Oti Uttam: Srijit drops preview with Uttam Kumar back in action on screen

On July 24, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar breathed his last in Kolkata. His death created a huge void in the Bengali film industry. His departure is still mourned by countless admirers. As a tribute to him, Srijit Mukherji unveiled the preview of his upcoming movie, Oti Uttam, which is set to be released in December this year.

In this movie, Uttam Kumar will be seen acting through a VFX marvel. The film delves into the life of Krishnendu, played by Anindya Sengupta, who is in love with Sohini, portrayed by Roshni Bhattacharya. Krishnendu, whose research subject happens to be Uttam Kumar, has a complicated love life. To resolve these complexities, he seeks help from the ultimate romantic hero of Bengal, Uttam Kumar. With the help of Manahayak’s real-life grandson, Gaurab Chatterjee, the plan unfolds, leading to the creation of this movie. Lopamudra Sarkar and Shubhashis Mukherjee can also be seen in other roles in the film.

Before this project, Anindya Sengupta worked with Srijit Mukherji in the movie X=Prem. Gaurab Chatterjee is a household name for his presence on television. Roshni Bhattacharya has predominantly been seen on television, especially in the serial, Godhuli Alap.

This film, through carefully curated footage and glimpses from Uttam Kumar's characters and movies, brings his persona to life on the screen. The director, in an interview with Anandabazar, stated, “I believe this film is not only for Bengali or Indian audiences but will be felt by the whole world. The effort to bring this movie to life required 54 scripts, and the work started in 2018. Countless clippings were analysed to ensure the authenticity of the portrayal.”

Saptak Sanai Das, who also worked with Srijit Mukherjee in his previous film, X=Prem, composed the music for the film. 

With the direction of Srijit and the performances of the cast, Oti Uttam is undoubtedly a tribute that will keep the legendary actor Uttam Kumar alive in the hearts of his fans forever.

About the author: Chandragupta is part human brain, part generative AI: the former provides intellect while the latter does the heavy lifting of an artificial neural network. The name, if you haven’t already worked it out, is a backronym of ChatGPT.