Legendary veteran star, Manoj Kumar, who was best known for his patriotic movies, passed away at 87 in Mumbai’s Kokilaben Ambani Hospital at 3.30 am on April 4, 2025. Manoj was known for his work in movies like Shaheed, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, Upkar and Kranti. He was fondly called ‘Bharat Kumar’. However, did you know Manoj had a fear of flights? Despite starting his journey in movies at a young age, Manoj always had a fear of flights, and that was another reason why, during a shoot in London, he reached the shoot location by ship.
Indians going abroad and schooling their Western and westernised counterparts about ‘real’ values and achievements has long been Bollywood gold, from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to Namastey London. But the East-vs-West clash, with its patriotic battle cries, can be traced back to Manoj Kumar as the not-so-subtly named Bharat in the 1970 hit Purab Aur Paschim.
Filmmaker Madhuri Bhandarkar on Friday remembered the iconic legacy of Manoj Kumar, the celebrated Indian actor who died on April 4. In an exclusive chat with India Today, the National Award-winning director shared his earliest memories of the legendary actor and how he inspired a whole generation of NRIs to come back to India with his 1970 film ‘Purab Aur Paschim’.Â
