Manoj Kumar, a renowned actor and filmmaker, died on Friday at the age of 87 at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. He had been ill for some time and was admitted to the hospital on February 21 as his condition deteriorated.

Dr. Santosh Shetty, CEO and Executive Director of Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, said in an official release, “Veteran actor Shri Manoj Kumarji died peacefully at the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital early this morning at around 3:30 AM, due to age-related health concerns. He had been hospitalized for several weeks.”

The renowned actor was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992 for his contributions to Bollywood. In 2015, he received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which established his legend even further. He was well-known as ‘Bharat Kumar‘ for his nationalistic flicks.

He created a name for himself with classics such as Shaheed, ‘Hariyali Aur Raasta’, ‘Woh Kaun Thi’, ‘Himalaya Ki God Mein’, ‘Do Badan’, ‘Patthar Ke Sanam’, ‘Neel Kamal’, and ‘Kranti’, ‘Upkar’, ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan’, and countless other films that are recognized as outstanding works of cinema.

Manoj Kumar, born Harikrishan Giri Goswami on July 24, 1937, in Amritsar, Punjab, has carved out a position for himself in Bollywood.

Aside from the Padma Shri and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Manoj Kumar’s contributions to Indian film garnered him other significant awards, including a National Film Award and 7 Filmfare Awards in various categories.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on social media, saying he was extremely saddened by the departure of the great actor and filmmaker. PM Modi stated that his works inspired a sense of national pride. He stated in a post on X, “Deeply saddened by the passing of legendary actor and filmmaker Shri Manoj Kumar Ji.” He was an icon of Indian cinema, well known for his nationalistic passion, which was mirrored in his films.

“Manoj Ji’s works inspired a sense of national pride and will continue to inspire future generations. In this hour of sadness, my thoughts are with his family and admirers. “Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister added.

Akshay Kumar commented on how he grew up learning from Manoj Kumar that there is “no emotion like love and pride for our country,” a notion that the renowned actor eloquently embodied in his patriotic movies. The Khiladi star stressed the necessity of performers taking the lead while depicting such emotions.

He took to his X Handle to share a black and white photo of the iconic 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.”