It breaks my heart to know Manoj ji is no longer with us. He was a fine person, and a true artiste. Unlike filmmakers today who make movies with other motives, he cared for the story of his films. Deshbhakti wasn’t just a trope for him. Many filmmakers make patriotic films because they want a Rajya Sabha ticket, not him. Nation-building was always his foremost agenda.

There was a time when distributors would line up for his movies. That was the power of his films. Manoj ji knew how to make his movies wholesome—there would be great songs, some romance, and sab elements mila ke achchhi film banate thhe.