On Friday, April 4, 2025, Indian cinema lost one of its greatest actors, Manoj Kumar. At 87, he passed away at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. Manoj Kumar, fondly known as ‘Bharat Kumar’, touched millions of hearts with his patriotic films.
The agony of Partition: A painful childhood
Manoj Kumar was born in 1937 in Abbottabad (now in Pakistan) in undivided India. During the Partition, his family had to take refuge in Delhi. Sharing the painful experiences of his childhood, he had said, “I was furious after my brother’s death. I picked up a lathi. I even hit the nurses and doctors. My father held me back. The next day, we floated the body of my two-month-old brother in the Yamuna River. As it was going down, I felt I was drowning.”
He further said, “We were in the refugee camp. My mother was in Tis Hazari Hospital. Riots were going on. When the siren rang, the doctors and nurses would go underground. My mother was in pain, my brother was in pain. My mother was screaming to call the doctor. They all went underground. My mother screamed, my brother Kuku was gone.”
An incredible journey in cinema
Manoj Kumar’s film journey, which started from Delhi, reached Mumbai. At 19, he played the role of a 90-year-old beggar in the film ‘Fashion’. His memorable films include ‘Upkar’, ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ and ‘Kranti’. His patriotic films earned him the title of ‘Bharat Kumar’.
A journey of memories
Manoj Kumar had said in one of his interviews, “The person whose childhood has died is dead. Don’t let the childhood inside you die. That crying childhood got separated from Lahore, Janyala Sher Khan, and Abbottabad. That was a very crying childhood. Even today, when I think about it, my eyes may be controlled, but my heart cries. And the crying of the heart is horrible, very terrible.”