Late actor Manoj Kumar was known for his firm stand and no-nonsense attitude, and one of the highlights of his career has to be the time when he dragged Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to court. The incident happened back in 1975, when Gandhi declared Emergency in India, and the government banned his films in the country.
Kumar had shared that during Emergency, he was asked to direct a documentary by writer Amrita Pritam, but he refused to do it, and that is why the government decided to "take action" against him.
Post his refusal, his film Shor was banned by the Indira Gandhi government, citing the Emergency, and that is when Kumar decided to take the PM to the court.
He filed a suit against the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and he ultimately won the case in the court. Shor was eventually released later that year and it was critically acclaimed.
"My films were gradually banned from Doordarshan, but I did not give up and filed a court case against the government. After a lot of struggle, I won, and my decision was proved right," he said.
Several other celebs including Kishore Kumar, Dev Anand, and others also opposed the impact that the Emergency had on the film industry.
Manoj Kumar Death
Kumar breathed his last at the age of 87 at Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital on February 21 after his health deteriorated, and after over a month-long battle, he succumbed on Friday.
As per reports, Kumar died due to a massive heart attack. He had also been battling decompensated liver cirrhosis in recent months, which aggravated his poor health condition.
His last rites will reportedly be performed tomorrow morning in the presence of his family members and close friends.
