Manoj Kumar Once Filed a ₹100 Cr Lawsuit Over Om Shanti Om Despite SRK's Apology, Know Why

Among the many references to retro Hindi cinema, one of the most prominent was Shah Rukh Khan’s character Om Prakash Makhija channeling the mannerisms of legendary actor Manoj Kumar

Among the many references to retro Hindi cinema, one of the most prominent was Shah Rukh Khan’s character Om Prakash Makhija channeling the mannerisms of legendary actor Manoj Kumar

Source : IMDb

Everyone fondly remembers the Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Om Shanti Om' — Farah Khan’s vibrant tribute to classic Bollywood and its beloved icons. Among the many references to retro Hindi cinema, one of the most prominent was Shah Rukh Khan’s character Om Prakash Makhija channeling the mannerisms of legendary actor Manoj Kumar, including his trademark style of covering his face with his hand.

Manoj Kumar not happy with Om Shanti Om

While the audience, especially SRK fans, enjoyed the homage, Manoj Kumar was not pleased. In fact, not many know that the veteran actor filed a case against Shah Rukh Khan and Eros International in 2013. His objection stemmed from a particular scene in Om Shanti Om, where SRK’s character steals Kumar’s entry pass at a movie premiere, and the security guards refuse him entry despite his iconic face-covering gesture — a parody that Manoj Kumar found disrespectful.

At the time of the film's release in 2007, Kumar had asked director Farah Khan and the makers to remove the offending scene from all versions of the film. His lawyer, Mukesh Vashi, had told the media, “Manoj Kumar has been offended by a certain sequence in the film, and he asked me whether any legal action was possible. However, I haven’t seen the film myself, so I will advise him only after watching it.”

Vashi added, “Indian audiences had made Manoj Kumar into an icon... That icon has been wounded, made fun of. A moral action is more important than a legal action.”

In response to the controversy, Shah Rukh Khan publicly apologised. He told reporters, “I was completely wrong… If he is hurt, I apologise. I called him in the afternoon, and the first thing he said to me was, ‘It is no big deal, son.’”
“People do parody… It is a done thing. I should have been more careful. I should have called him earlier to tell him about the spoof,” he admitted.

Manoj Kumar files lawsuit in 2013

However, the matter resurfaced in 2013 when Om Shanti Om was released in Japan, and the scene in question had not been removed, despite earlier assurances. Feeling disrespected again, Manoj Kumar filed a lawsuit against Shah Rukh Khan and Eros International, seeking ₹100 crore in damages for releasing the unedited film internationally.

His lawyer then said publicly, “He (Shah Rukh Khan) promised Manoj Kumar earlier but repeated this mistake again in Japan... No personal apology was given by SRK. He is not in a mood for any settlement.”

Kumar also spoke to reporters in 2013 and said, “The film was released in Japan without deleting those scenes. I had forgiven them twice but not this time. They have disrespected me. They also face contempt of court as in 2008, the court had ordered them to forever delete those scenes from all prints and broadcast material.”

Eventually, after a long legal battle, Manoj Kumar withdrew the case, reportedly believing that the legal process had failed to instill any sense of accountability in either Shah Rukh Khan or Farah Khan. While the dispute ended without further legal consequences, the incident remains a reminder that tributes — even those meant in jest — must be handled with sensitivity when referencing legends of Indian cinema.