaugurated in haste,” Mr. Ghosh wrote on his social media. 

Since the unveiling on July 24 on the 47th death anniversary of Uttam Kumar, the statue has gone viral on social media as netizens criticised the artwork and said that it has no resemblance to the late actor. 

However, there is one more massive sculpture of the late actor in the Tollygunge area where the film studios reside and where the actor spent most of his working days. That was inaugurated in 1993 and was highly appreciated by artists for its quality artwork. 

When the Bharatiya Janta Party came to power in Bengal, sports minister Nisith Pramanik ordered an immediate removal of a sculpture outside the Salt Lake Stadium and said that it was ugly. An emotion that was shared by many across the city. The structure was of a lower body of a football player with two footballs on his two feet. It was designed by former CM Mamata Banerjee. 

During Ms Banerjee’s tenure, many such structures and sculptures were commissioned, several of which were highly criticised for their quality.