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Regarded as one of the greatest movie stars in Indian cinema history, Manoj Kumar passed away at the age of 87 on Friday. He became synonymous with patriotic films, and for standing up against authoritarianism during the Emergency. Born Harikrishna Giri Goswami in present-day Pakistan, he adopted the stage name Manoj Kumar. But do you know the story behind how he chose this name?
During his younger years, he admired actors Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Kamini Kaushal. He adopted the name Manoj Kumar purely because he was a fan of Dilip Kumar. Incidentally, Dilip Kumar was also a stage name, as the legendary star was originally Yusuf Khan. Manoj Kumar was so inspired by his idol’s character in the 1949 film Shabnam that he decided to name himself ‘Manoj’.
He went on to added, “Maine kai filmon me kaam kiya, mujhe nahi pata kis kis film me mera kya naam tha, Dilip sahab ne kai filmon mein kaam kiya unko bhi nahi pata ki kis film mein kya naam tha. Toh main shabash deta hun aapne uss bachpan ko jisne ye sooch liya (I have worked in many films, I do not remember what my names were in all of them. Dilip sahab worked in many films, and he doesn’t remember either. I look back in wonder at my innocent childhood, that I could have thought like this).”
Manoj Kumar passed away at the age of 87 in Mumbai on Friday. The veteran actor was reportedly admitted to the hospital after suffering heart-related complications. According to the hospital’s medical certificate, the secondary cause of death was “decompensated liver cirrhosis.”
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