Bollywood’s Bharat Kumar, veteran actor Manoj Kumar, died on Friday morning at the age of 87. The veteran actor had a stellar career where he monopolised patriotic films in Hindi cinema and broke new boundaries in what films could achieve. While he is best remembered for evergreen classics like Poorab Aur Paschim and Upkar in the 60s, his biggest hit came much later, and changed the way Hindi cinema worked outside the theatres.
When Manoj Kumar rewrote box office records
Manoj Kumar entered cinema as an actor when he was barely 20 in 1957, but did not find success as a hero until much later. His first hit was Hariyali Aur Rasta in 1962, but it was the 1965 blockbuster Shaheed that made him a star. This also encouraged him to do more patriotic films. He turned director with Upkar (1967) and later made Purab Aur Paschim (1970) and Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974). While all these films were grand hits, the best was yet to come. In 1981, Manoj directed his biggest film yet – Kranti.
The period actioner was a multi-starrer, featuring Manoj Kumar alongside Hema Malini, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, and Shatrughan Sinha. But more importantly, it marked Dilip Kumar‘s return to the big screen after a five-year hiatus. The veteran had not delivered a hit in nearly a decade at that point. Kranti was a smash hit, emerging as the biggest hit of the year and the decade. Kranti grossed ₹20 crore worldwide, beating marks set by even Sholay and Mother India in the north. In Delhi-UP, the biggest film territory in India, the film earned ₹3 crore, a mark that stood for 13 years.
How Kranti helped Dilip Kumar
In the 50s and 60s, Dilip Kumar had ruled the Bollywood box office like nobody had before, earning the tag of superstar. But after Aadmi and Sunghursh failed to work at the box office in 1968, Dilip Kumar’s slump began. In the 70s, he worked in box office disappointments like Dastaan (1972), Sagina (1974), and Bairaag (1976). His only hit in the decade was Gopi (1970). After Bairaag’s failure, Dilip Kumar took a semi-retirement from acting and was only coaxed to return by Manoj Kumar for Kranti. The film’s success revived the superstar’s career, helping him embark on a stupendous second innings, where he gave blockbusters like Shakti, Vidhaata (both 1982), Mashaal (1984), Karma (1986), and Saudagar (1991). In the 80s, Dilip Kumar – who was in his 60s by then – gave more highest-grossers than even Amitabh Bachchan in his peak.
How Kranti changed Bollywood’s merch game
Kranti was a pop culture sensation in its era. The film’s craze was such that in places like Delhi, Rajasthan, UP and Haryana, there were shops selling Kranti T-shirts, jackets, vests and even underwear. While Sholay had started the trend of actors’ clothes being sold, merch with the film’s brand on them was new to India. Incidentally, none of it was authorised by the film team. The huge sale of these items forced many in Bollywood to think of merchandising for films, which eventually began in an organised manner in the 90s.
Manoj Kumar’s career after Kranti
Ironically, Kranti revived Dilip Kumar’s career but proved to be the last success of Manoj Kumar’s career. The actor, who was 44 then, never gave another hit. In the 80s and 90s, he worked in a series of flops like Kalyug Aur Ramayan, Santosh, Clerk, and Deshwasi. After his 1995 film – Maidaan-e-Jung – also filed, Manoj Kumar retired from acting at the age of 58. He directed his son Kunal in Jai Hind, his last outing in Hindi cinema. Since 1999, he lived in Mumbai away from the world of Bollywood.
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