RIP Manoj Kumar: Shah Rukh Khan pays tribute to India's patriotic hero; says, 'You will always be Bharat...'

Manoj Kumar is no more. One of the legends of Indian cinema, Manoj Kumar passed away at the age of 87. Born in pre-partition India as Harikrishna Giri Goswami, Manoj Kumar did his studies from Delhi. Late Bollywood icon Dilip Kumar was his inspiration. Manoj Kumar has been the recipient of all major Indian films awards like National Award and Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Bollywood and TV celebs have mourned his demise. Manoj Kumar was battling age-related issues since a long time. Shah Rukh Khan took to X, formerly Twitter to pay his tribute to the late legend. He wrote, “Manoj Kumar ji made films that uplifted our country, our cinema, and focused on unity with unmatched sincerity. A legend in every sense. His films shaped an era and left a mark on our cinema. Thank you, sir. You will always be ‘Bharat’ to us.”

Manoj Kumar ji made films that uplifted our country, our cinema, and focused on unity with unmatched sincerity. A legend in every sense.

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Fans will remember how Manoj Kumar was furious seeing his parody in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om (2007). He had filed a case of Rs 100 crores. Later, Shah Rukh Khan apologized to the legend. Manoj Kumar then withdrew the case. Shah Rukh Khan told the media, “I was completely wrong...If he is hurt, I apologise. I called him in the afternoon, and the first thing he said to me was 'it is no big deal, son.'”

Stars like Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Akshay Kumar also paid rich tributes to Manoj Kumar. His films have a deep resonance with every Indian. The songs from his patriotic movies are played till date on Republic Day and Independence Day.