Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday called for promoting the use of Bengali in film and TV productions in the state.

Speaking at the ‘Mahanayak Samman’ award ceremony, held on the death anniversary of matinee idol Uttam Kumar, the chief minister said, “Sob bhasai bhalo, sob gaan bhaalo (every language is good, every song is good), but we must make serious effort in promoting our mother tongue and make the younger generation respectful towards our culture.”

“Give space to films made in other languages, but please give priority to Bengali works,” she added.

She also announced special medical insurance schemes for the Tollygunge artists. “We have a health insurance scheme of Rs 5 lakh for artists and 4,800 people are covered under this scheme. If we include their families, around 20,000 people are benefiting. Through the Film Workers’ Welfare Fund, our government provides help for the marriage of daughters of struggling artists and technicians, as well as support in times of death. I was asked to include the film sector in BGBS, and we have done that. Cultural activities shall also be included.”

Remembering Uttam Kumar, she said: “It has been 45 years, but we can never forget Uttam Kumar. He was so good at lip-syncing.”

Ace director Goutam Ghosh was conferred the ‘Mahanayak Srestha Samman’ for his body of work spanning decades. Singers Rupankar Bagchi, Iman Chakraborty, Gargi Roychoudhury, production designer Ananda Adhya, and makeup artist Somnath Kundu were also conferred the ‘Mahanayak Samman’ for their contributions in their respective fields.

“Giving this small recognition to Goutamda (Goutam Ghosh), an iconic director, on our part was overdue. Also, we are privileged to honour other personalities who have made the state proud,” the chief minister said.

Several prominent film personalities from Bengal, including Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dev, were among those present on the occasion.

With PTI Inputs