It was a sunny afternoon, sometime in the 1980s, when I was visiting Manoj Kumar for an interview at his Juhu residence. The filmmaker and actor was narrating stories related to his movies, when it suddenly started raining. Kumar got up to shut the windows and said, “Aise mausam mein pakode khaane ko jee karta hai”. A while later, the house-help entered with a tray of fragrant tea and hot pakodas. Kumar smiled and said, “My wife always knows what I’m thinking”. The attendant skilfully served us tea and snacks, and added, “Bhabhiji ne kaha hai ke pakode ghar par bane hai, zaroor khaiyega”. It was the sweetest line any homemaker had addressed to a guest, and I was touched. Their hospitality reflected their roots and show business of that time.

Kumar loved cinema, was passionate about homoeopathy and was an engaging speaker, which explains why journalists frequently sought him. He had a traumatic childhood and the wounds reflected in his characters. During the 1947 riots, he saw his baby brother collapse in his mother’s arms on a hospital bed when the hospital staff deserted all the patients and ran away. Kumar was only 10 years old and unable to help his mother!