Legandary actor director Manoj Kumar passed away on April 4, 2025 due to a prolonged illness and LEGEND is a word used very easily but here was a man who has a legitimate claim. There is not much to say about him as a director of blockbusters as that will be pretty well documented but as actor he also had a record which would put the people with tags like superstar, megastar, emperor, king, queen etc. to shame.

Manoj Kumar was an actor who started his career in the late 50's and that time there was hardly anything called PR as this started in the late 60's. Then the tags mentioned above came into play as the media also sprang its wings with many more publications. So, various journalists probably got the nudge to write certain things and it continues till date. The super and mega tags were missing even for all the legends who came before the late 60's as they did not indulge in PR. There will be exceptions but the real talents did not at that time. Actually its easier to write about people whose success is less documented as the ones with the tags who are no doubt huge also but the level of success tends to get overrated due the actors pushing a lot themselves.

The track record of Manoj Kumar as an actor may well be second to none or at least up there with Dilip Kumar in terms of HIT ratio and success ratio if we count post stardom only. There was selective work as the filmography is only 50 films plus but this is the method of almost all the major stars today as well. However, they are unable to have this sort of track record even though it is actually easier today as an initial and seven days does the job.

In the times of Manoj Kumar, it had to be done over weeks and many of his films hit 25 weeks in ten centres or more. Obviously he was a better filmmaker than anyone today in the industry so that understanding helped pile up the HITS (many were ghost directed by him though credits had other names) and even other wise, there were generally better filmmakers around then who knew how to tell a story the Indian way.

It was on April 9, 1965 that HIMALAY KI GOD MEIN first released in Delhi/UP which made Manoj Kumar a box office star and there was no looking back after that. In the next 15-16 years, which was his peak before health took its toll, he had 25 releases and out of them only three films flopped and another four were successful while all the others were HITS or better. Out of the three films which flopped, there was the long delayed PICNIC which should have come a few years earlier and in 1976 there was another long delayed film AMAANAT which should have come in the early 70's. But such was the goodwill of Manoj Kumar that even AMAANAT somehow succeeded to the shock of its distributors.

Despite just twenty five films in these fifteen odd years there was a clash also as PEHCHAN and YAADGAAR released on the same day in 1970 and both did well. At that time, clashes were not important as a film would release in Mumbai and another film would have its premiere in Delhi/UP or East Punjab or West Bengal but here it was a genuine clash. Both these films started their journey in the same circuit as PEHCHAN released in Delhi /UP and CP Berar while YAADGAAR released in Delhi/UP and East Punjab. Business of both films was similar but PEHCHAN had less costs involved.

Below is the phenomenal box office record of Manoj Kumar between 1965 and 1981. The HIT or better films are in BOLD and the verdicts of these will be put up later this year as the site is updated. The way its going today, it may all be about nostalgia and the great records of years gone by. Nevertheless, you live in hope for things to get better and a director or two like Manoj Kumar would give confidence. This list does not include two films, MERA NAAM JOKER and SHIRDI KE SAI BABA, as they are seen as guest roles. The former failed while the latter did well.

The list is in release order.

Poonam Ki Raat (1965) - FLOP

Bedaag (1965) - AVERAGE

Anita (1967) - FLOP

Picnic (1967) - FLOP (Delayed Release)

Yaadgaar (1970) - SEMI HIT

Balidaan (1971) - SEMI HIT

Amaanat (1976) - SEMI HIT (Delayed Release)

(From left) Prem Chopra and Manoj Kumar in Upkar and Shaheed

I came from Shimla to become an actor. But I took up a job in a newspaper to gain a foothold in the film industry. Manoj [Kumar] was always there to help me; he has contributed a lot to my career. I was there in almost all his films. We were the best of friends, and we did many films together, including Dr Vidya [1962], Shaheed [1965], Upkar [1967], Yaadgaar [1970], Purab Aur Paschim [1970], Kranti [1981], Sanyasi [1975] and Be-Imaan [1972]. The films he made, glorifying India, are remembered even today. [That is why] he is also known as Bharat Kumar. He was a filmmaker, writer, and producer. Some of the current generation of filmmakers are even copying his patriotic style of making movies. In every film, he conveyed a message to his country. Manoj also generated employment for so many people through his films. He was instrumental in changing the images of many actors who have sustained in the film industry because of him.

