Courtroom to Respect: Shah Rukh Khan Pays Tribute to Manoj Kumar
Shah Rukh Khan recalls Manoj Kumar's undisputed legacy years later, past their Om Shanti Om debacle, describing him "a legend in every sense."
Veteran filmmaker and actor Manoj Kumar, popularly called “Bharat Kumar,” died in Mumbai. Shah Rukh Khan gave Kumar his due in a heartfelt tribute, reminiscing about Kumar’s legacy and past Om Shanti Om controversy.
New Delhi —
Veteran actor and filmmaker Manoj Kumar, fondly known as “Bharat Kumar,” passed away on Friday morning at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He was 87.
In response to the news of his passing away, Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan gave a poignant tribute on X (formerly Twitter). Recalling Kumar’s iconic role in Indian cinema, SRK posted, “Manoj Kumar ji made movies that lifted our nation, our cinema, and emphasized ongetherness with unparalleled honesty. A legend in all possible ways. His films defined an era and created a mark in our cinema. Thank you, sir. You will always be ‘Bharat’ to us.”
Ironically, the career of Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Kumar had not been entirely congenial. Farah Khan‘s 2007 retro-themed hit Om Shanti Om contained a spoof sequence in which Manoj Kumar’s stereotypical hand-over-forehead gesture was made light of. Shah Rukh‘s on-screen persona Om Prakash Makhija, in an effort to sneak into a film premiere, impersonates Manoj Kumar, resulting in a slapstick sequence that enraged the veteran star.
Even though Kumar’s team didn’t object to the removal of the sequence, as requested by him, the issue again arose in 2013 when Om Shanti Om was re-released in Japan with the spoof scene included. Manoj Kumar subsequently filed a Rs 100 crore defamation case against Shah Rukh Khan and Eros International, alleging disrespect and breach of earlier agreements.
Manoj Kumar had spoken out in disappointment at the time: “The film was released in Japan without removing those scenes. I had forgiven them twice but not this time. They have disrespected me.” Kumar later dropped the case, although he conceded that the court case did not achieve the accountability he had hoped for.
Born Harikrishan Goswami on 24 July 1937 in Abbottabad (now Pakistan), Manoj Kumar went on to become an abiding icon of nationalism in Indian cinema. His performances in legendary movies such as Shaheed, Upkar, and Purab Aur Paschim made him the “Bharat Kumar.”
Apart from performing, Kumar‘s directorial undertakings, such as Upkar (1967) — which received the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film and Purab Aur Paschim (1970) and Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), established him as a trailblazer in Indian cinema.
The passing of Manoj Kumar is the end of an era for Indian cinema, but his legacy of patriotism and cinematic perfection will inspire generations to come.
