‘Patriots And Artists Like Him Never Die’

‘He
will
eternally
be
remembered
as
Mr
Bharat
for
always
reminding
us
about

roti,
kapada
aur
kisaan.
Our
integrity
and
patriotism.
Our
culture
and
our
roots.’

Bollywood
took
to
social
media
to
say
goodbye
to
Manoj
Kumar


who
passed
away
on
April
4,
2025.

Madhur
Bhandarkar:
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

Akshay
Kumar:
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

Kushboo
Sundar:
Extremely
saddened
at
the
demise
of
a
legendary
actor
and
filmmaker,
Dadasaheb
Phalke
recipient,
Shri
#ManojKumar
Saab.

He
will
eternally
be
remembered
as
Mr
Bharat
for
always
reminding
us
about

roti,
kapada
aur
kisaan.
Our
integrity
and
patriotism.
Our
culture
and
our
roots.
You
will
be
missed
sorely
Sir.
Rest
in
peace.

Manoj
Bajpayee:
With
the
loss
of
Manoj
Kumar
Sahab,
we
bid
farewell
to
a
pillar
of
Hindi
cinema.
His
art
celebrated
the
spirit
of
India
like
no
other.
Deepest
condolences
to
his
family
and
countless
admirers.

Karan
Johar:
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
filmmakers
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.

Farhan
Akhtar:

Woh
Kaun
Thi,
Gumnaam,
Shaheed,
Upkar,
Purab
aur
Paschim,
Kranti..
the
list
goes
on
and
on
..
thank
you
for
the
entertainment
and
for
inspiring
generations
that
followed
you.
RIP
Manoj
Kumarji.

Ajay
Devgn:
Manoj
Kumarji
was
not
just
a
cinematic
icon
—
he
was
a
personal
milestone
in
my
family’s
journey.
He
gave
my
father,
Veeru
Devgan,
his
very
first
break
as
an
action
director
in

Roti
Kapda
Aur
Makaan.
From
there,
their
collaboration
continued
all
the
way
to

Kranti,
creating
moments
that
are
now
part
of
Indian
cinema’s
golden
history.

Manojji‘s
films
—

Upkar,
Purab
Aur
Paschim,
Shor,
Kranti,
they
weren’t
just
films…
they
were
national
emotions.
His
creative
genius,
unwavering
patriotism,
and
storytelling
depth
set
a
benchmark
that
very
few
have
matched.

As
Indian
cinema
bids
farewell
to
its
Bharat
Kumar
—
a
storyteller,
a
patriot,
and
a
legend.
I
also
wish
to
say
thank
you
for
shaping
my
father’s
journey
and
for
inspiring
countless
storytellers
like
me.
Your
legacy,
Manojji,
is
eternal.
Om
Shanti.

Vivek
Ranjan
Agnihotri:
India’s
first
truly
original
and
committed
Indic
filmmaker,
Dadasaheb
Phalke
awardee
Shri
Manoj
Kumarji,
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.
अन्य
कलाकार
मृत्यु
को
प्राप्त
होते
हैं,
पर
देशभक्त
कलाकार
कालजयी
होते
हैं।

Sudhir
Mishra:

EK
PYAR
KA
NAGHMA
HAI
(Version
1)
–

Shor
(1972)
Lata
Mangeshkar,
Mukesh.
Keep
listening
to
this
n
remember
Manoj
Kumar.
Very
few
people
knew
the
art
of
song
picturisation
better
than
him.
The
camera
and
the
music
were
joined
at
the
hip.
RIP.

Subhash
Ghai:
BYE
BYE
MANOJ
JEE
The
legendary
film
maker
of
India
who
influenced
patriotism
thru
his
cinema
thru
his
charismatic
presentation
of
poetry
songs
drama
n
master
craftsmanship
of
camera
movements.
In
our
generation
we
were
his
fans
n
admired
his
sense
of
patriotism
n
cinematic
expression

I
personally
learnt
a
lot
from
him
as
a
film
maker
n
person
both.
Can’t
forget
how
he
used
to
inspire
me
always
after
watching
my
films.

Not
only
we
but
whole
nation
will
miss
u
manoj
ji
#R
I
P.
Jai
Hind

Hansal
Mehta:
Manoj
Kumar
used
to
be
a
patient
of
my
grandfather,
and
I
have
blurry
memories
of
seeing
him
at
the
clinic.
Later,
like
Ashok
Kumar,
he
began
practicing
Homeopathy.

When
I
met
him
once,
he
said
warmly,
‘Doctor

saab
ka
pota
director

ban
gaya,
aur
dekho,
main
doctor

ban
gaya.’
Go
well
sir.

Photograph
curated
by
Satish
Bodas/Rediff.com