“All my colleagues are going one by one. It makes you wonder who is next,” added the veteran star with a heavy heart, while she still tried to process the news of Manoj Kumar’s demise.
Fondly called ‘Bharat Kumar,’ the late actor and Asha Parekh shared a special bond as she was a part of his first directorial venture. Reminiscing those days, the actress shared, “We always knew he had it in him. He used to be very active behind the camera, even when he was just an actor.”
Manoj Kumar will forever be Bharat for generations of filmgoers, an actor-filmmaker who framed his patriotism in celluloid just as a nascent India was coming into its own and beginning to realise its dreams and potential.
It was a fortuitous happenstance for the filmmaker who channelled his Partition angst to tell stories of an evolving India in films such as Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim and Roti, Kapda aur Makaan in the mid 1960s and 1970s. They were all blockbusters, finding a ready audience at the time and each helping carve a niche all his own.
Veteran Bollywood actor Asha Parekh was recently honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for her contribution to Indian cinema. The actor featured in 95 films in a career spanning over five decades. Some of her most memorable films included titles such as Dil Deke Dekho, Kati Patang, Teesri Manzil, Baharon Ke Sapne, Pyar Ka Mausam, and Caravan. In a recent interview, the actor recalled working with Dev Anand in Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai and Manoj Kumar in Do Badan.