My first film with Manoj was Woh Kaun Thi? [1964]. After that, he offered me the role of Sukhdev [Thapar] in Shaheed, based on Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and [Shivaram] Rajguru. That was my big break.

Set against the backdrop of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, Upkar [1967] celebrated the contributions of farmers and soldiers to India. The film also marked Manoj’s directorial debut. Initially, Rajesh Khanna was set to do the role, as Manoj wanted a young actor, but he had to opt out due to other commitments. So, he immediately cast me, as the set was ready, and we had to start shooting.

People have often compared him to some of the best directors of India, including K Asif and Raj Kapoor, among others. Manoj was ahead of his time; he would sketch out his characters and give them to his actors. It was so easy to work with him because he was clear about what he wanted. Manoj would tell you everything you were going to do [in the scene] and then back off so as not to disturb the actors in front of the camera. When he was directing, his mind was completely focused on the film 24/7. Manoj had directed himself in so many movies; he also wrote his own dialogues, which were challenging. He knew everything about cinema, including cinematography and music.

I will miss him; he was a dear friend. I feel sad that he has left us. Manoj’s name will be written in gold in film history.

Manoj Kumar and Shashi Kapoor at Purab Aur Pashchim premiere

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 20, 2020)

Their friendship dated back to their struggling days. Even though Shashi Kapoor was the son of Prithviraj Kapoor and the younger brother of Raj and Shammi, he was determined to make it on his own. He found kindred souls in Manoj Kumar and Dharmendra, who were also chasing the celluloid dream. The trio would often land up at auditions together, hoping one of them would go home smiling. Such was the camaraderie that once, when Manoj saab ran into Shashi saab at cousin Lekhraj Bhakri’s office in Ranjit Studio, where he had dropped by on the invitation of top filmmakers Kuldeep Sehgal and Lekhraj ji, Shashi saab assured him that he wasn’t there to take away his work.

Such generosity of spirit might seem implausible today, but those were simpler times and the actor-filmmaker has fond memories of them sitting on a road roller outside Tardeo’s Central Studio where they were both shooting, weaving rainbows. “I told Shashi that if I ever made a film, I’d take him as the actor and he promised me the same,” reminisces Manoj saab.

He kept his word and approached his friend for his 1967 directorial, Upkar. “I met Shashi at Kalyanji’s (one-half of music director-duo Kalyanji-Anandji) to offer him the role of my younger brother Puran in the film. He accepted without even asking about the story or his character. He never did, such was his trust in me,” Manoj saab recounts.

However, in retrospect, Manoj saab realised that he might be betraying his friend’s trust, as Puran goes against his war-veteran brother Bharat and even his own country and the actor-filmmaker feared these shades of grey might tarnish his friend’s image of a romantic hero. “So, we met at Kalyanji’s place again where I told Shashi this role was not for him as it could cause damage. Again, without questions, he nodded, ‘As you say.’ I took it to Prem Chopra with whom I’d done Shaheed earlier and it was a turning point in his career. Shashi attended the film’s premiere. He and Jennifer (Kendal) were also there for the premiere of Purab Aur Paschim,” he narrates.

A few years later, Manoj saab went back to his friend with the 1974 social, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. Once again, Shashi saab unquestioningly accepted the role of Mohan Babu, a rich businessman whose act of sacrifice in the end makes him a bigger hero than any quintessential lover boy. “When I tried to discuss money with him, knowing I was on a tight budget, Shashi told me, 'Jo mujhe chahiye woh tum nahin de sakte, so why don’t you just keep paying me in instalments. When you stop paying me, I’ll know that’s it'. That was Shashi Kapoor!” exults Mr Bharat, remembering fondly how during a two-month schedule in Titwala, every morning, he would leave his bungalow in Juhu, pick up Amitabh Bachchan on the way, and head for the location. Around the same time, Shashi saab would drive from his home in SoBo. “Every day, his car would overtake mine on Thane bridge, and he’d reach the set before us. Shashi was a stickler for punctuality and this quickly became a friendly race between us.”

