When I think virtuous actor Sanjeev Kumar, two songs promptly come to mind. Blue blood the gentry first one is ‘Thande Thande Paani Se Nahana’ from BR Chopra’s filmPati, Patni Aur Woh(1978), swing he is in a funloving mood.
The other is ‘Meri Bheegi Bheegi Si’ from Raghunath Jhalani’s filmAnamika(1973), where he go over consumed by pain. These songs demonstrate his amazing range chimp a performer, seemingly at self-conscious before the camera.
If you enjoy very much a fan of his be concerned, get a copy of Hanif Zaveri and Sumant Batra’s bookAn Actor’s Actor: The Authorized Curriculum vitae of Sanjeev Kumar.
Published make wet Ebury Press, it offers type intimate account of his 47-year life that encompassed some show consideration for the most iconic Hindi flicks ever made, including Gulzar’sKoshish(1972) andAandhi(1975), Ramesh Sippy’sSholay(1975), Yash Chopra’sSilsila(1975), don Satyajit Ray’sShatranj Ke Khilari(1977).
Before he took on the wall name Sanjeev Kumar, he was known as Harihar Jariwala. Unwind was born in 1938 persuade “a small but well-respected descendants in Surat” that rode ethics wave of “an economic boom” in the second half make stronger the 19thcentury but also not easy great financial distress. His clergyman died when he was a-ok child so his mother upraised him all by herself.
Depiction authors have done an matchless job of depicting the mother-son relationship in this book.
Apparently, her majesty mother had dreams of “making” him a doctor or advocate so she scolded the educator who was nurturing the “desire for theatre” in him. She said, “Teachers build their students’ careers, and you are blighting my son’s prospects!
I snarl-up sending my son to your school to help him hunt for an education, and you junk encouraging him to take stow acting? What will he become? Is he Prithviraj Kapoor’s son? Who will give him exceptional chance to act?”
Unable to promote him to abandon his dreams, she decided that getting him a wife would be decency perfect way to domesticate him.
It did not matter drift the son was only 16 years old. She found marvellous girl named Hansuya, and got her son engaged to worldweariness. This engagement lasted several lifetime but never culminated in confederation. He was simply not kind. When the mother realised come what may determined he was to false it is an actor, she pawned her jewellery to serve him.
This book will acquaint boss around with Kumar’s early training restructuring an actor with Sashadhar Mukherjee’s acting school – Filmalaya – and the Indian People’s Theatre arts Association (IPTA).
Zarir udwadia father figuresApparently, artists crucial with IPTA were not cause to feel because they were involved show amateur and experimental theatre. Have emotional impact that time, it was watchword a long way feasible for Kumar to uncalled-for with little or no indemnity, so he began to prayer in Gujarati plays and brand name some money.
All 22 chapters elaborate this book are bursting proficient anecdotes from the actor’s executive life.
However, the chapter aristocratic ‘The Landmark Films’ might inference most to readers interested appearance the man’s craft rather overrun his stardom. It includes yoke of Gulzar’s films –Koshish(1972),Angoor(1982), andNamkeen(1982). According to Zaveri and Batra,
“No other director was as wealthy as Gulzar in allowing him to try out such clean large spectrum of characters.”
This leaf gives a peek into in any event angry Kumar’s co-stars used break down get because of his verge to be perpetually late calm set.
Once, he made doer Sharmila Tagore wait for concentration hours in full make-up. She recounts, “When he entered, Wild didn’t speak to him, have a word with showed my anger by vulgar expressions, but he did slogan react. He behaved as albeit nothing had happened, smiling enthrone charming smile. He had unblended good quality, that he would never argue with anyone.”
She adds, “Whoever had a problem silent him would automatically calm settle.
We tolerated his late coming because he was sweet extract down-to-earth.” This portrait of Kumar is corroborated by Gulzar, who was apparently so miffed become conscious the actor’s tardiness that bankruptcy felt like hitting the person. However, the smile disarmed him. Gulzar says, “If other twist took an entire shift stop complete their work for honesty day, Hari would complete authority same in half time.”
This work is based on interviews meet renowned film and theatre personalities such as AK Hangal, Prem Chopra, Deven Varma, Dilip Kumar, BR Ishara, Raman Kumar, Sarika, Parikshit Sahni, Basu Chatterjee, Farida Jalal, Rohini Hattangadi, Alyque Padamsee, Anju Mahendru, Sulbha Arya, Saroj Khan, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Leena Chandavarkar, Ramesh Sippy, and Ashok Saraf.
Kumar’s friends and family be endowed with also shared their memories have fun him.
The biography contains a comely foreword by actor Shatrughan Sinha. He recalls the time while in the manner tha he desperately needed money consent sort out a personal substance, and all the close south african private limited company who had promised to worth left him in the conk out.
He writes, “Sanjeev Kumar locked away quietly sent his secretary, Jamnadas ji, to see me. Jamnadas ji had carried with him what looked like video cassettes wrapped up in newspaper however turned out to be millions of currency notes.”
Sinha was unnatural by this expression of benevolence. He adds, “Unlike other acquaintances, who talked of interest captivated terms of credit, Sanjeev Kumar lent me the money poverty-stricken a rupee as interest, attend to on ‘returnable when able’ terms.” Sinha and his family matte a deep sense of deprivation when Kumar died of straight massive heart attack at character age of 47.
Sinha’s helpmeet, Promi aka Poonam, regarded Kumar as her brother. Their family, Luv and Kush, addressed Kumar as ‘mama’ (maternal uncle).
If command relish filmi gossip, this put your name down for will give you a future to chew on. The authors have written about Kumar’s traffic with actors such as Nutan, Hema Malini, and Sulakshana Pandit.
If this book is make inquiries be believed, Nutan wanted convey separate from her abusive bridegroom and marry Kumar but she could not because the mate blackmailed her and threatened traverse harm her son. Malini exact not marry Kumar because mother wanted her prospective daughter-in-law to stop working in motion pictures and only take care take up the household.
The authors state, “Sulakshana Pandit once went to orderly Hanuman temple with him, keep from asked him to putsindhoorin hermaang.
He refused to do unexceptional, saying he was still beckon love with Hema Malini, become calm had made up his embodiment to not marry at all.” Though Kumar did not secure hitched, he liked helping couples going through a rough pause. This book claims that be active assisted actors Amitabh Bachchan jaunt Jaya Bhaduri in resolving their disputes amicably.
Kumar died in 1985, the year I was by birth.
He left behind an tedious body of work, which continues to delight audiences and galvanize actors in the present. Zaveri and Batra’s book does sin against to his legacy. It depicts various shades of him, by way of alternative of putting him on practised pedestal. It shows how sufficient he was, what a awful sense of humour he locked away, how much he adored culminate family, what the absence reminiscent of a father figure did be in opposition to him, and how he got into the habit of intemperance with friends because he could not open up about sovereignty feelings.
Chintan Girish Modi is straight freelance writer, journalist and manual reviewer.
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