Remembering Sanjeev Kumar, The greatest actor in Hindi cinema
This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant
The greatest actor in Hindi cinema would have turned 81 on July 9, this year. But who was he? In my opinion, the greatest actor in Hindi cinema was Haribhai.
Haribhai? Who is this man?
Haribhai, the man who set the silver screen ablaze during the 1970s in Sholay, Andhi, Manchali, and Naya Din Nayi Raat, was none other than Sanjeev Kumar.
That Sanjeev was a great actor is beyond doubt. But Haribhai was the object for affection for many Bollywood heroines. We will skip this subject for now and focus on Sanjeev Kumar and his stellar performances.
I am afraid, today’s generation hardly cares about this great actor. Probably, many among this set would even have heard about the Surat-born Kumar. But if you are a Bollywood addict, you ought to know about this average looking actor who died early but left behind a glorious legacy for his fans like me.
Pot-bellied and in kaccha banian
I remember watching an interview of Shahrukh Khan where he said that it could only be Sanjeev Kumar who could be at ease in his dapper suits as well as kachcha-baniyan!
Watch this delightful video from ‘Pati Patni or Woh’ where a pot-bellied Sanjeev Kumar sings a naughty number in a bathroom with Vidya Sinha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-lVvoHhpfI
Shahrukh was making a point that Kumar was never a victim of his image. He could easily appear on the screen in various kinds of the get-up. Shahrukh was making a point that Kumar was never a victim of his image. He could easily appear on the screen in various kinds of the get-up.
Also Read-
King Khan is so right; I still can’t forget Sanjeev Kumar crooning ‘Thande Thande Paani Se Nahana Chahiye’ in his striped underpants! Can you recall any other star appearing in chaddi- baniyan in a bathroom and crooning happily?
But there is more to Sanjeev Kumar than just appearing in underpants.
Oh, what a movie!
Let’s go back to 1972 when Saneevv and Jaya Bhaduri came together in Koshish. This was a movie that tested both the actors in their acting skills. The pair appeared as a deaf and dumb couple fighting against an insensitive society.
I have watched that movie and let me tell you this; acting is not just throwing away your arms and legs. Nor does it mean using your baritone voice and impressing your audiences with dialogues.
Here was Sanjeev who was speaking with his eyes and fingers. The pain of rearing a child just showed up in his eyes in that movie. There were very few standard dialogues in Koshish, all that you saw were gestures. Gestures and emotions that tore at the heartstrings of the audience.
I didn’t see a similar film in Hindi cinema for a long time until Sadma came and hit the silver screen in the 1980s.
Kumar was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for Koshish.
Khilona
Now let’s step a couple of years back from 1972. We are talking about 1970. That year saw three actors come together in a sensitive film- Khilona.
Shatrughan Sinha was still a newcomer in Bollywood and Jeetendra was still trying to find his feet in Mumbai. Sanjeev Kumar was also largely an unknown commodity in Hindi cinema.
I think Khilona is one of the most underrated movies of Hindi cinema and Kumar. It is never discussed in movie journals and I don’t know why.
In Khilona, Sanjeev Kumar acts a mentally unbalanced young man who is being manipulated by his evil relatives. There is nothing special about this plot, nothing.
But Khilona is still special because of the craziness of Kumar as a mentally unhinged person. You’ve got to watch this movie to understand Sanjeev’s genius which is amplified by Mohammad Rafi’s ‘Khilona jaan kar mujhko, mera dil tod jaatey ho...’.
Greatness achieved!
Perhaps Sanjeev Kumar achieved his greatness in Naya Din, Nayi Raat. My millennial readers don’t know much about this landmark film that starred Kumar and his screen partner in many films- Jaya Bhaduri.
Boss, what a performance by our Haribhai! I would have given an Oscar to him for his tremendous performance in this movie, I swear.
Watch this song from this epic film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9fcxxV4ntU
I can’t recall any actor who has played more than two roles in the same movie but here was Sanjeev who essayed not one, not two but nine different roles in the same movie. I can’t recall any actor who has played more than two roles in the same movie but here was Sanjeev who essayed not one, not two but nine different roles in the same movie.
Can you imagine the effort and time that went into those different roles? He played a leper, a jailor, a theater artist, a conman, a hunter, and a lover in that movie. Kumar also played the role of a godman and a gambler in Naya Din Nayi Raat.
This role had first gone to Dileep Kumar but he instead suggested the name of Sanjeev who was Kumar’s co-actor in Sunghursh (1968).
Perhaps Gulzar was Sanjeev’s favorite director. The two worked together in several films like Mausam, Andhi, and Koshish, Namkeen, Parichay, etc.
An unforgettable film- Andhi
Andhi, in particular, pitchforked Sanjeev Kumar to greatness. Here was a rich hotelier who was longing to come back to his now-famous politician wife, Suchitra Sen. The Gujarat- born actor wowed his audiences with his understated performance in this movie that was quite controversial in the mid-1970s.
Sanjeev Kumar and Dilip Kumar had first worked together in the 1968 epic Sunghursh. Both the Hindi cinema giants came together again in the 1980s in Vidhata that also had Sanjay Dutt and Padmini Kolhapure.
This film settled the question
Vidhata finally settled the question of who was the greatest actor in Hindi cinema. It was undoubtedly Haribhai who bested Dilip Saab in the face-off just before the movie intermission. Director Subhash Ghai had to cut-short Sanjeev’s screen time to keep Dilip Kumar in good humor.
Man with Magic
I feel that Hindi cinema did not do justice to Sanjeev Bhai. He had to share his screen with newcomers like Amitabh Bachchan ( Sholay, Trishul), Rajesh Khanna ( Aap Ki Kasam). These films became super hits but Kumar did not get his due credits.
He excelled in comedy and humor. Who can forget Sanjeev’s marvelous performances in Angoor, and Namkeen. Forbes calls his role in Angoor as among the top 25 performances of Indian cinema.
Sanjeev Kumar was quite young in the 1970s. During the making of Parichay ( Gulzar), he would have been just 35 or 36. Yet, he essayed the powerful role of a helpless father who dies of tuberculosis. In fact, if you notice, you will find his most memorable performances are those where he is portrayed as a mature man ( Mausam, Trishul, Vidhata, etc.)
Haribhai died quite early; he was just 47 when he breathed his last on November 5, 1985. I was quite shocked to hear about his death. For me, he was the ultimate actor who moved his audiences with his eyes and face muscles.
Did Sanjeev have a family? Well, he died a lonely man. He was single all his life.
Reports suggest that Haribhai fancied Hema Malini and had even proposed to her on the sets of Sholay. Things didn’t work out unfortunately as Hema was already in love with Dharmendra. Sanjeev Kumar took to drinking after Hema’s snub and ultimately died of a heart attack in 1985.
We miss you Sanjeev bhai. We deeply miss you.
