Manoj Kumar: The actor-filmmaker who blended patriotism with mainstream appeal

Mumbai: Manoj Kumar will forever be ‘Bharat’ for generations of filmgoers, an actor-filmmaker who framed his patriotism in celluloid just as a nascent India was coming into its own and beginning to realise its dreams and potential.

It was a fortuitous happenstance for the filmmaker who channelled his Partition angst to tell stories of an evolving India in films such as ‘Upkar’, ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ and ‘Roti, Kapda aur Makaan’ in the mid-1960s and 1970s. They were all blockbusters, finding a ready audience at the time and each helping carve a niche all his own.

Kumar died in a Mumbai hospital in the early hours of Friday. He was 87, a one-time star battling multiple health issues who had long retreated into the shadows. His screen name was Bharat in several films, a cleverly chosen moniker that fused into his identity as a filmmaker and an actor and he came to be known as ‘Bharat Kumar’ to many.

Kumar, who found many takers for his brand of patriotic idealism, was also the romantic hero of films such as ‘Himalaya Ki God Mein’, ‘Do Badan’ and ‘Patthar Ke Sanam’. His first success came in 1962 with ‘Hariyali Aur Raasta’ opposite Mala Sinha.

The films were huge hits and so were the songs. Remember ‘Tauba Yeh Matwali Chaal’, ‘Mehboob Mere Mehboob’, ‘Chaand Si Mehbooba Hogi Meri’, ‘Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai’ and ‘Patthar Ke Sanam’?

But Manoj Kumar’s legacy will always be tied to his brand of patriotism rooted in an earlier era. Some of his films, including ‘Purab Aur Paschim’, could be viewed as conservative and simplistic with an idea of India and the West that may sit uncomfortably with today’s audiences.

He made his directorial debut with 1967’s ‘Upkaar’ in which he also played the lead. It was an exploration of then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s popular slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. The film, which looks at rural vs city life and the sacrificing heroism of its protagonist, a farmer turned soldier for his country, captured the imagination of the crowds.

Kumar won a National Award for the movie, which also gave Pran his breakout role from the always villain to the kind and wise Malang Chacha. It was a turning point for Pran’s career.

Two years before ‘Upkaar’ was ‘Shaheed’, a biopic of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in which Kumar played the central role. Just maybe, the success of the film helped crystallised his patriotic zeal.

Among his biggest hits is the lavish multi-starrer ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan’ (1974), which he produced, directed and acted in. Starring among others Zeenat Aman, Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor, it shows the first signs of disenchantment by looking at themes of unemployment and corruption alongside the idea of a perfect India.

The songs in all his films have survived the test of time. Think of a patriotic anthem and chances are you will hit on a Manoj Kumar song with reflective lyrics and lilting tunes. There is ‘Mere desh ki dharti sona ugle’ from ‘Upkaar’, ‘Bharat ka rehne wala hoon’ from ‘Puram Aur Paschim’ and ‘Mehangai maar gayee’ from ‘Roti Kapda…’.

He was born Harikrishan Giri Goswami in Abbottabad (now Pakistan) in 1937. 10 years later, when the subcontinent was divided, the family left their home and travelled to Delhi. Those were traumatic years. He lost his two-month-old brother who couldn’t be cared for properly in the hospital because of riots raging in the city.

He graduated from Delhi University’s Hindu College, where he actively participated in theatre activities. Known for his good looks, the actor decided to leave for Mumbai, determined to make a mark in Hindi cinema.

Harikrishan became Manoj Kumar many years later.

“I remember the time when I went to watch Dilip Kumar sahib in ‘Shabnam’ which was released in 1949. It is because of him that I became a fan of cinema. I fell in love with his character in the film, whose name was Manoj. I instantly decided that if and whenever I become an actor, I will keep my name as Manoj Kumar,” Kumar told the top news agency in an interview in 2021.

Dilip Kumar and his wife Saira Banu became lifelong friends. He said in the interview that he was overjoyed when Dilip Kumar agreed to work in ‘Kranti’, the 1981 period drama that was a massive hit and also the last big success of his career.

Though Kumar was first seen on screen in ‘Fashion’ in 1957, he was noticed three years later in ‘Kaanch Ki Gudia’ in 1960. His last film appearance was ‘Maidaan-e-Jung’ in 1995. He quit acting after that but returned as director to launch his son, Kunal Goswami, in the 1999 film ‘Jai Hind’, which had a patriotic theme as well. The film, however, didn’t do well at the box office.

Through all the ups and downs of his career, Kumar’s image as a maker of films patriotic endured.

During the Emergency period in 1977, Kumar was contacted by the Indira Gandhi government to make a film. According to an old interview with ‘Lehren’, Kumar roped in the writer duo Salim-Javed, but the project fell through as he was unwilling to make changes suggested in the script.

Kumar famously took the government to court for the losses he suffered for ‘Shor’ and ‘Dus Numbri’, which were released on ‘Doordarshan’ just two weeks after their theatrical run in accordance with the policy at the time.

Much later, he threatened to take the makers of ‘Om Shanti Om’ to court for parodying his famous palm across face gesture in the 2007 Shah Rukh Khan starrer. Both director Farah Khan and actor Shah Rukh apologised to him.

Kumar was a much-awarded actor. He won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2015 when he was sadly confined to a wheelchair and could not stand up to receive the honour. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 1992.

Manoj Kumar will live on every time somebody reaches for a patriotic playlist. That legacy will endure.