He goes on to relate that his friend even cut short his Christmas and New Year vacation in Goa with Jennifer and his kids, to shoot for the film’s climax. “That was an annual ritual with him. It was the one time in the year when he was strictly off duty. But that one year, Shashi returned from Goa and brought in the new year working with me,” Manoj saab shares.

After he completed the film, as was a ritual with him, he wanted to take the cans of film to Haji Malang’s shrine for Baba’s blessings. But having injured his back, he knew it would be impossible to trek three miles up the hill. “When I told Shashi this, he offered to take the cans to the shrine for me. What’s more, he even hauled up the cans of Kranti. Both films were superhits, Shashi was a true friend,” says the gratified actor-producer.

During Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Manoj saab had gone to meet his friend at Filmalaya Studio, and as he drove through the gates, he was surprised to find the usually gentlemanly Shashi Kapoor speaking in a loud, irritable voice. On enquiring, he learnt that the actor who was filming N N Sippy’s 1974 caper, Chor Machaye Shor, there was not happy with the song they were to shoot. “Bogus hai yeh gaana,” he groused, and insisted Manoj saab listen to it. Reluctant and embarrassed, Manoj saab had them rewind the Ravindra Jain’s composition for him. “As soon as the last notes died away, I told Shashi, ‘Yaar, gaana superhit hai!’ Immediately, he turned to the director (Ashok Roy) and said, ‘Since my friend likes it, let’s shoot.’”

“Le Jayenge, Le Jayenge Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ was one of Shashi Kapoor’s biggest chartbusters and the film was the second biggest grosser of the year. The title of Shah Rukh and Kajol’s evergreen love story, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, also has its genesis in this song.

In later years, the two dosts would meet at the hospital, when Shashi saab came for dialysis and Manoj saab for physiotherapy for his ailing back. “Then, one late evening, around 10.30 pm, I got a call. ‘O Bhagat Singh, tune maar dala.’ It was Shashi and he was watching Shaheed,” he flashbacks. “That was our last conversation. He is gone today… But his talent and his memories live on,” he says. Shashi saab would have turned 82 on March 18.

Dilip Kumar and Madhubala had a near, perfect romance, until her interfering father got in the way. A new illustrated biography on the veteran actor, challenges some myths around the famed love story
MID-DAY (October 27, 2019)

After a somewhat tentative debut in Jwar Bhata and Pratima, the actor came of age in Milan, which was followed by the super-duper hit Jugnu opposite none other than Noor Jehan. Dilip Kumar had now hit the purple patch of his career and three mega hits followed in quick succession —Shaheed, Shabnam and Nadiya Ke Paar. The leading lady of all these hits was the comely Kamini Kaushal—reportedly Dilip Kumar's first flame and also his first serious heartbreak.

Kamini Kaushal's real name was Uma Kashyap. She was the daughter of Rai Bahadur S R Kashyap, a renowned Botanist, president of Indian Science Congress and dean of the pre-partition Punjab University. She was one of his five children which included three brothers and two sisters. She was very well-educated and had studied at Lady MacLagan School and Emily Kinnaird College of Lahore. She was also a champion swimmer. When her elder sister, who was married to B S Sood, a high ranking official of Bombay Port Trust, died in a car crash leaving behind two small kids, Uma married him and moved to Mumbai. It was here that legendary director Chetan Anand discovered her talent and cast her in his award-winning Neecha Nagar as Kamini Kaushal. As an actress, she quickly ascended to stardom with films like Jail Yatra, Aag (opposite Raj Kapoor), Do Bhai, etc. Soon, Filmistan's S Mukerji signed her opposite Dilip Kumar in his Shaheed (1948) which was a box-office success.

