A Colossus of Big Screen Bids Adieu

Manoj Kumar, fondly called Bharat Kumar by his fans, was an extraordinary actor whose very name evoked a feeling of nationalism. He reeled out a series of hits with nationalism theme which struck a chord with filmgoers. The six-feet-one-inch-tall actor was a Punjabi Brahmin from North West Frontier Province, where the local Pathans usually stand six feet tall and are handsome and rugged.

Manoj Kumar also had a huge build but he did not allow his physical features to be stereotyped in a particular role. 1965 proved the best year for him. His first release was Shaheed based on the life of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. “Bhagat Singh’s mother blessed me before I enacted the role of nation’s son,” said Manoj Kumar, in one of his televised interviews. The film was such a dripping roast that even then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri appreciated it. 

After the 1965 Indo-Pak war, Shastriji asked him to make a film based on his popular slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kissan. It resulted in his directorial debut with Upkar. This 1967 patriotic drama topped the box office chart. His versatility could be seen from his ability to make himself the most bankable star whether it was romantic drama Himalay Ki God Mein and mystery thriller Gumnaam. 

Like many actors of his time, success to him did not come by easy. He had to struggle though the way to the top. This aspect was recently admitted by Sunny Deol, who went on record to state that both his dad Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar struggled together. 

His debut film was Fashion in 1957. It was followed by flop appearances in multiple films. Sahara (1958), Chand (1959) and Honeymoon (1960). All these romantic capers tanked at the box office as Manoj Kumar was not meant for such roles. 

As a Punjabi actor, who was born in undivided Bharat, he knew what his fellow Indians had been through during the turbulent phase of Partition.  Even he lost everything and had to start from scratch. Fortunately, lady luck smiled on him when he landed up his first leading role in Kaanch Ki Gudiya in 1961. From then on Manoj Kumar never looked back. Since taking retirement from films, Manoj Kumar was living by himself as he kept himself away from attending film functions. Known as a reticent personality, those who knew him well vouch for his affability and down-to-earth nature. 

With an eye for details, Manoj Kumar kept contact with certain film families and was accessible to his innumerable fans across the world. It was astonishing how he could remember names of everyone in each family of his co-actors and even technicians. He would enquire about everybody.  

Manoj Kumar was horrified to see that in Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster Om Shanti Om, which almost broke every record at the box office when it was released in 2007, one of the characters was imitating him. However, that character was not just imitating Manoj Kumar’s acting style but was lampooning him in a manner to make a laughing stock of the veteran actor. Had any other actor or perhaps extra done it then the veteran actor would not have retaliated. But that Shah Rukh Khan decided to ridicule him was too much.

Shah Rukh Khan’s character Om Prakash Makhija was shown entering the premier of a film at a theatre by using a pass belonging to Manoj Kumar. The police failed to recognise him despite his trademark gesture. Later, SRK’s character was lathi charged by the guards and shooed away. The entire scene shocked the film fraternity.  It was seen as a deliberate attempt by Farah Khan, director, and Shah Rukh, producer and actor, to ridicule Manoj Kumar. 

It was hitting below the belt at a time when the aged actor was not well.  He was hurt. “I am hurt. Shah Rukh Khan has injured my soul. It's a conspiracy to humiliate and ridicule me. This is not filmmaking...My devotion to filmdom for the last 50 years has been insulted," Manoj Kumar had said. The veteran actor had then also demanded Rs 1 as damages in the defamation suit. 

He even questioned his opponent’s Pathan lineage. “He (SRK) is a Pathan but he was raised in Delhi, while I was born there (NWFP),” he said.  Despite the apology and the promise to cut the controversial scene by Shah Rukh Khan, the issue resurfaced in 2013 when Om Shanti Om was re-released in Japan with the contentious scene intact. 

Manoj Kumar then filed a suit against Shah Rukh demanding Rs 100 crore in damages for not removing the scene. But later, he withdrew it. Best thing would have been to say sorry which Shah Rukh Khan, for reasons best known to him, failed to do. 

It was sad to see that neither Shah Rukh Khan nor Farah Khan attended the funeral of Manoj Kumar.  But Sajid Khan, real brother of Farah, came for the funeral. Manoj Kumar had a scholarly air about himself. He was always encouraging a spirit of enquiry among the youth. Students and scholars fondly recall his association with him in classes he took in Mumbai and Delhi. His passions included science, Sanskrit and spirituality. His fans considered themselves fortunate to interact with him. His ideological clarity and meticulous style of working always stood out.