Born Harikishen Giri Goswami and known fondly as ‘Mr. Bharat,’ we all remember Manoj Kumar for his impeccable acting and how in certain situations, he is known for covering the side of his face with his hand.
Today, July 24th is his 75th Birthday and FridayMoviez takes this opportunity to wish the fond legend and trend setter Manoj Kumar a beautiful year ahead.
Kumar's image as the patriotic hero started with the 1965 film Shaheed, based on the life of Bhagat Singh, a martyr in the struggle for India's freedom.
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.
The result was Kumar's magnum opus and his directorial debut, Upkaar in1967. In it, he played both a soldier and a farmer. The film was also noted for the famous song Mere Desh Ki Dharti, written by Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor.
Upkaar was a hit and won Kumar his first Filmfare Best Director Award.
After dabbling in various roles in the late 1960s, Manoj returned to patriotic themes in Purab Aur Paschim in 1970, in which life in the East and West are juxtaposed. In 1972, he starred in Be-Imaan for which he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award and directed and starred in Shor in 1972. The latter, features the memorable song Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai, a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh.
The mid-1970s saw Kumar star in three hit films - Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, which was a social commentary featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan that won him his second Filmfare Award for Best Director. Sanyasi had Kumar and Hema Malini in the lead roles of a religious-themed comedy and Dus Numbri also gave Kumar and Hema at the top billing of the box-office.
In 1981, Kumar reached the peak of his career when he got the opportunity to direct his idol, Dilip Kumar, as well as star in Kranti, a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. Kranti was the last notable successful film in his career.
Manoj Kumar was not afraid to walk on the road not taken. He gladly starred in the hit Punjabi film Jat Punjabi.
Manoj Kumar, 7 time filmfare award winner and lifetime achievement award winner, Padma Shri Manoj Kumar’s contribution to Bollywood has been immense. We salute, the film fraternity’s Patriotic Hero, Manoj Kumar on his birthday!