The year was 2007 when Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om released, headlined by Shah Rukh Khan. Deepika Padukone’s debut film created a lot of buzz but a particular scene of the film did “offend” film veteran Manoj Kumar.
The said scene featured Shah Rukh’s character, Om Prakash Makhija, entering a movie premiere by stealing the veteran actor’s pass. The police failed to recognise him due to his signature face palm gesture.
Manoj Kumar asked Farah Khan and the makers of Om Shanti Om to remove the scene from the film. They agreed to his demand.
Shah Rukh apologised for hurting the veteran actor’s sentiment. He told reporters, “I was completely wrong…If he is hurt, I apologise. I called him in the afternoon, and the first thing he said to me was ‘it is no big deal, son.'”
The actor added, “People do parody…It is a done thing. I should have been over-careful… I should have called him earlier (to tell him about the spoof).”
In 2007, Manoj Kumar’s lawyer Mukesh Vashi said in a statement, “Manoj Kumar has been offended by a certain sequence in the film, and he asked me whether any legal action was possible. However, I myself haven’t seen the film. So, I would be able to advise him only after seeing it.”
He added, “Indian audiences had made Manoj Kumar into an icon … That icon has been wounded, made fun of….. A moral action is more important than a legal action.”
But the episode didn’t end in 2007 and resurfaced in 2013. Om Shanti Om was re-released in Japan with the scene, which Manoj Kumar had objections with.
This time, the film veteran sought legal help and filed a lawsuit against Shah Rukh and Eros International. He sought damages of Rs 100 crore for releasing the film in Japan without removing the “objectionable” scene.
His lawyer said, “He (Shah Rukh Khan) promised Manoj Kumar earlier but repeated this mistake again in Japan… No personal apology was given by SRK… He is not in a mood for any settlement.”
Mr Kumar didn’t hide his disappointment back then and told the media, “The film was released in Japan without deleting those scenes. I had forgiven them twice but not this time. They have disrespected me. They also face contempt of court as in 2008 the court had asked them to forever and from all prints and broadcast material, delete those scenes.”
After a long battle, Manoj Kumar withdrew cases as he believed that the legal procedures failed to trigger a sense of responsibility in Shah Rukh and Farah Khan.
Manoj Kumar, known for his roles in patriotic films such as Purab Aur Paschim and Kranti, died at 87 in Mumbai. Mr Kumar was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, where he died at 3:30 am on Friday due to heart-related complications.
The secondary cause of death is decompensated liver cirrhosis, as per the medical certificate issued by the hospital.
