What is the real name of Manoj Kumar? The actor changed his name after watching this film

Legendary actor and director Manoj Kumar died at the age of 87 on Friday, April 4, 2025, in Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. Known for his patriotic roles in films including Shaheed, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, Upkar and Kranti, he also earned the nickname ‘Bharat Kumar’. He decided to become an actor at a very young age but many of his admirers don’t know that the actor changed his name after watching a film. But do you know what was his real name?

In an interview with Lehren, the veteran actor revealed how he made up his mind to become an actor and how he adopted the stage name ‘Manoj Kumar. ‘ Patthar Ke Sanam actor also shared that at the young age of 12-13 years, he decided that one day he would become an actor and after watching his idol’s film, Dilip Kumar’s Shabnam he liked the character’s name, ‘Manoj’ so much that he named himself Manoj. 

Watch the interview

What was his real name?

Manoj Kumar was born Harikrishna Giri Goswami on July 24, 1937, in a small town in the North-West Frontier Province, British India (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). He shifted with his family to Delhi during the Partition. The actor passed away on April 4, 2025 and is survived by his wife, Shashi Goswami and sons Kunal Goswami and Vishal Goswami.

Manoj Kumar’s famous films

The actor started his acting career with the film Fashion in 1957. In his acting career, he did many films playing the lead roles. His famous work includes the Hindi-drama film Purab Aur Paschim, Gumnaam, Be-Imaan and Neel Kamal. He was also seen in the 1965 thriller film Gumnaam, which was another box office hit and became one of the highest-grossing movies of that year by earning Rs 2.6 crores. In his film career, Kumar acted and directed Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974) and also won the Best Director Award in 1975 at the Filmfare Awards.

Also Read: Manoj Kumar passes away at 87, know why Kranti actor quit acting and returned as director in 1999