Manoj Kumar

Manoj Kumar (born Harikishan Giri Goswami; 24 July 1937), also known as Bharat Kumar, is an Indian actor and film director in Bollywood. He is remembered for his versatile performances in films like "Hariyali Aur Raasta", "Woh Kaun Thi?", "Himalay Ki God Mein", "Do Badan", "Upkar", "Patthar Ke Sanam", "Neel Kamal", "Purab Aur Paschim", "Beimaan", "Roti Kapda Aur Makaan", "Dus Numbri", Shor, "Sanyasi", and "Kranti". He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes.
In 1992, he was awarded with the Padma Shri by the Government of India. India's highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, was awarded to him in 2015.
Early life.
Kumar was born in Abbottabad, a town in the North-West Frontier Province, British India (now in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). His original birth name was Harikishan Giri Goswami. When he was 10, his family had to migrate from Jandiala Sher Khan to Delhi due to the Partition. His family lived as refugees in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Old Rajendra Nagar area of New Delhi.
After graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi, he decided to enter the film industry.
Career.
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".
After making a little-noticed début in "Fashion" in 1957, Kumar landed his first leading role in "Kaanch Ki Gudia" (1960) opposite Saida Khan. "Piya Milan Ki Aas" and "Reshmi Roomal" followed, setting the stage for the Vijay Bhatt-directed "Hariyali Aur Raasta" (1962) opposite Mala Sinha. Kumar then appeared with Sadhana in Raj Khosla's "Woh Kaun Thi" (1964), and reunited with Vijay Bhatt and Mala Sinha in "Himalaya Ki God Mein" (1965). Kumar and Raj Khosla repeated their successful actor-director partnership with the film "Do Badan", which was remembered for many reasons, including Raj Khosla's direction, Kumar and the heroine Asha Parekh's performance and songs written by the lyricist Shakeel Badayuni, among others.
Film work.
In the 1960s his successful films included romantic films like "Honeymoon", "Apna Banake Dekho", "Naqli Nawab", "Paththar Ke Sanam", "Sajan" and "Sawan Ki Ghata" and social films such as "Shaadi", "Grihasti", "Apne Huwe Paraye", and "Aadmi" and thrillers such as "Gumnaam", "Anita", and "Woh Kaun Thi" and comedy film like "Picnic".
Kumar's starred in 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" (hail the soldier, hail the farmer).
The result was Kumar's directorial debut "Upkaar" (1967). In this award-winning film, he played both a soldier and a farmer. The film was also noted for the famous song "Mere Desh Ki Dharti", written by Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor. "Upkaar" was declared a blockbuster and won him his first Filmfare Best Director Award.
He returned to patriotic themes in "Purab Aur Paschim" (1970), in which life in the East and West are juxtaposed. The film "Pehchaan" directed by Sohanlal Kanwar had Kumar opposite Babita and was successful.
In 1972, he starred in "Be-Imaan" (for which he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award) and later directed and starred in "Shor" (1972). The latter, opposite Nanda, was not a huge box office success on its release, but has gained cult status over the years. 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.
He consistently liked working with actors Prem Nath, Pran, Prem Chopra, Kamini Kaushal and Hema Malini in his career. His closest friends from the industry included Raj Kapoor, Mukesh, Mahendra Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rajendra Kumar, Shashi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna. 
Peak of his career.
In the mid-1970s Kumar starred in three hit films; "Roti Kapda Aur Makaan" (1974) which was a social commentary, featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. He won his second Filmfare Award for Best Director for the film Roti Kapda Makan. "Sanyasi" (1975),a religious-themed comedy, had Kumar and Hema Malini in the lead roles and film was hugely successful. "Dus Numbri" (1976) also gave Kumar, Pran, Prem Nath and Hema top billing.
In 1981, Kumar reached the peak of his career when he got the opportunity to direct his idol, Dilip Kumar, as well as to star in "Kranti", a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. "Kranti" was the last notable successful Hindi film in his career. He also starred in the hit Punjabi film "Jat Punjabi".
Later career.
After "Kranti" in 1981, Kumar's career began to decline, when the films he did with him in lead role like Kalyug Aur Ramayan in 1987 and later Clerk in 1989 failed at the box office. In 1989, he cast Pakistani actors Mohammad Ali and Zeba in his film "Clerk". He quit acting after his appearance in the 1995 film "Maidan-E-Jung". He directed his son, Kunal Goswami, in the 1999 film "Jai Hind" which had a patriotic theme. The film was a flop and was the last film Kumar worked on.
He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 for a career spanning over 40 years.
His trademark hand-covering-the-face was very popular and continues to be the butt of jokes of latter day stand-up comedians. In 2007, the Shah Rukh Khan film "Om Shanti Om" featured the lead character pretending to be Manoj Kumar so as to sneak into a movie premiere, by holding his hand over his face. Kumar filed a lawsuit, which was settled out of court.
Politics.
Like many other Bollywood stars, Kumar decided to enter politics following his retirement. Before the 2004 general election in India, he officially joined BJP
Personal life.
Manoj Kumar is married to Shashi Goswami (originally from Jodhkan, Sirsa district, Haryana). He has two sons, Vishal and Kunal. Vishal attempted a career as a singer and Kunal, an actor. His brother, Rajiv Goswami, also entered the film industry, but none were able to gain a footing in Bollywood.
Awards.
Filmfare Awards.
Winner
Nominated