Remembering Manmohan Krishna 1922-90

Manmohan Krishna (26 February 1922 – 3 November 1990), often credited as Manmohan, was a popular Indian film actor and director, who worked in Hindi films for four decades, mostly as a character actor. He anchored radio the show Cadbury's Phulwari, a singing contest. He was a favourite with the Chopra brothers and played small or large roles in movies directed and/or produced by them. Deewar, Trishul, Daag, Humraz, Joshila, Kanoon, Kala Patthar, Dhool Ka Phool, Waqt and Naya Daur are some examples.

He worked in nearly 250 films, notably Naya Daur (1957), Sadhana (1958), Waqt (1965) and Hamraaz (1967). He won acclaim for his work in Bees Saal Baad (1962) and won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Abdul Rasheed in Dhool Ka Phool (1960), where the song epitomizing Nehruvian secularism, Tu Hindu banega na Musalman banega, insaan ki aulaad hai, insaan banega was picturised on him. Beside these, he also acted in 12 Punjabi films, played a pivotal role in K. A. Abbas's Shehar Aur Sapna (1963), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, and acted in the first Indo-Soviet co-production Pardesi (1957), which was nominated for the Golden Palm at 1958 Cannes Film Festival.

Later in his career he directed the hit film for Yash Raj Films, Noorie (1980), for which he was also nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Director.

He died at Lokmanya Tilak Hospital, Mumbai at the age of 68 in 1990.

Selected filmography

as Actor
Apna Desh (1949)
Baiju Bawra (1952) as Shankar Anand
Rahi (1952)
Anarkali (1953) as Parvez
Naya Daur (1957) as Jumman Dada
Pardesi (1957)
Sadhana (1958) as Lallu Bhai
Angulimaal (1960)
Bees Saal Baad (1962) as Ramlal / Radheshyam
Jhoola (1962) as Head Constable Sundarlal
Grahasti (1963) as the doctor
Dil Ek Mandir (1963)
Shehar Aur Sapna (1963)
Sehra (1963)
Waqt (1965) as Mr. Mittal
Chaddian Di Doli as Father
Hamraaz (1967) as Mr. Verma
Naunihal (1967) as Ustad Mansharam
Upkaar (1967) as Bisna
Izzat(Hindi Film)(1968) as Father Abhrahim
Pushpanjali (1970) as Maharaj, the cook
Raampur Ka Lakshman (1972) as Kedarnath Bhargav
Joshila (1973) as Jailor
Mehbooba (1976) as Bandhe Ali Khan
Kaala Patthar (1979) as Dhaba Owner

as Director
Noorie (1980)