Mumbai, April 5: The last rites of actor Manoj Kumar were held in the Vile Parle area of Mumbai on Saturday. The actor, who is credited with introducing a new wave of patriotic content in Hindi cinema, passed away on Friday after prolonged illness.
His mortal remains were brought from the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute to his residence in Goswami towers around 10:00 am on Saturday.
The final rites were held at the Pawan Hans crematorium. Visuals from his residence showed family members and staff arranging floral decorations, while an ambulance adorned with tri-colour flowers, symbolising the national flag, carried his mortal remains. The friends and family of the actor attended his last rites as he was given a state funeral.
He was given the Guard of Honour during his last rites. Members of the film fraternity like Amitabh Bachchan, Salim Khan, their sons Abhishek Bachchan, and Arbaaz Khan attended the funeral.
Other members of the fraternity included Prem Chopra, Raza Murad, Vindu Dara Singh, Anu Malik and Dheeraj Kumar were also seen. On Friday, Manoj Kumar’s son, Kunal Goswami, spoke about the emotional loss of his father, revealing that while there is a great deal of pain, the legendary actor passed away peacefully.
He shared the final moments of the iconic star, offering a glimpse into the calm and dignified way in which Manoj Kumar left this world. Goswami recalled waking up early at 4:30 AM to find his father unwell, a condition he had been battling for some time.
He told IANS, “I woke up at 4.30 in the morning. He was unwell. He had been unwell for a long time. We were praying that his pain would reduce and his pain would go away. Doctors were trying a lot. Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital supported him a lot.
His staff supported him a lot. They helped him a lot”. “But he passed away peacefully. I am thankful to God for that. Yes. Sir, tomorrow we will leave the hospital at 9. We will come here at 10 at our house. And at 11, we will go to Pawan Hans for cremation. Yes, Sir, I remember his movies”, he added.
IANS