Bengal paid tribute to legendary actor Uttam Kumar on his 45th death anniversary with the 2025 edition of the Mahanayak Samman.
Organised every year since 2012 under the initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, this award ceremony honours stalwarts of Bengali cinema, art, and culture.
This year, filmmaker Gautam Ghosh was honoured with the Mahanayak Shreshtha Samman for Best Director. Actress Gargi Roychowdhury received the award for Best Actress, while singers Rupankar Bagchi and Iman Chakraborty were awarded for Best Singer. Recognising talents beyond acting, Somnath Kundu received the Best Ruptan Shilpi award and Anand Aadhya was awarded for Best Production Design.
The ceremony saw the presence of industry icons like Prosenjit Chatterjee, Nachiketa Chakraborty, Ambarish Bhattacharya, and Soumitrisha Kundu, along with ministers and artists.
CM Mamata Banerjee got emotional while remembering Uttam Kumar. She recalled watching his films as a child in Bhawanipur theatres with her mother.
She also expressed regret that despite meeting many of Uttam’s co-stars like Supriya Devi and Suchitra Sen, she never got to meet the Mahanayak himself.
The Mahanayak Samman once again celebrated the timeless legacy of Uttam Kumar and honoured the creative pillars of today’s Bengali industry.
