What are some lesser known facts about the Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar?

 Not many know this, but Manoj Kumar, as iconic as he was as an actor, was an even more brilliant director, at least that's what I think.

Manoj Kumar with Dilip Kumar in Kranti (1981)

He made huge hit films that were loved by critics and did great business. Many of those films also had him as the hero 👇🏻

He started as 'poor man's Dilip Kumar' but became one of the finest actor directors of the masala era. He brought Dilip Kumar out of retirement with the blockbuster Kranti and revived Dilip’s career.

Jai Hind was his final film. It starred his son Kunal Goswami, Rishi Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, and Manisha Koirala in lead roles. The movie was cringe worthy with terrible production quality.

Manoj Kumar's films were mostly about patriotism, and he showed it in a grand and impressive style.

Manoj Kumar's signature style was hand on the mouth pose

Which was shown in a trolling way in Om Shanti Om, Manoj got very upset and he filed a case against it…

What is Manoj Kumar's real name, and why did he choose "Manoj Kumar" as his screen name?

 Manoj Kumar’s real name was Harikishan Giri Goswami. There is a reason why he chose, “Manoj Kumar”, as his screen-name.

Manoj Kumar was around eleven years old when he decided that if he becomes an actor he would change his name.

Manoj Kumar was about eleven years old when he watched Shabnam (1949). The film starred the legendary Dilip Kumar whose screen name was Manoj in the film.

The performance left such an profound impact on him that he decided that if he becomes an actor he would change his name to Manoj Kumar.

His admiration for Dilip Kumar came a full circle years later when he got an opportunity to direct and act alongside him in Kranti.

Image(s) Courtesy: Google