Manoj Kumar, the man who immortalised patriotism in films, was born

When it comes to making films, there are different genres to explore and create. But, there is one person who immortalised a feeling on the big screen that instantly connected with everyone. And he is none other than veteran actor and filmmaker Manoj Kumar. He epitomised patriotism on the big screen in the era of 1960s and 1970s that earned him the nickname ‘Bharat Kumar’. And today, this talented cinematic patriot celebrates his 80th birthday.

Born Harikrishna Giri Goswami in Abbottabad, a town in Pakistan, he and his family had to migrate to Delhi due to the partition. He was only 10 at that time. After completing his college, he decided to enter the film industry and adopt the name Manoj Kumar after his icon Dlip Kumar’s character in ‘Shabnam’ (1949). Much before becoming ‘Bharat Kumar’, the actor had tasted stardom with films like ‘Hariyali Aur Raasta’ (1962), ‘Woh Kaun Thi’ (1964), ‘Anita’ (1967), and ‘Gumnaam’ (1965). His image as the patriotic hero started with the film ‘Shaheed’ (1965), based on the life of late revolutionary Bhagat Singh. This was followed by his directorial debut ‘Upkar’ (1967). Based on the slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ given by the late Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri, this film is still remembered for the patriotic song ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti’. (Also Check: 5 movies that prove Manoj Kumar made the best films on Patriotism)

After the success of ‘Upkar’, there was no looking back for this cinematic patriot. With films ‘Purab Aur Pachhim’ (1970), ‘Roti Kapada Aur Makaan’ (1974) and ‘Kranti’ (1981), he reached the peak of his career and made this feeling of patriotism universal.

After ‘Kranti’, his career began to decline slightly in the 1980s and his films started to fail at the box office. As of today, his last film appearance as an actor was in ‘Maidan-E-Jung’ (1995) and his last directorial was ‘Jai Hind’ (1999) that even marked the acting debut of his son Kunal Goswami.

Till today, when it comes to capturing the essence of patriotism on big screen, no one can replace the position that Manoj Kumar aka ‘Bharat Kumar’ holds. Let us pay a tribute to the legend that he is, today, on the day when he was born.

Amod Pandit

Quiet, resonant, and creative, he can be seen immersed in his own world, and puts in his heart and soul into the one passion that he has, Bollywood. His line for survival? Feel happy to be a part of it.