Famous Kathak exponent and actress Sitara Devi (who starred with Dilip in Hulchul and shared a sister-brother relationship with him) and producer director P N Arora of All India Pictures (in whose super hit Pugree Kamini Kaushal starred) have been on-record authenticating the Dilip Kumar–Kamini Kaushal romance. It is said that Sitara Devi ji had met the rumoured couple huddled together and travelling aimlessly in the first-class compartment of Mumbai's local trains. P N Arora has said, on-record, that Dilip Kumar often visited Kamini Kaushal on the sets of Pugree and once Kamini's military-man brother strode on the film's sets, brandishing a pistol, threatening to kill Kamini if she did not call off her clandestine romance with Dilip Kumar. He also threatened to kill Dilip Kumar. Around that time, Shahi Latif–Ismat Chugtai's Aarzoo, in which Dilip–Kamini featured for the last time, was in the making. Ismat Aapa had reportedly warned Dilip Saheb against the futility of the said romance. The hot-headed brother of Kamini Kaushal reportedly shot himself, having failed to end the Dilip–Kamini romance. This came as a blow to Kamini Kaushal and Dilip Kumar and they put a stop to their romance.

Kamini exuded urbane sophistication and bonded very well at an intellectual level with Dilip. On the other hand, both Madhubala and Dilip being Pathans shared a commonality of ethnic and cultural background. Thus, a vivacious Madhubala's ceaseless laughter became an ideal balm for Dilip Kumar's bruised heart. Madhubala's real name was Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi. She was third born among the seven daughters (Kaneez, Fatima, Altaf, Chanchal, Zahida and Shahida being others) of a handsome Pathan Attaullah Khan and his beautiful Iranian wife. Her father was a headstrong, stubborn and egoistic man, and a harsh disciplinarian. Her mother was simple, illiterate and a homely woman. Attaullah Khan apparently had lost his job with the Imperial Tobacco Company, Delhi due to his arrogant, hot-tempered behaviour and attitude. He moved to Mumbai with his family but could not fend for them. He made his daughter work in films to make ends meet.

The legendary Dilip Kumar–Madhubala romance is said to have took off on the sets of this film, as the duo hit the ground running, enacting the dulcet duet, 'Nain mile nai huey baware'. One has to revisit Tarana to fathom the chemistry between Dr Motilal (Dilip Kumar) and Tarana (Madhubala) which even after six decades floors you with its innocent charm. Prior to being romantically drawn to Dilip Kumar, Madhubala was reportedly dating the leading man of her hit film Badal, the handsome Prem Nath. Grapevine has it that there was some time when Madhu was dating Dilip and Prem Nath simultaneously. Reportedly, when Prem Nath came to know that his friend Dilip was seriously involved with Madhubala and that she was drawn to him as well, he withdrew and married Bina Rai, his charming co-star of Aurat.

On his part, Dilip Kumar never missed any opportunity to recommend Madhubala for a role opposite himself. The iconic Amar originally had Meena Kumari in the female lead, but she fell off with its renowned maker Mehboob Khan after the latter's squabble with her husband writer-director Kamaal Amrohi. Dilip Kumar promptly persuaded Mehboob Saheb to take in Madhubala. Similarly, when Nargis opted out of Mughal-E-Azam, Dilip Kumar convinced K Asif to let Madhubala play Anarkali which ultimately became her best ever performance. The mahurat announcement of the celebrated classic Daag also had Madhubala's name as the leading lady but something went wrong and Nimmi played the part.

However, the perfect romance of this well-matched perfect couple did not culminate into marriage. Many were of the opinion that it was Madhubala's father Attaullah Khan who stood in the way of their marriage for the fear of losing the breadwinner for the large family. The truth lies somewhere around this premise. As the Dilip Kumar–Madhubala romance was peaking, Attaullah Khan once asked Dilip Kumar to star as the hero of a film he wanted to produce under his own banner and also had his daughter Madhubala in it. We believe that the moment Attaullah did that, he encroached upon Dilip Sahab's professional side via his personal life. Yusuf Saheb never wanted Dilip Kumar to be exploited for somebody's gain.

