As a young man, he admired Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Kamini Kaushal and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar, after the character of Dilip in Shabnam (1949).
After making a noticeable debut in fashion in 1957, Manoj landed his first lead role in Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960) against Saida Khan. Piya Milan Ki Aas and Reshmi Roomal followed, setting the stage for Hariyali Aur Raasta (1962) led by Vijay Bhatt in front of Mala Sinha. Kumar then appeared with Sadhana in Raj Khosla's Woh Kaun Thi (1964), and found Vijay Bhatt and Mala Sinha in Himalaya Ki God Mein (1965).
Manoj Kumar and Raj Khosla reiterated their partnership with the director Do Badan, who is remembered for many reasons, including the leadership of Raj Khosla, Manoj Kumar and the excellent histrionic staging of the heroine Asha Parekh, an exceptional music by Ravi and immortal songs by songwriter Shakeel Badayuni, among others.
In the 1960s, his blockbuster films included such romantic films as Honeymoon, Apna Banake Dekho, Naqli Nawab, Paththar Ke Sanam, Sajan and Sawan Ki Ghata, and social films such as Shaadi, Grihasti, Apne Huwe Paraye, Pehchaan, and Aadmi. thrillers like Gumnaam, Anita, and Woh Kaun Thi.
Kumar's image as a patriotic hero began with the 1965 film Shaheed, based on the life of Bhagat Singh, the independence revolutionary. 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 (salute the soldier, salute the farmer).
The result was the opum magnum and Kumar's first film, Upkaar (1967). In this one, he played both a soldier and a farmer. The film was also noticed for the famous song "Mere Desh Ki Dharti", written by Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor. Upkaar was a success and won Kumar's first Filmfare Best Director award.
In the mid-1970s, Kumar starred in three blockbuster films; Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) which was a social commentary, featuring a cast of all actors, including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan, which earned him his second Filmfare Award for Best Director; Sanyasi (1975) had Kumar and Hema Malini in the lead roles of a religious comedy-themed; and Dus Numbri (1976) also gave the best rating to Kumar and Hema.
In 1981, Kumar reached the peak of his career when he had the opportunity to lead his idol, Dilip Kumar, as well as Kranti, a story about the struggle for independence of India in the 19th century. Kranti was the last successful film of his career. He also starred in the movie Punjabi Jat Punjabi.
Leats Read: Salman Khan, Bollywood Badsha, Pooja Hegde, Rakul Preeti,
Vijay Devarakonda
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