When Manoj Kumar openly criticised Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor’s film choices, 'they were greedy' for films

Dharmendra and Manoj Kumar

Veteran actor Manoj Kumar, who died on April 4, 2025, took a very different route in a field where celebrities frequently rush from one project to the next.

While contemporaries like Shashi Kapoor, Dharmendra, and Amitabh Bachchan starred in hundreds of films, Manoj made the deliberate decision to move slowly.

His appearances carried a weight and sincerity that few could match, but fans frequently had to wait months or even years for a new release.

Reflecting on his career in a candid conversation with journalist Subhash K. Jha, Manoj Kumar had once explained his philosophy.

“I am not a greedy film person, even as an actor. While my contemporaries Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor acted in nearly 300 films each, I've hardly done 35 films in my entire career,” he said.

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, after a few films like Kalyug Aur Ramayan, Santosh, and Clerk didn’t perform as expected, Manoj gradually stepped away from acting. His last role came in 1995 with Maidan-E-Jung, and four years later, he directed Jai Hind, bringing his cinematic journey to a quiet, purposeful close.

Despite being celebrated as ‘Bharat Kumar’ for his patriotic roles, Manoj’s personal favourite was the emotional 1972 film Shor. “Shor in 1972. It was about a man and his son. I remember I had gone to sign Jaya Bhaduriji after seeing her in Guddi. I told her Shor is about a father and son. The son can't speak, and the father pines to hear him. But the day that the son speaks, the father can't hear any more. No Indian film had been made on such a thin storyline. And that is the only film I directed in which I was not named Bharat.” he shared, revealing a tender, deeply human side to the man whose on-screen image often felt larger than life.

Also Read: When Hema Malini asked Dharmendra for marriage saying 'You better marry me now, I just need some love'

Even Manoj’s entry into directing happened almost by accident. “I never intended to be a director in the first place. I became one by default when, during Shaheed, I had to direct the film unofficially… I give credit for my success to my parents,” he said. And yet, films like Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, and Kranti cemented his place in cinematic history.