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The term 'superstar' was first used in the Western world and later began to be applied to major film stars in the 1950s and 1960s. However, in India, mainstream media first applied this word to Rajesh Khanna in the early 1970s, when his star status lasted about five years and could not be called anything other than an obsession. But there was another star whom his fans called Mahanayak.

This refers to Uttam Kumar, one of the greatest and most popular actors to emerge from Bengali cinema. He was born exactly one hundred years ago, on September 3rd. Uttam Kumar, born in Calcutta as Arun Kumar Chatterjee, began his film career in 1947 in the Indian film 'Maya Dore' as an extra. His first leading role film came out in 1948—'Drishtidan,' where he played young Asit Barno. In early films, he was given the names Arup Kumar or Uttam Chatterjee.

He started using the name Uttam Kumar in the 1951 film 'Sahayatri.' The following year, the Basu family gave him his first major chance. In this film, he worked for the first time with Supriya Devi, who later became one of his regular colleagues.

In the 1950s, Uttam Kumar established himself as one of the leading young actors in Bengali cinema. During this time, he released many hits, but 1960 was the year he began to be called 'Mahanayak.' That year, he acted in nine films, and all of them were successful at the box office.

Bengali cinema represented a significant force in the 1950s and 1960s. Although many industry stars used it as a springboard to transition into Hindi films due to the wider reach of Hindi cinema, Uttam Kumar did this very rarely. During the peak of his career in the 1960s, he rejected many offers to work in Hindi films, including major projects like 'Bisa Saal Baad.' In 1964, he also declined to participate in Raj Kapoor's film 'Sangham,' which eventually starred Rajendra Kumar. Later, in 1968, Uttam Kumar debuted in Bollywood with the film 'Choti Chulikaat' alongside Vijanthimala; he was also the producer of this film. After this, he acted in several other Hindi films, among which 'Amanush' stands out, but his heart always remained in Calcutta, where he held absolute dominance in Bengali cinema.

Nevertheless, Mahanayak was extremely selective in his creative choices. In 1956, the young Satyajit Ray offered him to work on the film 'Ghare Baire,' but Uttam Kumar politely refused, stating that playing negative roles was inappropriate for an already established star. About a decade later, they jointly made the historical film 'Nayak,' which became a big hit.

Uttam Kumar's popularity persisted into the 1970s. During this period, Rajesh Khanna's heyday in Hindi cinema ended, and Amitabh Bachchan became the country's biggest superstar. Amitabh Bachchan's popularity was so immense that his films received more attention than those of regional stars. However, in Bengal, Uttam Kumar was still considered the Mahanayak. In Bengali-speaking areas, screenings and screens of his films often surpassed the popularity of Amitabh Bachchan's films.

Despite Uttam Kumar continuing to act in successful films after 1976, his star status gradually began to decline. He was already over fifty, and his films did not achieve the same box office success. His works in films such as 'Kitab' and 'Anand Ashram' were highly praised by critics, but the box office collections were mixed. The film 'Dui Pratiti' in 1980 was his last successful and critically acclaimed work. On July 23, 1980, during the filming of 'Ogo Badhu Sundari,' Mahanayak's health deteriorated, and he passed away the next day from a heart attack.

The film 'Hanuman ANSH' turned out to be an unexpected hit at the box office. Initially, there were only 350 screenings in India, but after a weak audience response, the number of sessions was reduced to 25. These difficult circumstances caused concern for director and co-producer Vishal Chaturvedi, who feared the film would fail. However, the film is now approaching the 100 million mark and is being shown in the international market.

In the podcast 'Nim Kings Baba', Vishal spoke about the difficulties the film faced. He noted that the film's success is largely due to the audience's reaction. While major releases were playing in theaters, they were given few screens, reducing the number of sessions from 250 to 25. Uncertainty arose regarding the film's screening in branches of major multiplexes like PVR and Cinepolis.

During this period of uncertainty, he saw an Instagram post that he had long ignored. This post, written by the people themselves and presented as a message from the Maharaja, made him feel that the film would fail. Then he saw another Instagram post with the inscription: 'Do your job, leave the rest to me.' This publication gave him motivation during the first week of release.

On Friday before Independence Day, Vishal decided to travel to Surat with his lead actor Shobin Sathe and composer Rishi Patak. After this moment, the film's fate began to change. Vishal reported that they arrived in Surat, where only one screening was planned. When they got there, the session was already underway, and people were hugging them, crying. The theater owner, seeing such a public reaction, could not say anything and started calling other theater owners, resulting in the number of film screenings beginning to increase. They then visited Vadodara and Aligarh, where the number of sessions also increased rapidly; in Aligarh, the first session was completely full in just 15 minutes.

Influenced by the positive reaction of the people, Vishal and his team began visiting many cities, theaters, and temples, actively promoting the film and trying to connect directly with the audience. According to Vishal, when he asked for help from people in Hollywood, no one responded. He mentioned receiving congratulations from many people after the good reception of the film, including Madhur Bhandarkar, even though he did not ask for help. However, he reached out for support to others who did not help. He believes that most people in the industry do not know what will be successful, yet they still give advice to others. In the industry, in his opinion, there are two types of people: those who genuinely want to make films, and those who lack passion and are just trying their luck in cinema.

About three weeks after the release of 'Hanuman ANSH', the film 'Toxic' by Yash was released. This film caused a great buzz, and its pre-sales were impressive. Nevertheless, due to negative reviews, the film failed, which benefited 'Hanuman ANSH'. Commenting on the results of 'Toxic', Vishal stated that if a film can be made for 20 million rupees, it should be made, and he too can succeed. He added that some films require greater resources and a higher budget. He highly praised Yash as an actor, believing that both types of films should have their place. In his conviction, emotional connection is extremely important for the success of any picture.

In the fourth week of 'Hanuman ANSH's' run, it earned about 75 million, and it is expected to reach the 100 million mark.

An interesting event took place during the second Test match between India and Sri Lanka held in Colombo. Former Sri Lankan cricketer and commentator Farveez Mahroof attracted the attention of all spectators by starting to speak Hindi. His manner of speaking Hindi was very pleasing to cricket fans.

A video clip showing Farveez Mahroof and Sanjay Manjrekar having a casual conversation with humor and laughter was published by Sony Sports Network. This video material became particularly notable because both speakers conversed in Hindi.

Indian cricket fans highly appreciated Mahroof's communication in Hindi, which was a pleasant surprise for them. During the India-Sri Lanka series, his commentary and cheerful style were also in the spotlight.

Farveez Mahroof is a former all-rounder for Sri Lanka, known for his fast bowling and ability to lead the game. His full name is Mohammad Farveez Mahroof. He played for Sri Lanka in international matches across Test, ODI, and T20 International formats. His international career spanned from 2004 to 2016. After retiring from cricket, he works as a cricket commentator and expert.

In his Test career, he played 22 matches, scoring 556 runs and taking 25 wickets. In the ODI format, he participated in 109 matches, scoring 1113 runs and taking 135 wickets. In T20 Internationals, he featured in 8 matches, scoring 33 runs and taking 7 wickets. A special moment in his career occurred in 2010 when he took three wickets against India in the Asian Cup in Danbul.