Bollywood lost one of its towering legends early Friday, April 4, 2025, when actor and filmmaker Manoj Kumar passed away at 87 in Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. The news swept through India and beyond—Kumar, dubbed “Bharat Kumar” for his patriotic films, died at 3:30 AM IST after a long battle with health issues.
The end came quietly. Kumar’s son, Kunal Goswami, told reporters outside the hospital Friday morning, “He’d been fighting health problems for years. It’s God’s grace he went peacefully.” Medical reports pinned the cause on cardiogenic shock from a severe heart attack, worsened by decompensated liver cirrhosis he’d struggled with for months. Admitted February 21 after his condition worsened, Kumar spent his final weeks under care with his family by his side. His last rites are set for Saturday, April 5, at noon at Pawan Hans Crematorium in a private ceremony, with relatives flying in from abroad.
Born Harikrishan Giri Goswami on July 24, 1937, in Abbottabad—now in Pakistan—Kumar’s life was forged in the fires of Partition. At 10, his Punjabi Hindu Brahmin family fled to Delhi as refugees, settling in Old Rajendra Nagar. Inspired by Dilip Kumar’s performance in Shabnam, he took the name Manoj and chased a dream that started with a BA from Hindu College and ended in Bollywood legend status. His cousin, Manish R. Goswami, said Friday, “This is the end of an era of true patriotism in films. The whole country feels it.”
Kumar’s career kicked off with a blink-and-miss debut in 1957’s Fashion, playing an 80-year-old at just 20. Early flops didn’t stick, but 1962’s Hariyali Aur Rasta and 1964’s Woh Kaun Thi? established him. Then came 1965’s Shaheed, where he played Bhagat Singh, followed by a call from Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to make a film on “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.” That film became Upkar in 1967—his directorial debut and a blockbuster that earned him a National Film Award and the “Bharat Kumar” moniker. Its anthem, Mere Desh Ki Dharti, still echoes every Republic Day.
The 1960s and ‘70s were Kumar’s golden era. Purab Aur Paschim (1970) tackled East-West cultural divides, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) addressed inflation and unemployment, and Kranti (1981), which he directed and co-starred in with his idol Dilip Kumar, dramatized India’s freedom fight. All were massive box office hits. He won seven Filmfare Awards, a Padma Shri in 1992, and India’s highest film honor, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in 2015. “He wasn’t just an actor; he was a movement,” filmmaker Ashoke Pandit said Friday. “The lion of Bollywood.”
His personal life was grounded amid the stardom. Married to Shashi Goswami, Kumar had two sons—Vishal and Kunal, whom he tried to launch in 1999’s Jai Hind. He stepped back from acting after 1995’s Maidan-E-Jung, as back and liver problems slowed him down. Still, he stayed a fierce patriot—once selling his Juhu bungalow to fund Kranti, a gamble that paid off with a golden jubilee run.
Friday’s news hit hard. PM Modi posted, “Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Manoj Kumar Ji. He was an icon whose films ignited national pride and will inspire generations. Om Shanti.” With two throwback photos—one young, one old—Modi captured Kumar’s legacy in one post. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote, “His performances in Upkar and Purab Aur Paschim enriched our culture. His legacy lives on.” Actor Ajay Devgn, whose father worked with Kumar, said, “He was a milestone for my family—a true patriot.”
The film world mourns. “It’s a great loss,” Ashoke Pandit told ANI. “He was full of life, always happy. We’ll miss that soul.” Cousin Manish Goswami added, “The era of patriotic cinema ends today.” Kumar appeared eight times on Box Office India’s “Top Actors” list between 1967 and 1976 and was named to Outlook India’s “75 Best Bollywood Actors” in 2022. Not all was golden—his 1987 film Kalyug Aur Ramayan, cut by censors, was a rare misfire—but his hits defined a generation.
In the end, Kumar’s final years were quiet and difficult. “He’s out of misery now,” said son Kunal. While Saturday’s cremation will be private, India’s goodbye is loud—through songs, screens, and memories. “Mere Desh Ki Dharti” will echo for decades, wherever the tricolor flies.