July 24, 1937-April 4, 2025: Thespian Manoj Kumar leaves behind a legacy to cherish
'Bharat ka rehne wala hoon Bharat ki baat sunata hoon'…that was quintessential legendary actor-director Manoj Kumar. Actor of iconic films like 'Upkar', 'Shaheed' and 'Purab Aur Paschim', he wore nationalism up his sleeve as a badge of honour. The sobriquet Bharat Kumar stuck to his persona like second skin.
Born on July 24, 1937, in a small town in the North-West Frontier Province named Abbottabad (now in Pakistan), he lived in an era when patriotism was not associated with any political party.
Rather, it was a true-blue emotion of love for one’s country. Nevertheless, he had the courage to take a stand against the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s draconian Emergency.
The policy of telecasting films on Doordarshan two weeks after its release in theatres led him to challenge the government. Yet, by and large, he had good words to say about all political leaders, cutting across party lines.
In one of his last interviews with The Tribune, he spoke about how nationalism was as vital in cinema as in society. More than one film of his, be it 'Upkar', back in 1967, set against the backdrop of Indo- Pakistan 1965 war, or Kranti (1981), a historical drama, he directed and produced with patriotic spirit. Songs like 'Mere desh ke dharti sona ugle'… have over time become patriotic anthems, remembered with the same fervour today as when it became the highpoint of the film 'Upkar'.
Though in popular memory his image as a patriotic hero, mouthing stirring monologues and lip-syncing equally inspiring songs, is indelibly etched, very few can forget his other successful films. Like Gumnaam, a murder mystery or the thriller 'Woh Kaun Thi' with yet another melodious gem 'Lag ja gale ke…' reprised n number of times. Though his career started rather dismally in 1957 with Fashion Brand, followed by a string of flops, he went on to deliver more than one blockbuster in a career spanning decades.
In 1960s it was Shaheed, based on the revolutionary martyr Shaheed Bhagat Singh, whose zeal had inspired him in his formative years. Though witness to the horrors of Partition, he never lost faith in India’s secular fabric or its inherent strength. If his 'Purab Aur Paschim' brought out the dichotomy of East and West, a few years ago at International Film Festival, Goa, he wondered aloud as to why we were obsessed with Oscars. In keeping with his immense pride in the idea of nationhood, instead, he remarked how India needed to come up with an award the world ought to hanker after.
The thespian, however, was way above awards and honours. Recipient of Dada Saheb Phalke Award and National Award, he will always stand tall as one of India’s finest. If his trademark gesture covering his face can never be erased from India’s collective consciousness, nor can the man behind the face that launched a new lexicon for Indian cinema steeped in its ethos and values.
