This man sold his bungalow to make a film, the film beat Sholay’s record, was houseful for 96 days, earned Rs…, the film was…

Manoj Kumar, one of the legendary actors of Indian cinema, died on April 4, at around 3:30 AM. The actor was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai for the past few weeks and died owing to prolonged illness. The actor was synonymous with patriotism as he worked in several patriotic movies, which earned him the title ‘Bharat Kumar.’ But the late actor’s most ambitious project came in 1981 with the period action drama Kranti. Although, the film ultimately became a massive box office success, the journey to that feat was anything but easy.

Helmed by Manoj Kumar himself, Krati was made in a hefty budget of Rs 3 crore. But as the production began, several investors and financers backed out, forcing Manoj Kumar to take care of the financial burden all alone. Determined to arrange the money for the film, Manoj Kumar sold his bungalow in Delhi. When that wasn’t enough, he also rented out a plot in Mumbai’s upscale Juhu area. According to reports, Manoj’s original plan was to build a cinema hall on that land after retiring, but he sacrificed that dream for Kranti. The film featured a star-studded cast, including Dilip Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini, and Parveen Babi. It finally hit theatres in February 1981.

Upon its release, Kranti turned out to be a massive success. The blockbuster film marked the return of legendary actor Dilip Kumar after a five-year hiatus. Kranti opened with packed theatres, completing silver jubilee and golden jubilee in many. In one theatre, it ran for 67 weeks with houseful shows straight for 96 days. By the end, Kranti earned Rs 10 core nett in India and Rs 16 crore gross globally. It broke Sholay’s then-record of Rs 15 crore, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film for five years until it was overtaken by Disco Dancer. However, with subsequent re-releases, Sholay later reclaimed the top spot.

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