Throwback Thursday: Story behind Uttam Kumar's scene with Sharmila Tagore in Nayak

Director Satyajit Ray in an interview had shared an interesting story about Uttam Kumar’s first shot with Sharmila Tagore during the filming of Nayak. During the shoot of a scene in Nayak, where Uttam and Sharmila first interact, Sharmila asks for Uttam’s autograph for her cousin. Uttam, who was supposed to sign the paper during the shoot, realised that the pen’s ink had dried when he started to sign. In the midst of the dialogue, Uttam casually shook the pen and even dipped the nib in a glass of water to make the ink flow, all while continuing with the dialogue.

Satyajit mentioned in the interview that no matter how much an actor prepares, it’s not easy to handle unexpected situations like Uttam Kumar did during the shooting. According to him, only a highly talented and experienced actor would be capable of handling such situations effectively.

When discussing Uttam Kumar’s talent, the renowned filmmaker mentioned that an artist should be evaluated based on their best work. In that regard, Uttam’s performances displayed exceptional qualities of grace, spontaneity, and confidence within the scope where his talent shone the brightest, according to Satyajit Ray. The filmmaker added that such a unique combination was rare to find, and it was unlikely that anyone would easily replace him in the West Bengal film industry in the foreseeable future.

Satyajit, while reminiscing about the filming of Nayak, mentioned that he did not have many serious analytical discussions with Uttam Kumar about the character he was portraying.

It is noteworthy that after Nayak, Satyajit and Uttam collaborated only once more in the film Chiriakhana in 1967. In that film, Uttam portrayed the iconic Bengali detective character, Byomkesh Bakshi. Along with Nayak andChiriakhana, Uttam Kumar was starred in numerous other hits like Saptapadi (1961), Amanush (1975), and Anand Ashram (1977). The talented megastar died on 24 July 1980.

Satyajit Ray, on the other hand, made numerous award-winning films including Pather Panchali (1955). Ray’s debut film Pather Panchali received numerous international awards, establishing him as a renowned director on a global scale. Some of the other superhit films helmed by him are Aparajito (1956) and Devi (1960). The filmmaking legend breathed his last on 23 April, 1992.

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