Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar is no more. Born in the year 1937, the versatile actor breathed his last earlier today. Writing a tribute to the departed soul, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as an "icon of Indian cinema, who was particularly remembered for his patriotic zeal, which was also reflected in his films".
Manoj Kumar's 1967 directorial, Upkar, won a National Award. There is an interesting backstory behind the acclaimed patriotic movie. Upkar, set in the backdrop of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, was the result of a request made by then-PM, Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Going into details, it was Shastri who asked Manoj Kumar to "create a film based on the popular slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kissan". Manoj, who was inclined to make movies with patriotic themes, obliged. The film emerged as an all-time blockbuster. The Government of India feted the movie with the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film.
'Mere Desh Ki Dharti', a chartbuster from Upkar, was popular for decades. The popular song won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer (Mahendra Kapoor).
Manoj Kumar's Upkar was remade in Telugu as Padipantalu nearly nine years later.
