On Manoj Kumar’s 81st birthday, here’s looking at some rare photos of the patriotic hero

In a career spanning over six decades, Manoj Kumar has been primarily known as the patriotic hero. After the 1965 war, PM Lal Bahadur Shastri asked Manoj to create a film on the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. The result was the 1967 film Upkar that was loved by the masses. (Source: Photo by Express Archive)

Manoj Kumar was named Harikishan Giri Goswami at birth. He changed his name to Manoj Kumar after watching Dilip Kumar's character in the film Shabnam. (Source: Photo by Express Archive)

Manoj Kumar became known as the patriotic hero after his film Shaheed in 1965. (Source: Photo by Express Archive)

Manoj Kumar was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema in 2016. (Source: Photo by Express Archive)

In 1992, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India. (Source: Photo by Express Archive)

His last film appearance was in the 1995 film Maidan-E-Jung. (Source: Photo by Express Archive)