Ghost-writing to turning into India’s Bharat Kumar: Iconic legacy of Manoj Kumar

[ad_1]

Veteran actor Manoj Kumar, who earned the moniker ‘Bharat Kumar’ due to his patriotic movies, died on the age of 87 in Mumbai on Friday. Kumar is survived by his spouse, Shashi Goswami, and two sons, Vishal Goswami and Kunal Goswami. Bollywood is mourning the loss of life of one in every of its iconic legends, and social media is stuffed with tributes remembering his timeless classics.

Manoj Kumar was not simply an actor; he was additionally a director, screenwriter, lyricist and editor. A recipient of the Padma Shri and the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award, he was instrumental in taking Hindi cinema ahead via his revered works.

HIS EARLY DAYS

Manoj Kumar was born Harikrishna Giri Goswami on July 24, 1937, in Abbottabad, which is now in Pakistan. A small city within the North-West Frontier Province, British India, he, alongside along with his household, shifted to Delhi through the partition. At the moment, he was solely 10.

Kumar graduated from Hindu Faculty with a Bachelor of Arts diploma. He then determined to strive his luck in movies. Throughout his struggling days, Kumar labored as a ghostwriter at completely different studios and was paid Rs 11 per scene. He made his performing debut in 1957 with a movie titled ‘Style Model’. The actor acquired his breakthrough when he performed the lead function within the 1961 movie ‘Kaanch Ki Gudiya’.

After performing in ‘Reshmi Rumal’ (1961) and ‘Piya Milan Ki Aas’ (1961), Kumar was forged reverse Mala Sinha in Vijay Bhatt’s ‘Hariyali Aur Rasta’ (1962). He continued to rule the roost with movies, together with ‘Apna Banake Dekho’ (1962) and ‘Nakli Nawab’ (1962). He additionally acted in social movies, together with ‘Grahasti’ (1963) and ‘Apne Huye Paraye’ (1964).

MANOJ KUMAR’S TRYST WITH PATRIOTIC FILMS

The veteran actor was identified for his patriotic movies, which embody ‘Purab Aur Paschim’, ‘Upkar’, and ‘Kranti’, amongst others.

It was in 1967 when he made his directorial debut, ‘Upkar’, the then-Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri requested him to make a movie based mostly on the slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kissan’ following the 1965 Indo-Pak Warfare.

Manoj Kumar earned his moniker ‘Bharat Kumar’, because of his patriotic dramas.

Different movies by Manoj Kumar which are nonetheless thought-about classics embody names akin to ‘Hariyali Aur Raasta’, ‘Woh Kaun Thi?’, ‘Himalaya Ki God Mein’, ‘Do Badan’, ‘Patthar Ke Sanam’, ‘Shaheed’ and ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan’.

DIVERSE ROLES

In 1964, Kumar appeared in Raj Khosla’s ‘Woh Kaun Thi?’ (1964) with Sadhana Shivdasani. He labored alongside Mala Sinha and Vijay Bhatt once more in ‘Himalay Ki Godmein’ (1965). Kumar and Khosla constructed upon their success with ‘Do Badan’ (1966), during which he was forged reverse Asha Parekh.

His thriller, ‘Gumnaam’ (1965), was one other field workplace hit, and it was one of many highest-grossing motion pictures that 12 months, incomes Rs 2.6 crore. In the identical 12 months, Kumar starred within the movie ‘Shaheed’ (1965), which explored the lifetime of the good freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh.
He additionally performed pivotal roles in classics akin to ‘Sawan Ki Ghata’ (1966) and ‘Patthar Ke Sanam’ (1967).

DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

Manoj Kumar made his directorial debut with ‘Upkar’ in 1967, the place he essayed the roles of a farmer and a soldier. The movie tasted unimaginable success and gained him a number of trophies on the Filmfare Awards 1968, together with Finest Story, Finest Dialogue, Finest Director and Finest Movie.

He continued to direct movies akin to Aadmi (1968), ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ (1970), ‘Be-Imaan’ (1972) and ‘Shor’ (he additionally acted in it).

The 12 months 1974 noticed him performing and directing ‘Roti Kapada Aur Makaan’, which gained him the Finest Director Award at Filmfare.

Manoj Kumar was an enormous fan of Dilip Kumar. It’s mentioned that he modified his beginning identify to Manoj Kumar after Dilip Kumar performed a personality named Manoj Kumar within the 1949 movie, Shabnam.

He directed Dilip Kumar, his idol, within the movie ‘Kranti’ (1981), which explored the Indian wrestle for independence. After Kranti, Kumar acted in movies akin to ‘Kalyug Aur Ramayan’ (1987), ‘Clerk’ (1989), and ‘Maidan-E-Jung’ (1995). He additionally directed Kunal Goswami, his son, in ‘Jai Hind’ (1999).

His final on-screen look was in ‘Maidan-E-Jung’.

Manoj Kumar was a doyen of Indian cinema, delivering classics one after one other. His demise is actually a giant loss to Indian cinema.

Printed On:

Apr 4, 2025

[ad_2]

Supply hyperlink

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *