{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "From 1965 to 1981, Manoj Kumar's Five Films Dominated the Box Office, and the Hema Malini Pairing Sealed the Biggest Hit of All",
  "summary": "Between 1965 and 1981, five Manoj Kumar films dominated the box office, with his pairing alongside Hema Malini in Kranti turning into the biggest earner of them all.",
  "content": "Manoj Kumar is one of the few Hindi cinema names whose sheer box office pull was strong enough to rewrite collection records almost on his own. Between 1965 and 1981, five of his films earned so well in theatres that they are still cited among the industry's biggest success stories today. What makes it more interesting is that despite being a bona fide superstar, he did not think twice before taking on just a cameo in one big film, a choice that says a lot about how grounded he stayed and how devoted he was to cinema itself, rather than to star billing.\n\nWhenever Manoj Kumar walked onto the screen in a theatre, audiences broke into applause almost on cue. Across a career spanning 68 years, he delivered a steady run of hits, super hits and blockbusters. He was not just a gifted actor either, he proved just as skilled behind the camera as a director. The five films that turned into box office sensations during this stretch are still talked about among cinema lovers even now.\n\nShaheed (1965): a story on Bhagat Singh that earned national honours\nThe first film in this run was Shaheed, released in 1965 and directed by S. Ram Sharma. Alongside Manoj Kumar, the film featured Kamini Kaushal, Nirupa Roy and Prem Chopra. Its story was built around the life of Bhagat Singh and his role in the freedom struggle. That patriotic theme pulled audiences into theatres in large numbers, and the film went on to earn extremely well at the box office. It was later honoured with the Nargis Dutt Award in the categories of Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Feature Film on National Integration, a recognition considered a major honour for any film of that era.\n\nUpkar (1967): Manoj Kumar turned director and created history\nTwo years later, in 1967, Manoj Kumar took charge as director himself and made Upkar. The cast included Asha Parekh, Prem Chopra and Pran. Made on a budget of around Rs 1.1 crore, the film stunned everyone by collecting Rs 7 crore at the box office, roughly seven times its cost. Upkar also picked up six Filmfare Awards, a clear sign of how strongly both audiences and critics responded to the story.\n\nNeel Kamal (1968): a second Filmfare win for Waheeda Rehman\nIn 1968, Raj Kumar's film Neel Kamal was released, with Manoj Kumar and Waheeda Rehman in the lead roles. The story was written by Gulshan Nanda, the screenplay was by Phani Majumdar, while the dialogues came from Kidar Sharma and Ila Maheshwari. Interestingly, the film shared the same core team as Kajal. Every performance in the film was widely praised, and Waheeda Rehman won the Filmfare Best Actress award for Neel Kamal, her second such win after Guide, another milestone in her career. The music for Neel Kamal was composed by Ravi, while the timeless songs were penned by Sahir Ludhianvi, and they are still heard today.\n\nPurab Aur Paschim (1970): a strong pairing with Saira Banu and Pran\nPurab Aur Paschim, released in 1970, saw Manoj Kumar once again handle both acting and direction. Saira Banu, Pran and Ashok Kumar also played key roles in the film. Made on a budget of about Rs 1.1 crore, it went on to earn Rs 4.5 crore at the box office, close to four times its cost, once again proving how much audiences connected with Manoj Kumar's stories built around patriotism and social themes.\n\nKranti (1981): the pairing with Hema Malini became the biggest hit of the decade\nThe last and highest earning film on this list was Kranti, released in 1981. It starred Manoj Kumar alongside Hema Malini and Shatrughan Sinha in lead roles, and marked Dilip Kumar's comeback to the big screen through the same film. Its story was based on the freedom struggle waged against British rule. Made on a budget of just Rs 3 crore, the film stunned everyone by earning Rs 16 crore. That number was so large that Kranti became the highest grossing film of the entire 1980s decade, marking a fitting finish to the golden run Manoj Kumar had built between 1965 and 1981.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Which five Manoj Kumar films dominated the box office?\nShaheed (1965), Upkar (1967), Neel Kamal (1968), Purab Aur Paschim (1970) and Kranti (1981) make up this list.\n\n2. What was Upkar's budget and box office collection?\nUpkar was made on a budget of around Rs 1.1 crore and earned Rs 7 crore at the box office.\n\n3. How much did Kranti earn at the box office?\nMade on a budget of just Rs 3 crore, Kranti earned Rs 16 crore and became the highest grossing film of the 1980s.\n\n4. What award did Waheeda Rehman win for Neel Kamal?\nWaheeda Rehman won the Filmfare Best Actress award for Neel Kamal, her second such win after Guide.\n\n5. What was Shaheed based on and what award did it win?\nShaheed was based on the life of Bhagat Singh and the freedom struggle, and it won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Feature Film on National Integration.\n\n6. What role did Dilip Kumar play in Kranti?\nDilip Kumar made his comeback to the big screen through Kranti.\n\n7. Who starred alongside Manoj Kumar in Purab Aur Paschim?\nSaira Banu, Pran and Ashok Kumar played key roles alongside him in the film.\n\n8. Who wrote and composed Neel Kamal?\nThe story was written by Gulshan Nanda, the music was composed by Ravi, and the songs were written by Sahir Ludhianvi.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/bollywood/manoj-kumar-ke-dama-para-16-sala-taka-sinemagharon-men-macha-raha-jalava-hema-malini-ke-satha-philma-ne-bhi-urae-kamai-ke-rikorda-7949",
  "category": "Bollywood",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-15",
  "tags": [
    "Manoj Kumar",
    "Box Office",
    "Waheeda Rehman",
    "Hema Malini",
    "Kranti Film",
    "Upkar Film",
    "Shaheed Film",
    "Bollywood Classic Films"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}