Manoj Kumar

Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishan Goswami; 24 July 1937) is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname Bharat Kumar. He is the recipient of a National Film Award and seven Filmfare Awards, in varied categories. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1992 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2016 by the Government of India for his contribution to Indian cinema and arts.
Early life
Kumar was born into a Hindu Brahmin family in Abbottabad, a town in the North-West Frontier Province, British India (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). His birth name is Harikrishan Giri Goswami. When he was 10, his family migrated from Jandiala Sher Khan to Delhi due to the Partition. Kumar pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hindu College before trying his luck in films. When he was young, he admired actors Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Kamini Kaushal and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar, after Dilip Kumar's character in Shabnam.
Career
1957-1965: Debut and rise to prominence
After making a little-noticed début in Fashion (1957), Kumar landed his first leading role in Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960) opposite Saida Khan. Piya Milan Ki Aas (1961) and Reshmi Roomal (1961) followed, setting the stage for the Vijay Bhatt-directed Hariyali Aur Raasta (1962) opposite Mala Sinha. Kumar then appeared with Sadhana in Raj Khosla's Woh Kaun Thi (1964), and reunited with Vijay Bhatt and Mala Sinha in Himalaya Ki God Mein (1965).
Kumar also starred in Shaheed (1965), based on the life of Bhagat Singh, the Independence revolutionary. It received positive reviews from critics & went on to become a hit at the box office.
1966-1981: Stardom
Kumar and Raj Khosla repeated their successful actor-director partnership with Do Badan (1966), which was remembered for many reasons, including Raj Khosla's direction, Kumar's performance and songs written by the lyricist Shakeel Badayuni, among others.
After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri asked him to create a film based on the popular slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kissan (hail the soldier, hail the farmer).
The result was Kumar's directorial debut Upkar (1967). In this award-winning film, he played both a soldier and a farmer. The film was also noted for the song Mere Desh Ki Dharti, written by Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor. Upkar won him his first Filmfare Best Director Award.
He returned to patriotic themes in Purab Aur Paschim (1970), in which life in the East and West are juxtaposed. The film Pehchaan directed by Sohanlal Kanwar had Kumar opposite Babita and was successful.
In 1972, he starred in Be-Imaan (for which he won the Best Actor) and later directed and starred in Shor (1972). The latter, opposite Nanda, was not a huge box office success on its release, but has gained cult status over the years. It featured the memorable song Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai, a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, which was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and written by Santosh Anand.
In the mid-1970s Kumar starred in three back-to-back blockbusters; Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) which was a social commentary, featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. He won his second Filmfare Award for Best Director for the film Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. Sanyasi (1975), a religious-themed comedy, starring Kumar and Hema Malini, was hugely successful. Dus Numbri (1976) also gave Kumar, Pran, Prem Nath and Hema top billing.
He also starred in the hit Punjabi film Jat Punjabi (1979).
In 1981, Kumar reached the peak of his career when he got the opportunity to direct his idol, Dilip Kumar, as well as to star in Kranti, a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. Kranti was the last notable successful Hindi film in his career.
He consistently liked working with actors Prem Nath, Pran, Prem Chopra, Kamini Kaushal and Hema Malini in his career. His closest friends from the industry included Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Mukesh, Mahendra Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rajendra Kumar, Shashi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna.
1987-1999: Later career
After Kranti in 1981, Kumar's career began to decline, when the films he did with him in lead role like Kalyug Aur Ramayan (1987), Santosh and Clerk (both in 1989) flopped at the box office. He quit acting after his appearance in the 1995 film Maidan-E-Jung. He directed his son, Kunal Goswami, in the 1999 film Jai Hind which had a patriotic theme. The film was a box office failure and the last film Kumar worked on.
He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 for a career spanning over 40 years.
His trademark hand-covering-the-face was very popular and continues to be the butt of jokes of latter day stand-up comedians. In 2007, the Shah Rukh Khan film Om Shanti Om featured the lead character pretending to be Manoj Kumar so as to sneak into a movie premiere, by holding his hand over his face. Kumar filed a lawsuit, which was settled out of court.
Politics
Like many other Bollywood stars, Kumar decided to enter politics following his retirement. Before the 2004 general election in India, he officially joined Bharatiya Janta Party.
Filmography
Actor
Director
Upkar (1967)
Purab Aur Paschim (1970)
Shor (1972)
Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974)
Kranti (1981)
Clerk (1989)
Jai Hind (1999)
Accolades and honours
Civilian Award
National Film Awards
State Honours
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| 2008
| colspan=2| Kishore Kumar Award
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| '2010
| colspan=2| Raj Kapoor Award
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Filmfare Awards
BFJA Awards
Other Awards
2007 – Sardar Patel Lifetime Achievement International Award
2008 – Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
2010 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival
2012 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Award
2012 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nashik International Film Festival
2012 – Bharat Gaurav Award in New Jersey, United States
2013 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jagran Film Festival
2019 – Lifetime Achievement Award from Power Brands at BFJA (Bollywood Film Journalists Awards)
2020 - Kalaimamani
Other Honours
2008 – To honour Manoj Kumar, the Government of Madhya Pradesh decided to institute a Rs 100,000 award in his name. The state government also recommended Kumar's name for Bharat Ratna to the central government.
2011 – In recognition of the devotion of Manoj Kumar towards Shri Sai Baba, the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi renamed "Pimpalwadi Road" in Shirdi as "Manojkumar Goswami Road".
Reception and legacy
Kumar is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. He is noted for his patriotic films. One of the most successful actor of 1960s and 1970s, Kumar appeared in Box Office Indias "Top Actors" list eight times, (1967-1969, 1972-1976). In 2022, he was placed in Outlook India''s "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.
References
Notes
Citations
External links
Manoj Kumar: Bollywood's Own Mr Bharat
Manoj Kumar : Profile, Gallery, Photos, Videos, News
1937 births
Living people
Bengali people
Indian male screenwriters
Hindi-language film directors
Filmfare Awards winners
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners
Indian male film actors
Male actors in Hindi cinema
People from Abbottabad
Hindu College, Delhi alumni
20th-century Indian male actors
Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients
20th-century Indian film directors
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Maharashtra