'I came To Films To Earn RS 3 Lakh'

Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and I were inseparable while we struggled together.

- 

When a disillusioned Dharmendra was packing his bags to return home, I prevailed upon him to give himself two months. Five days later, he was signed for Shola Aur Shabnam and I signed Picnic.

Manoj Kumar's passion for films was evident in his famous repertoire as well as in his interactions.

An intelligent, literate man (he could cite literary works like Kamayani in the midst of a conversation), Manoj Kumar was also humble and easy-going.

Excerpts from the many interviews the actor did with the then Movie magazine(Global Movie Magazine) Editor Dinesh Raheja through the years, where he says, “My films dwelt on idealism and siddhants. You can't talk about patriotism in one moment and jump into bed with a woman in the second.”

As a child of the Partition of India, how did you develop this patriotic zeal which informs most of your famous films?

I was born on July 24, 1937 in Abbotabad, a military cantonment founded by Sir Abbot in the North West Frontier Province, now in Pakistan. We lived in Lahore but just before Indian independence from the British on August 15, 1947, we come to Delhi by train.

We stayed in a refugee camp in a single-room barrack. My mother was very sick and in hospital, my baby brother died.

On Independence Day, my father woke me up early and I saw Pandit Nehru hoisting our flag at the Red Fort.

My father, who had been crying in desolation at his many personal tragedies, clapped along with the huge crowd and shouted ‘Jai Hind’. The fact that my grief-stricken father could still be enthusiastic about our country’s freedom made me realise its importance.

As a 10 year old, the Red Fort had another significance for me. Since Partition had uprooted me from my house at such a tender age, I yearned for the streets of Lahore.