Most Talented and Versatile Actors
Sanjeev Kumar (9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was one of the most prominent Indian actors in Bollywood. Personal life and background Sanjeev Kumar was born as Haribhai Jariwala in Surat Gujarat to a Gujarati family. His first home was in Surat and family based in Mumbai. A stint in the film school took him to Bollywood, where he eventually became a movie star. He remained a bachelor all his life and died of a massive heart attack in 1985. He has two younger brothers and a sister. Career Sanjeev Kumar made his debut in the film Hum Hindustani in 1960. Sanjeev’s first film as a hero was the 1965 Nishan. In 1968, he played opposite the famous actor Dilip Kumar in Sangharsh. In 1970, Khilona made him a star. He went on to star in the hits Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Manchali (1973) and Aap Ki Kasam. He started working with the well-known director Gulzar in the early 1970s. He did nine films with Gulzar, including Koshish (1973), Aandhi (1975), Mausam (1975), Angoor (1981) and Namkeen (1982). Sanjeev Kumar deservedly won the BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) for his outstanding performance of a deaf and mute person in Koshish in which the female lead was played by Jaya Bhaduri, who acted as his deaf and mute wife and was nominated for Best Actor award in Filmfare for the same role. Many of his fans believe that these are some of the best films that he did. He will always be remembered as Thakur of Sholay which was released in August, 1975. His character in Sholay is the most prominent of all the characters played by him. He started with “C Grade” stunt cinemas and rose to the heights of being the most versatile actors of Hindi cinema. He was endowed with excellent comic timing with which he entertained audiences in films like Seeta Aur Geeta, Biwi O Biwi, Pati, Patni Aur Woh, Angoor and Hero to name a few. He was always ready to take unconventional roles that challenged him as an actor. He played Mirza Sajjad Ali, a chess-obsessed Lucknowi (citizen of Lucknow), in Satyajit Ray’s classic Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977). Perhaps his best-remembered roles were in the blockbuster films Sholay (1975) and Trishul (1978). In Naya Din Nayi Raat (1974) Sanjeev Kumar reprised the nine-role epic performance by Sivaji Ganesan in Navarathiri (1964), which was also previously reprised by Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Navarathri (Telugu; 1966). This film has enhanced his status and reputation as a serious actor in Hindi cinema. Sanjeev Kumar has always been regarded as one of the most talented and versatile actors ever in Hindi cinema. He stood his ground against leading superstars such as Amitabh Bachchan in the Yash Chopra multi star cast film Trishul (1978) and with Dilip Kumar in the Subhash Ghai film Vidhaata (1982). During the early 1980s, Sanjeev Kumar did more supporting roles than playing the lead. In 1980, he starred in a Punjabi movie Fauji Chacha. Sanjeev Kumar never married but was involved with actress Sulakshana Pandit, whom he did not marry, having been turned down by Hema Malini, with whom he was in love at the time. Hema Malini went on to marry her frequent co-star Dharmendra. Death In 1985 at the age of 47 Sanjeev Kumar had a massive heart attack, resulting in his death. Ironically for an actor who played many elderly roles, he did not live to the age of 50. Ten of his already completed films were released after his death, with his final film Professor Ki Padosan being released in 1993. At the time of his death only three-fourths of this film was complete, and it was decided to alter the story in the second half of the film to explain the absence of Sanjeev Kumar’s character.