Bollywood is mourning the loss of veteran actor Manoj Kumar, with Akshay Kumar and Karan Johar leading the tributes. Remembering him as a “legend” and “one of the biggest assets of our fraternity”, they are celebrating Manoj Kumar’s cinematic legacy, which they feel will continue to be cherished through his films. Also read: When Manoj Kumar revealed how he got the title of ‘Bharat Kumar’
Tributes pour in for Manoj Kumar
Actor Akshay Kumar paid tribute to Manoj Kumar, saying he learned from him the importance of love and pride for one’s country. Manoj Kumar had once praised Akshay Kumar, calling him as his successor in portraying patriotism on screen.
“I grew up learning from him that there’s no emotion like love and pride for our country. And if we actors won’t take the lead in showing this emotion, who will? Such a fine person, and one of the biggest assets of our fraternity. RIP Manoj Sir. Om Shanti,” Akshay tweeted.
Sharing a still from one of his films, director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri wrote, “India’s first truly original and committed Indic filmmaker, Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Shri Manoj Kumar ji, left us today. A proud nationalist. A staunch Hindu at heart. A visionary director who gave Indian cinema a new grammar — of song picturisation, of meaningful lyrics, of cinema that didn’t just entertain but remembered to belong. He made patriotism cinematic, without noise. He made nationalism poetic, without apology. In a time of borrowed voices and secondhand aesthetics, he dared to be rooted. Patriots and artists like him never die. They simply transcend — into memory, into celluloid, into the nation’s heartbeat”.
Actor Jackie Shroff condoled his passing by through folded hand and heartbreak emoji.
Madhur Bhandarkar took to X (formerly Twitter) to share some nostalgic photos from his meetings with Manoj Kumar. He remembered the actor’s immense contribution to Indian cinema, paying tribute to his career. He wrote, “I am saddened by the passing of the legendary actor & filmmaker, Manoj Kumar Sir, I had the privilege of interacting with him at many occasions , and he was truly an icon of Indian cinema. His storytelling & song picturizations in his films inspired national pride and will resonate for generations. My deepest condolences to his family members & admirers. #OmShanti”
Filmmaker Karan Johar posted a note on Instagram Stories to mourn the loss. He wrote, “Today we lost a Hindi cinema Legend… Shri Manoj Kumar…… It took me back to a screening of Kranti I saw as a child… sitting excitedly on the floor with other kids and a packed screening room of filmmaker’s and actors and industry giants… this was the ROUGH CUT of the film… a 4 hour long version…. Manojji was sharing his film at such an early stage seeking feedback… seeking opinions for his ambitious motion picture ……the film went on to create history at the box office”.
Manoj Kumar dies at 87
Manoj Kumar died at the age of 87 in Mumbai. According to ANI, he breathed his last at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital at 4:03 am on Friday. His mortal remains will be kept at his Juhu residence from Friday afternoon, allowing colleagues and fans to pay their final respects. The cremation is expected to take place on Saturday.
Manoj Kumar’s death was caused by a severe heart attack, according to his medical reports. He suffered from cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction. In the months leading up to his passing, Manoj Kumar had also been battling decompensated liver cirrhosis, which had taken a toll on his health.
Manoj Kumar was renowned for his patriotic films that struck a chord with the Indian audience. His iconic roles in films such as Shaheed, Upkar, and Purab Aur Paschim are still remembered fondly for evoking strong patriotic sentiments.
