India, April 4 -- Veteran actor Manoj Kumar, who passed away today in Mumbai at the age of 97, was not only a legendary figure in Indian cinema but also a staunch advocate for the film industry. He was never one to shy away from standing up for his peers, even in the face of political challenges.

In 1975, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency rule across India, several Bollywood icons, including Dev Anand and Kishore Kumar, faced restrictions. Manoj Kumar, too, found himself in conflict with the government. In a 2015 interview with us, he recalled being approached by the authorities to make a film in support of the Emergency.

"It (Emergency) was all right at the start, but it turned more intense with time," he had said. Th...