West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday, 4 September announced that veteran actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mithun Chakraborty will serve as cultural advisor to the state government. The announcement came during the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Uttam Kumar Film Centre at New Town, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

The Uttam Kumar Film Centre: What Is Being Built

The proposed film centre will come up at a cost of ₹25 crore, already sanctioned by the state's Information and Cultural Affairs Department. Modelled on the existing Nandan Cultural Centre in central Kolkata, the facility will be developed across three sections.

The first section will house two cinema halls with a combined seating capacity of 750, along with a preview theatre, a food court, and parking facilities. The second section will feature a 1,000-seat auditorium and an open-air theatre for cultural events. The third section will be dedicated to animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, extended reality, and film post-production — positioning it as a hub for Bengal's emerging creative-tech industry.

What the Chief Minister Said

Adhikari emphasised that the state government would not interfere in the creative or design process of the centre. 'I feel that those who are associated with the sector should be given freehand to do that work. Our task is to provide support. We will not meddle in everything, since that is not desirable,' he said at the event.

He directed Information and Culture Secretary Soumitra Mohan and WBHIDCO Managing Director Bibhu Goel to coordinate with the centenary committee to finalise designs. Soil testing and site selection have already been completed, and the Detailed Project Report process is currently underway. Construction by agencies under the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO) is expected to begin once the monsoon season ends.

Mithun Chakraborty's New Role

The appointment of Mithun Chakraborty as cultural advisor marks a significant convergence of cinema and governance in West Bengal. Chakraborty, widely regarded as a pan-India megastar with deep roots in Bengali popular culture, joined the BJP ahead of the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections. His new advisory role places him at the intersection of the state's cultural policy and its film industry outreach.

Adhikari also announced that prominent figures from Tollywood — Bengal's Hindi and Bengali film industry — will be felicitated in the coming days, with the programme running through 6 September. The Chief Minister clarified that the government will play no role in selecting the honorees: 'The committee of those from the silver screen industry will do that,' he said.

Broader Context

The event was held to mark the foundation of a centre named after Uttam Kumar, the legendary Bengali actor often called the 'Mahanayak' (Great Hero), whose centenary year is being observed. The choice to model the new centre on Nandan — itself a landmark of Bengali cultural life — signals the government's intent to position New Town as a cultural and creative extension of Kolkata. This comes amid a broader push by the Adhikari administration to consolidate its outreach to Bengal's influential film and arts community, a constituency that has historically shaped public opinion in the state.