Nostalgic Sabitiri Chatterjee recalls her first encounter with Uttam Kumar

They were once seen as the most celebrated screen pairs of Bengali cinema. Opposite Uttam Kumar, Sabitri Chatterjee did some cult classics like Nishipadmo, Bhranti Bilash, Goli Theke Rajpath, Mouchak and Dhonyi Meye to name a few. On the Mahanayak’s birth anniversary today, the veteran actress goes down the memory lane and shares with Etimes how she first met the matinee idol.
We asked Sabitri Chatterjee how she Joined Uttam Kumar's group Krishti O Srishti.With dollops of nostalgia she said: “After my family came here, Bhanu Bandopadhyay, spotted me at Rashbehari one day and asked me to join the theatre group, Uttar Sarathi. Back then, Uttam Kumar was known as Arun Kumar. One day, he came to watch my rehearsals for a play at Kalika theatre. On getting to know about this, I ran to see him and rammed into a piece of furniture, injuring my right foot. I was bleeding but couldn’t contain my excitement. For me, seeing him was a great achievement. Once I was done, Bhanu Bandopadhyay told me, Uttam has a group called Krishti O Srishti and he wants you to be part of their production. I asked him to take permission from my father,” shared the veteran actress during an exclusive chat with ETimes.
What happened next was a huge surprise for Sabitri Chatterjee’s family. “Uttamda came to the house one day without prior intimation. We were in a pitiable state, the pillows were torn and there was no place to sit. I was really embarrassed. My father said he would give permission only if I was escorted to and from the rehearsals. While Uttamda was about to leave, my father asked him to pay an advance; I was shocked! My father was asking money from Uttam Kumar! I felt like dying! Uttamda took out a 50 note from his pocket and handed it to my father. After he left, I asked him why he did it. My father said, Am I asking for money without a reason? Haven’t I raised all my daughters single-handedly? Today, I have no other option. I was very sad. At that time, we hardly had the money to eat,” adds the veteran actress.