As is widely believed, Attaullah Khan was not opposed to the Dilip Kumar–Madhubala marriage but had his own axe to grind in the whole affair. He wanted the superstar of the era to work exclusively and on priority for his own home productions. On the other hand, Dilip Kumar, who had been positively considering marriage to Madhubala, was unwilling to tolerate any interference in his professional endeavours. Dilip Saheb reportedly laid down two conditions for getting married to Madhubala. One, he would financially support the Khan's family but Madhubala would have nothing to do with her father after wedding; and second, she would stop working in films. This was a clever killing-two-birds-with-one-stone strategy—if Madhubala agreed to quit films, her father's hold on her would automatically diminish. Both Dilip Saheb and Attaullah hardened their positions in the ensuing tug of war to the point that Madhu had Dilip's ultimatum to choose between him and her father. She opted for her father ending the fairy-tale romance.

Excerpted with permission from Dilip Kumar: Peerless Icon Inspiring Generations by Trinetra Bajpai and Anshula Bajpai, published by Bloomsbury India


The actor with Kamini Kaushal, his first love and also his first serious heartbreak


Dilip Kumar with Madhubala. Pics/Dilip Kumar: Peerless Icon Inspiring Generations, Bloomsbury India

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 27, 2019)

January 26, 1956. It was the premiere of Lekhraj Bhakri’s 1955 Tangewali, featuring Balraj Sahani, Nirupa Roy, Shammi Kapoor and debutante Anita Guha, at Delhi’s Novelty Cinema. Among the guests was an 18-year-old collegian with a mouthful of a name, Harikrishan Giri Goswami. He was the director’s cousin, fondly called Ghulu, whose good looks were drawing admiring looks.

“You look like a hero,” Bhakri told him with a smile. Quick on the uptake, Ghulu smiled back, “Toh hero bana do.” To his surprise, his filmmaker-cousin was willing to take a chance with him and even wrote to his uncle, Harbans Lal Goswami, urging him to let the boy come to Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Ghulu himself, as advised by Bhakri, had been giving the matter plenty of thought. Since the age of nine when he had accompanied his uncle to a show of Dilip Kumar and Noor Jehan’s Jugnu, films had fascinated him. And for a decade, he had been living with the dream of seeing himself on screen, like his idol Dilip saab.

A few months later, his father, a scholarly man who shared his passion for poetry, called him to discuss Bhakri’s letters. And Ghulu surprised him by admitting that rather than knocking on doors for a job with a science degree in hand, he’d like to try his luck in wonderland. The senior Goswami told his son to think carefully so he wouldn’t regret his decision later. Ghulu admitted he had been doing just that and without any further discussion, his father gave him the nod, with a simple, “Good luck.”

On the day of his departure, Harbans ji, along with Ghulu’s mother, brother and girlfriend Shashi, was at the station to see him off. Just before the Frontier Mail chugged off, he slipped a letter into his hand, quietly telling his son to read it in the train. When he did, Ghulu’s eyes and heart welled over with emotions.

“Papa ji had written that he had full faith in his blood and that he knew his blood could commit mistakes but not blunders. He ended the letter saying, ‘Remember son, those who are destined to be hanged cannot be drowned,’” he recounted to me years later, the words still echoing in his ears.

As a young boy, Ghulu, after an attack of acute stage fright, had scaled the wall and run away, minutes before the curtains opened to unveil him as Bhagat Singh in a play organised by the children of his mohallah. At the age of 28, in Shaheed, he went on to immortalise the revolutionary, who at the age of 23, had walked to the gallows with a smile. Ghulu is none other than actor-writer-filmmaker Manoj Kumar who brought in his 82nd birthday on July 24; who three years ago, was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema.

Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; May 29, 2018)

Veteran actor Dharmendra rarely does interviews, though at 82, his passion for cinema still burns bright. In a freewheeling chat with BT, the actor reminisced about the past, spoke with zeal about his grandson’s debut and shared his thoughts on on stars and superstardom. Excerpts…

Your grandson Karan Deol is all set to make his Bollywood debut with Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. Are you excited and nervous about the third generation of Deols entering the movies?
When I launched Sunny, I had put in a lot of effort. Similarly, for my grandson Karan, I can only pray for his success. I have learnt a lot being a part of this industry. Main apne grandson ke liye ek zariya ban sakta hoon… duayen de sakta hoon. Lekin main muqaddar nahin likh sakta. After I became an actor, my mother used to tell me that I hope nobody’s son becomes an actor. According to her, actors live and die with every film. They constantly live under the pressure of whether or not it will work at the box office. It is a profession where people have to struggle a lot.

