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Manoj Kumar (born Harikishan Giri Goswami on 24 July 1937) is an Indian actor and director in . He is remembered for his films , , , , , , , , , and . He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname Bharat Kumar.
In 1992, he was honoured with the
by the Government of . India's highest award in cinema, the , was bestowed him in 2015.
Kumar was born in , a town in the , Pakistan, then part of pre-partition India. His original birth name was Harikishan Giri Goswami. When he was 10, his family had to migrate from Jandhyala Sher Khan to Delhi due to the Partition. His family lived as refugees in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Old Rajendra Nagar area of .
After graduating from , he decided to enter the film industry.
As a youngster, he admired ,
and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar, after Dilip's character in .
After making a little-noticed début in Fashion in 1957, Manoj landed his first leading role in Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960) opposite Saida Khan. Piya Milan Ki Aas and Reshmi Roomal 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). Manoj Kumar and Raj Khosla repeated their successful Actor-Director partnership with the film Do Badan, which was remembered for many reasons, including Raj Khosla's direction, Manoj Kumar and the heroine Asha Parekh's excellent display of histrionics, an outstanding musical score by Ravi and immortal songs by the lyricist Shakeel Badayuni, among others.
In the 1960s his successful films included romantic films like Honeymoon, Apna Banake Dekho, Naqli Nawab, Paththar Ke Sanam, Sajan and Sawan Ki Ghata and social films such as Shaadi, Grihasti, Apne Huwe Paraye, Pehchaan and Aadmi and thrillers such as Gumnaam, Anita, and Woh Kaun Thi.
Kumar's image as the patriotic hero started with the 1965 film , based on the life of ,
revolutionary. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Prime Minister
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 magnum opus and directorial debut
(1967). 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 , composed by
and sung by . Upkaar was a hit and won Kumar his first .
Manoj returned to patriotic themes in Purab Aur Paschim (1970), in which life in the East and West are juxtaposed. In 1972, he starred in
(for which he won the
and directed and starred in
(1972). The latter, opposite , 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
and , which was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and written by .
In the mid-1970s Kumar starre
(1974) 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 D
(1975) had Kumar and Hema Malini in the lead roles of a religious- and
(1976) also gave Kumar and Hema top billing. 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 , a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. Kranti was the last notable successful film in his career. He also starred in the hit Punjabi film .
After Kranti, Kumar's career began to decline in the 1980s as all of his subsequent films failed at the box office. In 1989, he cast Pakistani actors
in his film . He quit acting after his appearance in the 1995 film . He directed his son, , in the 1999 film
which had a patriotic theme. The film was a flop and was the last film Kumar worked on. That year he was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award 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.
Like many other Bollywood stars, Kumar decided to enter politics following his retirement. Before the 2004 general election in India, it was announced that he had officially joined the ranks of the .[]
Kumar is married to Shashi Goswami (originally from Jodhkan, Sirsa district, Haryana). He has two sons, Vishal and Kunal. Vishal tried his luck as a singer and Kunal as an actor. His brother, Rajiv Goswami, also entered the film industry, but none were able to gain a footing in Bollywood.[]
Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards 2010
lifetime contribution to Indian cinema
2008 – National
Award by the .
2010 – National
Award by the .
1968 – BFJA Awards: Best Dialogue for .
for Lifetime Achievement.[]
2009 – Phalke Ratna Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy.
2010 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th
Film Festival.
2012 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the .
2012 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the
International Film Festival.
2012 – "Bharat Gaurav Award" in , United States.
2013 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jagran Film Festival.
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".
Co – Stars
Meena Kumari
Saida Khan
Suhaag Sindoor
Kaanch Ki Gudiya
Saida Khan
Reshmi Rumal
Mala Sinha, Shashikala
Ratan Chowdhury
Vyjayanthimala
Balraj Sahni, Saira Banu, Dharmendra
Vijaya Chaudhari
Piya Milan Ki Aas
Naqli Nawab
Apna Bana Ke Dekho
Asha Parekh
Mala Sinha
Vyjayanthimala
Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh
Sunil Mehra
Mala Sinha
Kumud Chhugani
Asha Parekh
Sharmila Tagore
Waheeda Rehman, Mumtaz
Asha Parekh, Pran, Prem Chopra, Kamini Kaushal
Waheeda Rehman
Dr Shekhar
Waheeda Rehman
Asha Parekh
Saira Banu
Raj Kapoor
Saira Banu
Nanda, Jaya Bachchan
Zeenat Aman, Moushumi Chatterji
1975 – Filmfare Best Director Award for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan
Hema Malini
Hema Malini
Doctor / Scientist
Rajendra Kumar, Hema Malini
Sadhna, Balraj Sahni, Mehmood, Aruna Irani, Asit Sen
Bharat / Kranti
Dilip Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, Nirupa Roy, Prem Chopra
Pawan Putra (Shri Hanuman)
Santosh Singh
Nirupa Roy, Raakhee, Prem Chopra, Hema Malini
Ashok Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Rekha, Mohammed Ali, Shashi Kapoor, Anita Raj, Zeba, Prem Chopra
Master Dinanath
Dharmendra, Akshay Kumar, Karishma Kapoor
Verghis, Shana Maria (8 May 2011). . Archived from
on 10 May .
Kumar, Anuj (). . The Hindu.  .
Vijayakar, Rajiv. . Deccan Herald. DHNS 2016.
. Bollywood classics. www.bollywood501.com.
2 June 2008 at the .
. The Times of India. 2 September .
(PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from
(PDF) on 15 November .
. zeenews.india.com. 24 July .
. indiatoday.intoday.in 2010.
. indianexpress.com. 19 April .
. Archived from
on 8 January 2010.. bfjaawards.com (1968)
. oneindia.in. 5 May 2009.
. Archived from the original on 1 November 2010. . BollywoodHungama.com (29 October 2010). Retrieved on 1 January 2014.
. BollywoodHungama.com (25 January 2012). Retrieved on 1 January 2014.
. BollywoodHungama.com (13 March 2012). Retrieved on 1 January 2014.
. Movie Talkies (6 June 2012). Retrieved on 1 January 2014.
. indiatoday.intoday.in. 2 October 2013.
. ibtimes.co.in. 30 September 2013.
. Bollywood.com (5 August 2008). Retrieved on 1 January 2014.
. Thenews24x7.com.[]
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