Manoj Kumar passes through Bollywood’s prestigious ‘Bharat Kumar’ 87: You all have to know. – The Times of India

Veteran actor and filmmaker Manoj Kumar, who is known for his prestigious patriotic roles, died on Friday, April 4, 2025 at the age of 87. He was remembered as Bharat Kumar, he breathed his last at a hospital in Mumbai at 4:03 pm, where he was receiving medical care from 21 February.
Prominent personalities including actors Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan and filmmaker Karan Johar paid tribute to the cinema icon. Even politicians, including PM Modi and President Murmu, celebrated Kumar’s legacy to highlight social issues and patriotism through their films that ruled at the box office in the late 1960s and the 1970s.
Here are some less known facts about the actor …From Harikrishna Goswami To Manoj Kumar
Born to Harikrishna Goswami in Abbottabad (now in Pakistan) on July 24, 1937, his visit to cinema was inspired by his deep praise for mythological actor Dilip Kumar. His attraction with films began when at the age of 11, he saw Shabnam (1949) and was so inspired by the superstar’s character Manoj that he decided that if he enters the film industry, he would convert his name to ‘Manoj Kumar’.

Education ability
After entering India after India entered Bollywood in the late 1950s, Kumar completed his education in Delhi. His early films saw him playing a romantic role, but it was in the 1960s and 1970s that he actually emerged as a film star.
A legacy of patriotic cinema
Manoj Kumar’s career-defined moment came in 1965 when he acted in Shahd, a biography drama based on the life of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. However, it was the beginning of his direction, Cess (1967), which strengthened his position as a national icon. Inspired by Jai Jab, Jai Kisan, the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s slogan Jai Jab, the film echoed deeply with the audience, in which the sacrifices of soldiers and farmers were equally painted.

After this success, Kumar became synonymous with patriotic cinema, which earned the title ‘Bharat Kumar’. His films like Purab and Paschim (1970) and Roti Capada and House (1974) further strengthened his reputation. These films not only entertained, but also made strong social messages about Indian values, self -reliance and influence of Western influences on Indian society.
A brief tenure in Indian politics
After retiring from active film production, Manoj Kumar entered politics. Next to the 2004 general elections, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While he had not actively held the elections, he remained an outspoken supporter of the party’s vision for India.

Final curtain call
Manoj Kumar’s last film as a director and actor was Jai Hind (1999), a patriotic drama, aligning with his signature storytelling style. Staying right for its legacy of nationalism and social consciousness, the purpose of the film was to create a sense of pride and responsibility among the Indians. However, despite Kumar’s reputation to give influential patriotic films, the film did not achieve the level of success similar to its earlier works.

Pass on the torch
Manoj Kumar once accepted Akshay Kumar as a patriotic film style torch. While reflecting the depiction of the actor of nationalism on the screen, he praised his heartfelt tribute to Namaste London, saying, “I have always considered my successor to portray patriotism on screen. My sequence in Hamstay London in Namast London said my sequence in Hamstay London.
He also praised Aamir Khan for his film options. Asked which contemporary actor he thought he could excel in such patriotic roles, Kumar’s clear answer was: “Aamir Khan is definitely the most favorable actor for such roles. I really loved him in the star and Rang de Basanti.”

Awards and honors
During his brilliant career, Kumar was awarded several prestigious awards, including a National Film Award for Apakar (1967), a Padma Shri, A for his contribution to Indian cinema in 1992, A. Dadasaheb Phalke Award In 2015, the highest honor in Indian film production and many other awards in acting and direction categories.