<p> From a young man who wanted to act to earning the sobriquet of Bharat Kumar because of the nationalist outlook in his films, Manoj Kumar, who is the recipient of the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke award, has a long journey.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“I came to Mumbai with two targets. One was to be a hero, the other was to make Rs 3 lakh, once both were done....I just listened to myself,” the 76-year-old actor has often said. Born on July 24, 1937, as Harikishan Giri Goswami in Abbottabad, north-west Frontier Province of British India (now in Pakistan). After partition, his family lived as refugees in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Old Rajendra Nagar area of New Delhi. <br /><br />After graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi, Goswami decided to enter the film industry. He was inspired by Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Kamini Kaushal and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar after the character in “Shabnam” (1949) played by Dilip Kumar.<br /><br />Then came “Hariyali Aur Raasta”, “Woh Kaun Thi”, “Himalaya Ki God Mein”, “Do Badan”, “Upkaar”, “Patthar Ke Sanam”, “Neel Kamal”, “Purab Aur Paschim”, “Roti Kapda Aur Makaan” and “Kranti”. He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes – and this earned him the name Bharat Kumar. His image as the patriotic hero started with the 1965 film “Shaheed”, based on the life of Bhagat Singh. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri asked him to make a film based on the popular slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kissan”. <br /><br />The result was Kumar’s magnum opus and his directorial debut, “Upkaar”. <br />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 Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor.<br /><br />In the mid-1970s Kumar starred in three hit films: “Roti Kapda Aur Makaan” (1974) was a social commentary featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. <br /><br />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 “Kranti”, a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. Kranti was the last notable successful film in his career.<br /><br />He also wrote the screenplay of 1971 movie “Shirdi ke Sai Baba”, in which he also played the main role of the scientist-believer who narrated the story.<br /><br /></p>
<p> From a young man who wanted to act to earning the sobriquet of Bharat Kumar because of the nationalist outlook in his films, Manoj Kumar, who is the recipient of the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke award, has a long journey.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“I came to Mumbai with two targets. One was to be a hero, the other was to make Rs 3 lakh, once both were done....I just listened to myself,” the 76-year-old actor has often said. Born on July 24, 1937, as Harikishan Giri Goswami in Abbottabad, north-west Frontier Province of British India (now in Pakistan). After partition, his family lived as refugees in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Old Rajendra Nagar area of New Delhi. <br /><br />After graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi, Goswami decided to enter the film industry. He was inspired by Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Kamini Kaushal and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar after the character in “Shabnam” (1949) played by Dilip Kumar.<br /><br />Then came “Hariyali Aur Raasta”, “Woh Kaun Thi”, “Himalaya Ki God Mein”, “Do Badan”, “Upkaar”, “Patthar Ke Sanam”, “Neel Kamal”, “Purab Aur Paschim”, “Roti Kapda Aur Makaan” and “Kranti”. He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes – and this earned him the name Bharat Kumar. His image as the patriotic hero started with the 1965 film “Shaheed”, based on the life of Bhagat Singh. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri asked him to make a film based on the popular slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kissan”. <br /><br />The result was Kumar’s magnum opus and his directorial debut, “Upkaar”. <br />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 Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor.<br /><br />In the mid-1970s Kumar starred in three hit films: “Roti Kapda Aur Makaan” (1974) was a social commentary featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. <br /><br />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 “Kranti”, a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. Kranti was the last notable successful film in his career.<br /><br />He also wrote the screenplay of 1971 movie “Shirdi ke Sai Baba”, in which he also played the main role of the scientist-believer who narrated the story.<br /><br /></p>
