Mumbai, April 4 (IANS) Actor Akshay Kumar has opened up about the most valuable lesson he learned from the late legendary actor Manoj Kumar.
In a heartfelt tribute, he spoke about the profound influence Manoj had on him, particularly in instilling a deep sense of love and pride for the country. Akshay reflected on how he grew up learning from Manoj Kumar that there is “no emotion like love and pride for our country,” a value that the iconic actor beautifully portrayed through his patriotic films. The Khiladi star emphasized the importance of actors taking the lead in portraying such emotions.
Taking to his X Handle, the ‘Airlift’ actor shared a black and white photo of the legendary filmmaker and captioned it, “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.”
Following the news of his demise, tributes have been pouring in from celebrities, fans, and fellow industry members. The film fraternity and admirers alike have expressed their deep sorrow, remembering Manoj Kumar’s immense contributions to Indian cinema and his patriotic legacy.
In his post, lyricist Manoj Muntashir acknowledged how Kumar’s work and patriotic spirit inspired him to express his own love for the country through his art. He wrote, “I have been and will always be proud of this, that my name matches you. The first lesson of patriotism was taught by your films. Love for India is something I learned from Bharat Kumar. If it weren’t for you, that spark wouldn’t have existed, which led my humble pen to write ‘Teri Mitti.’ Goodbye, my hero! Peace! #manojkumar.”
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri shared a heartfelt note that read, “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 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.”
Manoj Kumar, affectionately known as ‘Bharat Kumar,’ passed away on Friday at the age of 87 at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He had been admitted to the hospital on February 21, 2025, after his health significantly worsened.