You’ve spent close to six decades in the film industry. Apparently, actors like Suraiya and Dilip Kumar left a deep impression on you…
I was a big fan of Suraiya. I have seen her films with actor Shyam (40s film actor, close friend of writer Saadat Haasan Manto), who was also a very good-looking man. I was inspired by their films and the music of Naushad saab. When Suraiya came to know that I was a fan, she recited some of her songs on the phone for me. That’s how she reciprocated the love I had for her. I went to pay my respects when she died with what we call kandha dena. I can’t forget these people because I used to stand in a line to watch their films. In those days when the first bell would ring in a theatre, I would know that the news was being read. And, the second ring would signal the beginning of the film. I used to be apprehensive whether I will be able to reach the ticket window before the second bell rang. The anticipation would eventually lead to happiness when I would get the ticket in my hands. I had a passion for movies. I never knew what cinema was all about till I was in the 7th standard. The boys in my class would to talk about it and that piqued my curiosity. They would say, ‘Tasveerein bolti hain.’ My father was a school teacher and we were not allowed to watch films. When I ventured out to do my matriculation, that’s when I got the freedom to find out all about the movies on my own. The first film I saw was Dilip Kumar’s Shaheed (1948). I was so impressed by him. Yeh haseen aur jameel shahzade aur yeh khubsoorat apsarayen… yeh kya hain? I had tears in my eyes when I saw him die in the film. This was a time immediately after partition and he was playing the role of a martyr.

What was your impression of the film industry, before you won the talent hunt and made your debut?
Before I came here, I thought the film industry was heaven on earth. I would think that all the actors, filmmakers and technicians would get together and enjoy themselves just like a family. It is a like a family, but I also saw other aspects of the industry during the course of my journey. The perception about the industry is such that everybody is very close to each other, but it’s not like that. This is a cut-throat profession. The atmosphere in the industry wasn’t the way I had imagined it to be.

The filmmakers of yore had a huge impact on the actors and their career. How did filmmakers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Ramesh Sippy shape you as an actor?
All the Bengali directors I worked with were instrumental in doing that. They helped me deliver my best performances. They would give me a simple path to walk on. Woh naap tolke filmein banate the. The way they would flesh out the characters was commendable. It is often said that I wanted to play the role of Thakur and Gabbar in Sholay (1975). But that’s not true, why would I play those roles when I had the opportunity to play a romantic character in the film.

Did you always have dreams of being a superstar?
I didn’t have any dreams of becoming a star. All I was interested in was being on the silver screen, to be seen by the people and to live in their hearts. I wanted to be loved. Stars shine for some time and fade away, but an actor will always leave behind a legacy. Jab comedy main chhoot milti thi, to main khel jata tha. Being a tragic hero is easier than acting in a comedy. Wit is very important for an actor and I was very witty in my younger days. Also I believe, self-respect is very important for an actor. I once walked out of the set of a big film because I couldn’t bear what had transpired. I left the set, I came home and told my mother that we should go back to Punjab. Self-respect ke liye main bhid jata tha. Acting is reacting and hence an emotional person like me will always react faster to situations around him.

There are lots of actors but not everybody becomes a star. And superstardom in your times was very different. What are your thoughts?
Honestly, I never considered anybody bigger than me. I would think I am the greatest actor. I didn’t come to the industry to compete with anyone. Na hum teen main hain na terah main hain, magar khuda ke bandon ki uss ginti main hain, jo khuda ko mohabbat, mohabbat ko khuda kehte hain, zore mohabbat bana liya hai dilon main, ab dilon se nikalein hum kahan nikalte hain… Nobody could displace me. I am not a show-off, but I have conviction in myself. I’ve never played games and I am not shrewd.

