Goutam Ghose: It’s the biggest regret of my life that I couldn’t make the film with Uttam Kumar

Goutam Ghose still regrets not being able to direct Uttam Kumar when he had the chance. The National Award-winning director was supposed to make a film based on Samaresh Basu’s story ‘Srimati Cafe’ and had even convinced the Mahanayak to play the lead. But when Goutam was getting ready to start shooting Uttam Kumar left us for the heavenly abode creating a huge void in Bengali cinema. After Uttam Kumar’s demise, Goutam decided not to make the film which could have been his second film after making his directorial debut with a Telugu film ‘Maa Bhoomi’.

“I had planned for the film even before Maa Bhoomi. In fact, I spoke to Samaresh Basu about Srimati Cafe long before making the Telugu film. I had the permission from Samaresh Basu for the cinematic adaptation of such an interesting novel. The script was also ready. I wanted to cast Uttam Kumar in Bhojonananda Talukdar’s character. The character was popular as Bhoju Laat who was the owner of a cafe. Uttambabu was so happy when I offered him the role. He even said young filmmakers like me should come forward for the betterment of Bengali cinema as it needed young blood to make a change. I was so excited and started working on the film with all my enthusiasm,” shared an emotional Goutam Ghose.

As the conversation went on Goutam shares his film was supposed to have Soumitra Chattopadhyay, Utpal Dutta, Rabi Ghosh and Mamata Shankar in pivotal roles. “Everything was planned accordingly and the pre-production was going smoothly. Then Maa Bhoomi got released and it was super hit. I went to Hyderabad for the film’s 200-day celebration. On my birthday, I called at home from there amid all the celebrations and what I heard from my mother left me speechless. I was shell-shocked to hear Uttam Kumar is no more. Believe me, it still pains me to see that Uttam Kumar’s death anniversary and my birthday fall on the same date. It was sort of a tragedy for me. We lost an icon like Uttambabu and at the same time, my film got stuck without him. It could have been my second film and you can imagine after my debut film Maa Bhoomi became a hit and the expectations were immense. People were looking forward to my next work,” adds the acclaimed director.

It’s not only Goutam Ghose’s regret, but Bengali cinema too lost a potential gem. It would have been interesting to see how Uttam Kumar would have played the character Bhoju Laat as Goutam thinks the character was made for him. “Once I had thought about casting someone else in the role but every time I thought about it I remember Uttam Kumar’s face and recall how he said yes to my offer without any doubt. It’s the biggest regret of my life that I couldn’t do the film with him. It would have been a fantastic film,” signs off Goutam Ghose.
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