July 24, 1937, marks the birth of Manoj Kumar, one of the talented actors that the Hindi cinema has ever got. Known for his onscreen persona, excellent acting ability, charming personality, and powerful performances in various film, Kumar who turns 83 today is fondly called ‘Bharat Kumar’ by movie buffs. He was born in Abbottabad, a small town in the North-Western Frontier Province, then, a part of this country, now in neighboring Pakistan as Harikrishna Goswami. This name was chosen by his aunt since it had a bit of his parents--Harbans Lal and Krishna Kumari. The actor had worked in many patriotic film and his personality both in reel-life and real-life was loved by his fans. He was honoured with Padma Shri in 1992 and was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2016.
Prem Chopra while talking about Manoj Kumar said, "His films are textbooks for aspiring actors, filmmakers for the innovations he introduced like one-scene-one-shot, at a time with no visual effects, and technical gimmickry was limited to trolley shots." Not just him, even Shatrughan Sinha, who played a crucial role in Manoj Kumar patriotic drama, Kranti. told TOI, "He is a complete artiste, and as a person, always serene. I have never heard him raise his voice at anyone on the set, not even on me even though I was notorious for coming late."
Check out some pictures of the actor here:
As a tribute to the legendary actor on his birthday, let's have a look at some of his films that just can't be missed!
Woh Kaun Thi
Before Sadhana was cast in 1966 romantic thriller Saaya, she appeared opposite Manoj Kumar in Who Kaun Thi. Those were still the early days of Manoj Kumar in Bollywood and both the leads delivered superb performances which were helped by Madan Mohan’s music. This was the film in which Lata Mangeshkar’s hauntingly beautiful “Lag Jaa Gale” was filmed.
Dus Numbri
'Dus Numbri' produced and directed by Madan Mohla was one of the top films of 1976. The film's success was such that it was remade into the Telugu film 'KD No. 1' (1978) featuring NT Rama Rao and Jayasudha.
Kranti
It was a multi-starrer film and had the cast of talented actors like Shashi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Hema Malini, Parveen Babi and Shatrughan Sinha.
Patthar Ke Sanam
The film 'Patthar Ke Sanam' was about how Meena (Mumtaz) and her friend Taruna (Waheeda Rahman) trick Rajesh (Manoj Kumar) into believing that they have fallen for him.
Roti Kapda Aur Makaan
In addition to being Manoj's popular film, this highest grosser of 1974 also helped Amitabh Bachchan solidify his position in Bollywood.
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