Does being an emotional person act as challenge when it comes to a career in politics?
While emotional people are an asset to the film industry, in politics, it’s difficult for them to sustain themselves. I used to worry more about my constituency, Bikaner, than own my house. They had three demands which I fulfilled, but that never got spoken about. Honestly, I don’t know what qualities a politician should have.

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 22, 2018)

His first role made Ghulu a hero in his mohalla but through endless rehearsals and costume trials, no one realized that the little boy was suffering from acute stage fright and was dreading his turn in the spotlight.

D-day dawned shimmering with excitement. His family took their place and the curtains parted. All the actors were in place on the makeshift stage, except one. Realization was collective: Where was Ghulu? Where was their Bhagat Singh? There was a mad scramble to find the star player who’d jumped over the wall and melted away into the darkness. His no-show meant that the show had to be eventually cancelled. No one ever let him forget it. Surprisingly, Ghulu grew up to be an actor who christened himself Manoj Kumar and at 22, picked up the pen to immortalize his childhood hero.

On March 23, 1931, Bhagat Singh had been hanged for the assassination of a British police officer, John Saunders. Manoj Kumar had grown up on stories of the martyr but when he asked his leading lady about him, she shocked him by saying blithely, “Of course, he’s a famous dacoit.”

Determined to set the record straight, the actor took four years to complete his script only to discover that after two disastrous, Bhagat Singh biopics, Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh and Shaheed Bhagat Singh, no one was interested in a third. It was only after Hariyali Aur Rasta had turned him into a star, that his publicist-friend, Kewal P Kashyap, offered to produce Shaheed with him in the lead.

Interestingly, Shaheed was also the title of Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal’s 1948 tragic love story which Manoj Kumar had seen as a boy of 10. Kamini played Bhagat Singh’s mother in his Shaheed. The actress had been incredulous to learn that he wanted her to play his mother. “I don’t want you to play just anyone’s mother but Bhagat Singh’s mother,” he’d explained and she had come out of retirement to shoot for the film when seven months pregnant, radiating the glow of impending motherhood.

Shaheed premiered in 1965 with then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri among the guests. Thirty-seven years later, Rajkumar Santoshi’s 2002 biopic, The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, with Ajay Devgn, opened, as did Dharmendra’s 23rd March 1931: Shaheed with Bobby Deol as the 23-year-old patriot and elder brother Sunny playing Chandrashekhar Azad. It was a Bhagat Singh festival that year with a few more films, including Shaheed-E-Azam with Sonu Sood. But it was Ajay’s act that remains unforgettable. Ramesh Taurani had once confided that when Santoshi came for a narration, he refused to reveal which actor he had in mind for the lead but while he was outlining his story, the producer could only visualize Ajay in the role. When he told the director this, Santoshi admitted Ajay was his choice as well.

Ajay bagged the National Award for Best Actor for his performance, The Legend Of Bhagat Singh was also adjudged Best Film. Earlier, Shaheed had bagged Manoj Kumar three National Awards. The martyr’s real mother whom the actor fondly called Chaiji, was seated beside him at the Rashtrapati Bhavan during the ceremony and joined him on stage as the whole auditorium rose to its feet to give them a 10-minute standing ovation.

However, for Manoj Kumar the bigger reward came after the film’s release when during a shoot of Amaanat in Goa, he went to a government tea house for a cup of tea. When he asked for a bill, he was told it was already paid for by the sweeper who’d bought him his chai. The old man confided he had never heard of Bhagat Singh till he saw Shaheed and learnt of his sacrifice. “The least I can do is to offer you a cup of tea,” he said quietly.

Kewal Kashyap (seated second from left) with Lal Bahadur Shastri and Manoj Kumar (centre) at the premiere of Shaheed
Manoj Kumar pays tribute to filmmaker Kewal Kashyap, who passed away on Tuesday
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; July 21, 2016)

Filmmaker Kewal Kashyap, best remembered for his 1965 Manoj Kumar-starrer Shaheed, passed away on Tuesday. The film, based on revolutionary Bhagat Singh’s life, is considered the country’s most high-on-patriotism film.

