Shesh Anka was an excellent crime thriller.

Shesh Anka was an excellent crime thriller.

Haridas Bhattacharya, the director of the film Shesh Anka made an excellent film Shesh Anka released in 1963. The film was based on a crime-related suspense story. Uttam Kumar was in love with Sharmila Tagore, the daughter of Pahari Sanyal.

Bikash Roy, the detective in the film, appointed Kamal Mitra, the lawyer of Sabitri Chatterjee, whom he asked to pretend to be the first wife of Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar told everyone that his first wife committed suicide by laying down in a railway track.

Uttam Kumar contacted the Police Officer Dipak Mukherjee, who asked him to file case relating to cheating against Sabitri Chatterjee. His lawyer Utpal Dutta produced the post mortem report and death certificate of his first wife. But Kamal Mitra proved that those documents could not establish the death of his first wife and allegation against Sabitri Chatterjee.

The last witness in the case was the naval officer Tarun Kumar who was the brother of Uttam Kumar’s first wife. He came to Uttam Kumar’s house and when he was shown Sabitri’s photo, he said it was the photo of his sister. Uttam Kumar slapped him and confessed before Sharmila that he had killed his first wife and himself threw her in a railway to be killed by a train. Bikash Roy said that there was no other cogent evidence other than Uttam Kumar’s own confession which could prove the crime.

The film did excellent business. All the performers in the film were brilliant including Uttam Kumar, Kamal Mitra, Sabitri Chatterjee, Tarun Kumar, Bikash Roy and others. Uttam Kumar was very bold enough to accept a negative role at the prime of his career when he was the greatest matinee idol of Bengal. The music was composed by Pabitra Chatterjee.

Haridas Bhattacharya, the husband of Kanan Debi, who was associated with Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s literature like Abhaya Srikanto, Rajlakshi Srikanto, experimented with a crime thriller and got the appreciation of the intellectual community of Bengal. The film should be preserved and restored.

Uttam Kumar was sublime in Rajlakkhi Srikanto.

Uttam Kumar was sublime in Rajlakkhi Srikanto.

Superstar Uttam Kumar was sublime in the film Rajlakkhi Srikanto. The film had been directed by Haridas Bhattacharya. He had done brilliant job with the classic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Sarat Chandra Chatterji had written his biography in the stories relating to Srikanto. Rajlakkhi Srikanto was released in 1958.

Very significantly Uttam Kumar understood the poetic character of Sarat Chandra Chatterji and depicted the character in style. He went for a hunting expedition after being called by Anil Chatterji. There he met his neighbour Rajlakkhi played by Suchitra Sen. He loved her during infancy. He was shocked to see her become a baijee named Pyari Bai who had her own house in Patna, Bihar.

She unfolded her story and said that her father died. Then her mother went to stay in her brother’s house. Her mami got her married to an old man. He wanted to sell her. Suchitra Sen ran from her house and given shelter by a baijee. She taught her music. She earned her living by being baijee. Composer Gyan Prakash Ghosh composed great classical tunes and singer Krishna Ganguly sang very well.

Uttam Kumar also tried to live like a sadhu and joined the group of sadhus led by Jahar Ray. But the disease of chicken pox spread in the village, and to help a family of patients Uttam Kumar stayed in the village. But the family left him when he got infected with small pox.

At the end of the film Uttam Kumar left for Burma to get a job. But he remained unmarried throughout his life due to the fact that he could not marry Suchitra Sen who played the role of Rajlakkhi. The film did excellent business and the supporting performers in the film did an excellent job including Sishir Batabyal, Haridhan, and others.