Hema Malini remembers Manoj Kumar: ‘Nation-building was his foremost agenda'

Hema Malini, who worked with the veteran actor in Kranti, hopes today’s filmmakers imbibe his patriotism and passion for stories
As told to Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 5, 2025)

It breaks my heart to know Manoj ji is no longer with us. He was a fine person, and a true artiste. Unlike filmmakers today who make movies with other motives, he cared for the story of his films. Deshbhakti wasn’t just a trope for him. Many filmmakers make patriotic films because they want a Rajya Sabha ticket, not him. Nation-building was always his foremost agenda.

There was a time when distributors would line up for his movies. That was the power of his films. Manoj ji knew how to make his movies wholesome—there would be great songs, some romance, and sab elements mila ke achchhi film banate thhe.

I did many films with him [Sanyasi, Dus Numbri, Kranti, Santosh and Deshwasi]. Dus Numbri, in which I played a Goan woman, was a fun experience. The characters he wrote had quirks and humour but they never crossed the line. He was very respectful to women. 

The one thing I remember about him as a director is that he would take long shots. We’d all be scared thinking, Manoj ji ke saath kaam karna matlab woh lambe shots lenge. If a scene is 10-minute long, he would capture it in one take. He believed that [would bring out] the raw performance. If there were 10 actors in a scene, the camera would go to each actor. Since it was an elaborate shot, I had to cry on cue when the camera came to me. 

It’s a painstaking way to shoot, but that’s how passionate he was. Acting is not an easy job, but working with him made me realize how fulfilling it can be. The takeaway for filmmakers, who revisit his work today, [should be] that passion supersedes everything when making a movie.
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Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 5, 2025)

Hema Malini smiles as she fondly recalls working with late Manoj Kumar across four films — Sanyasi (1975), Dus Numbri (1976), Santosh (1989) and the blockbuster Kranti (1981), which rivals Sholay (1975) in box office terms. In an exclusive chat with us, she says, “The concepts of all those films were so beautiful. He always gave me such lovely characters, and the credit goes entirely to Manoj ji for directing me so well. In Dus Numbri, I played a Goanese woman who had to abuse on screen — I felt so awkward!”

Her desire to work with him began the day they first met. “Kranti was his own production, and he cast me in it. I was so excited. He always put himself in the background and gave importance to every actor on set. Kuchh directors hote hain jo kehte hain, ‘Main bana raha hoon’, and make it all about themselves. He never did that.”

One memory that still makes her chuckle is the first day of shooting Kranti, with “Manoj ji” behind the camera. “It was a sword fight scene between me and Parveen Babi (actor). The action director kept hyping us up to get more aggressive. Even though the swords were fake, Parveen’s finger got hurt during a shot. I was so shocked, people ended up consoling me instead of her! Manoj ji and others laughed and said, ‘Ab toh picture hit hai!’”

Their professional rapport blossomed into a warm off-screen friendship. “We stayed in touch over the years. He came for my daughter Esha’s (Deol) wedding. He was very happy when I joined BJP, and would often ask, ‘Kahaan gaye campaigning karne? How do you manage everything?’ I’d say, ‘Why don’t you come over, let’s talk!’ But he never came — just spoke on the phone. I have such fond memories of him.”