When the author mentions on the back cover that there hasn’t really been a memoir in English on the Bengali actor, he is absolutely right. While the new generation might be oblivious to this guy’s acting prowess, there are many in the cinematic world who still swear by his name.
He was to Bengali cinema perhaps what Rajesh Khanna was to Bollywood, a larger-than-life superstar, who might have left the world for his heavenly abode, but is yet to fade off from his fans’ memories. The book throws more light on Kumar’s weaknesses, his debacle and sudden death due to a fourth heart attack while keeping the entire cinematic transition of the three decades of his reign (1950s-1970s) in mind. Swapan Mullick highlights the actor’s lesser known personal side vis-a-vis the known idolised one with a critical baritone.
It is an analytical view on the actor, the star and what he means for Tollywood. The only drawback of the book is the handful of photographs, which provides only a scarce peek into the legend’s life. The book, otherwise, can be referred to as a case study on the actor, who was one of Bengal’s most revered role models.