Legendary Actor Manoj Kumar Passes Away at 87

Veteran actor-director Manoj Kumar passed away on April 4, Friday, at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubai Ambani Hospital. He was 87 at the time of his demise. As per news agency ANI, Kumar suffered a cardiogenic shock following an acute myocardial infarction. He was already struggling with decompensated liver cirrhosis.

His son was quoted as saying, “It’s the grace of the god that he bid adieu to this world peacefully. His cremation will take place tomorrow.”

Soon after the news broke, Bollywood celebrities offered their heartfelt condolences. Akshay Kumar shared an old photo of the actor and wrote, “I grew up learning from him that there’s no emotion like love and pride for our country. And if we actors won’t take the lead in showing this emotion, who will? Such a fine person and one of the biggest assets of our fraternity. RIP Manoj Sir.”

I grew up learning from him that there’s no emotion like love and pride for our country. And if we actors won’t take the lead in showing this emotion, who will? Such a fine person, and one of the biggest assets of our fraternity. RIP Manoj Sir. Om Shanti ðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ pic.twitter.com/sr8U4Wkqgq

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) April 4, 2025

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri called him a proud nationalist and tweeted, “A proud nationalist. A staunch Hindu at heart. A visionary director who gave Indian cinema a new grammar — of song picturisation, of meaningful lyrics, of cinema that didn’t just entertain but remembered to belong. He made patriotism cinematic, without noise. He made nationalism poetic, without apology… In a time of borrowed voices and secondhand aesthetics, he dared to be rooted. Patriots and artists like him never die. They simply transcend — into memory, into celluloid, into the nation’s heartbeat.”

India’s first truly original and committed Indic filmmaker, Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Shri Manoj Kumar ji, left us today.

A proud nationalist.
A staunch Hindu at heart.
A visionary director who gave Indian cinema a new grammar — of song picturisation, of meaningful lyrics, of… pic.twitter.com/Te8PNBbIv5

— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) April 4, 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, offered condolences.

Deeply saddened by the passing of legendary actor and filmmaker Shri Manoj Kumar Ji. He was an icon of Indian cinema, who was particularly remembered for his patriotic zeal, which was also reflected in his films. Manoj Ji’s works ignited a spirit of national pride and will… pic.twitter.com/f8pYqOxol3

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 4, 2025

Who Was Manoj Kumar?

Born as Harikrishan Goswami, Kumar debuted in showbiz in 1957 with Fashion Brand and then did a couple of films such as Sahara, Chand and Honeymoon, where his role largely went unnoticed. In 1961, he landed his leading role in the film Kaanch Ki Gudiya. However, his next films also did not make a mark. His major commercial success came in 1962 with the film Hariyali Aur Rasta, in which he shared the screen with Mala Singh. Following the success of this film, he was seen in Shaadi, Dr Vidya and Grahasti – all of which went on to be box office successes. Raj Khosla’s mystery thriller, Woh Kaun Thi? further cemented his position in the industry.