July 24, 2018
Paran Bandyopadhyay, Aparna Sen awarded Mahanayak Samman
Today, on the occasion of the death anniversary of the great actor, Uttam Kumar, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave away the Mahanayak Samman awards at a grand ceremony in Nazrul Mancha.
At the ceremony, the Chief Minister also felicitated eminent artistes in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the world of cinema. Popular Bengali songs of the past were also presented by renowned artistes.
Veteran actors Paran Bandyopadhyay and Aparna Sen were given the Mahanayak Samman today.
Mahanayak Samman was started by the Bengal Government on the initiative of Mamata Banerjee in 2012. Therefore, this will be the seventh year the awards will be given.
Excerpts from Chief Minister’s speech:
Heartiest greetings to Aparna Sen and Paran Banerjee. Mahanayak Samman is the biggest award of Bengal Govt for films. It is my honour to have been able to felicitate them.
Uttam Kumar resides in our midst, in our hearts. He is an evergreen actor. To use the names of his films, Agniparikkhay Sobar Opore Chirodiner Nayak Uttam Kumar.
His acting, his mannerisms, his dialogues still give us goosebumps. Artists like him are immortal, through his works. Tollywood is incomplete without him. His death anniversary is one of the saddest days of our lives.
We have started mediclaim for artists and technicians. Work for new studio is in progress. We have formed a committee to celebrate 100 years of Bengali cinema. We may not have the financial resources, but our talent is much superior. We only lag in publicity and marketing. I firmly believe one day we will win over the world.
