Hema Malini remembers Manoj Kumar: ‘Deshbhakti wasn’t a trope for him’

It breaks my heart to know Manoj ji is no longer with us. He was a fine person, and a true artiste. Unlike filmmakers today who make movies with other motives, he cared for the story of his films. Deshbhakti wasn’t just a trope for him. Many filmmakers make patriotic films because they want a Rajya Sabha ticket, not him. Nation-building was always his foremost agenda.

There was a time when distributors would line up for his movies. That was the power of his films. Manoj ji knew how to make his movies wholesome—there would be great songs, some romance, and sab elements mila ke achchhi film banate thhe. 

Hema Malini. Pic/Sameer Markande

I did many films with him [Sanyasi, Dus Numbri, Kranti, Santosh and Deshwasi]. Dus Numbri, in which I played a Goan woman, was a fun experience. The characters he wrote had quirks and humour but they never crossed the line. He was very respectful to women. 

The one thing I remember about him as a director is that he would take long shots. We’d all be scared thinking, Manoj ji ke saath kaam karna matlab woh lambe shots lenge. If a scene is 10-minute long, he would capture it in one take. He believed that [would bring out] the raw performance. If there were 10 actors in a scene, the camera would go to each actor. Since it was an elaborate shot, I had to cry on cue when the camera came to me. 

It’s a painstaking way to shoot, but that’s how passionate he was. Acting is not an easy job, but working with him made me realise how fulfilling it can be. The takeaway for filmmakers, who revisit his work today, [should be] that passion supersedes everything when making a movie.