समाचार

Manoj Kumar, the Indian actor-filmmaker best known for infusing the country with a brand of fervent nationalism through films like “Upkar” and “Purab Aur Paschim,” died April 4 in Mumbai. He was 87. He died of a heart attack caused by cardiogenic shock.

Born Harikrishan Goswami in Abbottabad, Kumar and his family relocated to Delhi after the Partition. He studied at Hindu College, Delhi University, before entering the film industry in the late 1950s.

After early screen roles in “Kaanch Ki Gudiya” (1961), “Hariyali Aur Raasta” (1962), and “Woh Kaun Thi?” (1964), Kumar’s performance as freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in “Shaheed” (1965) established him as a serious dramatic presence. But it was “Upkar” (1967)— a film he directed and starred in, inspired by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” — that cemented his on-screen persona as the face of patriotic cinema.

Nicknamed “Bharat Kumar” (India Kumar) for his commitment to patriotic themes,...

Mumbai, April 26: The Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards will be bestowed on singer Asha Bhosle, actress Mala Sinha, late filmmaker Yash Chopra, and late superstar Rajesh Khanna among several others at a ceremony here April 30.

Asha, who has regaled music lovers with her melodious voice in her over six decades old career, will receive the Phalke Ratna Award from the academy, while Mala Sinha, who has acted in "Pyaasa", "Maryada" and "Hariyali Aur Rasta" will get the Golden Era Award.

A special award has been reserved for the late Yash Chopra, who, in his dynamic career, emerged as one of the most iconic filmmakers of the country,.