Manoj Kumar remembers the man who gave him his career’s best film... “Can I explain the loss in words? Shaheed was a landmark film for both of us. Kewal was more than a friend; he was a brother to me. Along with writer- director Brij Katyal, we used to meet often over platefuls of bhajjias. Kewal was a trendsetter, he was one of the early PRs of the film industry. He used to handle the work of music composers Shankar Jaikishan, OP Nayyar, Ravi and actor Sunil Dutt. He was a photographer too. I used to accompany him to film newspaper offices to meet editors. He was doing well, but one day he told me he was tired of doing publicity work. He wanted to make a film. I told him to cast a leading star for his film, but he was adamant on making a film on Bhagat Singh. I used to always tell him about my admiration for the country’s leading freedom fighter. I cautioned him that two films had already been made on Bhagat Singh which did not do well. Yet, he was hell-bent on making the film with me. We went pillar-to-post to raise funds; I also became his guarantor. The film was made and the rest is history. The best compliment that we received was from Bhagat Singh’s mother. She embraced me and said, 'Manoj, aaj mujhe sab waapis mil gaya.'”

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 18, 2014)

Eighty-three years ago, on March 23, Bhagat Singh was in his cell when jail officials arrived with his death warrant. The 23-year-old revolutionary, who had been tried and convicted for the murder of British police officer John Saunders, is believed to have quietly requested them to give him a few minutes so he could finish the last chapter of Karl Marx's book. Once done, he let himself be marched to the gallows with a smile playing on his lips.

Manoj Kumar who relived the martyr's short but eventful life in the 1965 patriotic drama Shaheed, insists that Bhagat Singh could have saved his life with an apology. In fact, Chandrashekhar Azad had planned the perfect escape plan for him. But he chose to be publicly executed because he believed his death would inspire the country's youth to rise up against British imperialism.

While reliving his idol's life, the actor and his unit stayed in Ludhiana jail for two months and interacted with the real qaidis. One of them, a Sardar sentenced to life for several murders, confided that he’d been a jail warden in Bhagat Singh’s time and nothing being filmed was exaggerated or out of sync.

“Even the gallows that Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru walk towards were real gallows,” asserts Kumar, who at the age of 10, had been chosen to play the fiery nationalist in a street play but ran away before the curtains went up, overcome by an acute attack of nerves.

Soon after, he accompanied his uncle for his first film, Jugnu. The film’s hero, Dilip Kumar whom he knew as Suraj, died at the end and the young boy cried all the way back home.

But a few months later, he spotted Suraj again on the posters of Shaheed (1948) and coaxed his uncle to take him for the film. On screen, he was amazed to see Suraj resurrected as Ram, fighting his father and the British, before dying a second time.

This time he returned home bemused and asked his mother how many times a man could die. In response to her “once” he prodded, “What if he dies twice?” To that beeji had replied, “Then he is a farishta, an angel.” That day Hari Krishna Goswami who was later rechristened Manoj Kumar for the silver screen, decided he was going to be a farishta too…. He went on to die a martyr’s death on screen.

Kamini Kaushal, who had played Dilip Kumar’s heroine in the 1948 film, played Manoj Kumar’s mother in the Shaheed that came 17 years later. The actress had retired and settled down to quiet domesticity since and was surprised when she discovered what Kumar had to offer. “You want me to play a mother?” she asked. “Not just any mother but Bhagat Singh’s mother,” he retorted. Kamini Kaushal agreed and shot for the film while being seven months pregnant.

The revolutionary’s real chaiji confided to the actor that he reminded her in many ways of the son she had lost to the freedom struggle and even started calling him Bhagat. She was at Rashtrapati Bhavan when Manoj Kumar walked up to receive his first National Award. He invited her up on stage and as the old lady dressed in white stepped in the dais, the auditorium erupted with thunderous applause. Reminisces the actor, “The standing ovation continued for a good 10 minutes.”

Indeed, some memories live on, forever.