Manoj Kumar Popular Books

Manoj Kumar Biography & Facts

Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishan Goswami; 24 July 1937) is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname Bharat Kumar. He is the recipient of a National Film Award and seven Filmfare Awards, in varied categories. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1992 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2016 by the Government of India for his contribution to Indian cinema and arts. Early life Kumar was born into a Punjabi Hindu Brahmin family in Abbottabad, a town in the North-West Frontier Province, British India (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). His birth name is Harikrishan Giri Goswami. When he was 10, his family migrated from Jandiala Sher Khan to Delhi due to the Partition. Kumar pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hindu College before trying his luck in films. When he was young, he admired actors Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Kamini Kaushal and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar, after Dilip Kumar's character in Shabnam. Career 1957-1964: Debut and rise to prominence After making a little-noticed début in Fashion (1957), followed by forgettable roles in films like Sahara (1958), Chand (1959) and Honeymoon (1960), he landed his first leading role in Kaanch Ki Gudiya (1961). Piya Milan Ki Aas (1961), Suhag Sindoor (1961), Reshmi Roomal (1961) followed, but the majority of these sank without a trace. The first success came in 1962 with Vijay Bhatt's Hariyali Aur Rasta opposite Mala Sinha. The film was a critical and commercial hit. This was followed by - Shaadi (1962), Dr. Vidya (1962) and Grahasti (1963), all of which were moderately successful at the box office. His breakthrough came with Raj Khosla's mystery thriller Woh Kaun Thi? in 1964. The film emerged a superhit, which was attributed to its watertight screenplay and melodious songs, such as "Lag Jaa Gale" and "Naina Barse Rimjhim", both solos by Lata Mangeshkar. 1965-1981: Stardom 1965 was a big year for Kumar, as it initiated his rise to stardom. His first release was patriotic drama Shaheed, based on the life of Bhagat Singh, the Independence revolutionary. It received highly positive responses from critics as well as the then-Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri, and it was a hit at the box office. This was followed by romantic drama Himalay Ki God Mein, a blockbuster which made him a bankable star. In the month of December, Kumar scored another major hit with the mystery thriller Gumnaam. The success streak continued in 1966, when he reunited with Khosla for Do Badan alongside Asha Parekh. This film was remembered for Khosla's direction, Kumar's performance, and songs written by the lyricist Shakeel Badayuni (including "Raha Gardishon Mein", sung by Mohammed Rafi, and "Lo Aa Gayi Unki Yaad", a solo by Lata Mangeshkar). He delivered another hit that year in Shakti Samanta's Sawan Ki Ghata, performing opposite Sharmila Tagore. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri asked him to create a film based on the popular slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kissan ("Hail the soldier, hail the farmer"). The result was his directorial debut, the 1967 patriotic drama Upkar. The film topped the box office chart that year, and emerged as an All Time Blockbuster. Upkar received critical acclaim and its music was also highly successful, especially "Mere Desh Ki Dharti," which is played during Republic Day and the Independence Day of India. Upkar won him the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film as well as his first Filmfare Best Director Award. His next release, Patthar Ke Sanam again went on to become a major commercial success, but Anita opposite Sadhana flopped. In 1968, he co-starred alongside Raaj Kumar and Waheeda Rehman in Neel Kamal. The same year, he reunited with Rehman for Aadmi, which also had Dilip Kumar in the lead. Neel Kamal proved a superhit at the box office, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1968. Aadmi also did reasonable business, and was declared a semi-hit by the end of its run. The year 1969 saw the rise of Rajesh Khanna, who stormed the nation with back-to-back blockbusters in Aradhana and Do Raaste. His rise led to a career decline of many well-established artists, but Kumar and Dharmendra remained unaffected by Rajesh Khanna Mania and kept delivering huge hits. Kumar's only release of 1969 was Sajan co-starring Parekh. The film was a hit, and ranked tenth among the highest-grossing films of that year. He returned to patriotic themes in 1970 with Purab Aur Paschim, which juxtaposed life in the East and West. It proved to be a mega blockbuster both in India and overseas. In the United Kingdom, the film was released in 1971 and ran for over 50 weeks in London. It grossed £285,000 in the UK, equivalent to ₹2.5 million (US$332,252.41). It broke the UK box office record of Do Raaste, which had released in the UK a year earlier. Purab Aur Paschim held the UK record for 23 years, until it was finally broken by Hum Aapke Hain Kaun in 1994. His other releases of 1970 were Yaadgaar, Pehchan and Mera Naam Joker. While Yaadgaar was a box office failure, Pehchan (opposite Babita) proved a commercial success, and Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker (in which he had a supporting role) flopped at the time of release, but gained cult status with the passage of time and the growing visibility of Indian content in world cinema. After delivering a decent success with Balidaan in 1971, the following year, he starred in Sohanlal Kanwar's Be-Imaan and directed and starred in Shor. The latter, opposite Nanda, was not a huge box office success, but received critical acclaim. It featured the memorable song Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai, a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, which was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and written by Santosh Anand. Kumar won his first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in Be-Imaan, as well as a Filmfare Award for Best Editing for Shor. Kumar's peak came in the mid-1970s, when he delivered three huge blockbusters in a row. This started with the social drama Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, which he also directed. In addition to Kumar, the film starred Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman and Moushmi Chatterjee. Released on 18 October 1974, it emerged as the biggest hit of the year and was given the verdict of All Time Blockbuster by the end of its run. In 1975, Kumar reunited with Sohanlal Kanwar for Sanyasi which opened to excellent audience response, eventually emerging a blockbuster and taking 3rd spot at the box office. For his portrayal of a religious minded young man in the film, Kumar received his fourth and final nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Actor category. With the action crime film Dus Numbri in 1976, he completed his hat-trick of blockbusters. In 1977, he had two releases with Shirdi Ke Sai Baba and Amaanat. Neither film did well at the box office. After a year-long break, he star.... Discover the Manoj Kumar popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Manoj Kumar books.