On the 24th of July back in 1937, Harikishan Giri Goswami was born in Abbottabad.

20 years later he made his debut by the name of Manoj Kumar in a film called Fashion.

Legend has it that he chose his screen name after being inspired by his idol…

Dilip Kumar’s onscreen name in the 1949 film “Shabnam”!

Manoj landed his first leading role in Kaanch Ki Gudia in 1960, and followed it up…

with entertainers like “Piya Milan Ki Aas”, “Hariyali Aur Raasta” & “Woh Kaun Thi”. Manoj's really started to stand apart from the rest with Shaheed in 1965 The film was based on Bhagat Singh, & after watching it, India’s Prime Minister… Lal Bahadur Shastri asked him to create a film based on the slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kissan" The result was the magnum opus & Manoj’s directorial debut, “Upkar” The film was a huge hit & made him the authority on Bollywood patriotism In fact, Manoj was actually nicknamed Mr. Bharat by film buffs! His unique style of covering his face with one hand is well-known even today After trying various roles in the late 60’s, Manoj returned to patriotism with… Purab Aur Paschim. He carried on his winning formula with “Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan”, … “Sanyasi”, “Dus Numbri” & even directed his favorite Dilip Kumar in “Kranti”! Manoj’s last onscreen appearance came in “Maidan-E-Jung”, after which he tried to … revive his patriotic aura through his son Kunal Goswami by directing 99’s “Jai Hind” The film bombed, so he bowed out gracefully, & now concentrates on politics! Not many people know that acting & directing aren’t his only talents He personally designed the eye-catching posters for his film “Woh Kaun Thi”, & also… penned lines for himself in Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker When he was recently asked why he’d directed such few films in his career, he said… “Dogs litter, but a lioness delivers cubs”! Mr. Bharat obviously has a great sense of pride in his country & his own work… & on his 71st birthday, we at B4U are proud to call him one of Bollywood’s own!