Sanjeev Kumar was an accomplished Indian film actor. He won several major awards including two National Film Awards for Best Actor for his performances in the movies, Dastak and Koshish. He acted in various genres ranging from Romantic drama to Thrillers.
Background
Sanjeev Kumar, born Haribhai Jariwala in Surat, Gujarat to a Gujarati Jain family spent his early years in Surat. His family eventually settled in Mumbai. A stint in a film school led him to Bollywood, where he eventually became an accomplished actor. Sanjeev Kumar has two younger brothers and one sister.
Education
A stint in a film school led him to Bollywood, where he eventually became an accomplished actor.
Career
Sanjeev Kumar made his debut in the film Hum Hindustani in the year 1960. Sanjeev's first film as a protagonist was the 1965 Nishan. In 1968, he acted alongside the famous actor of those times, Dilip Kumar in Sangharsh. In 1970, the movie Khilona brought him recognition. He went on to star in the box office hits Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Manchali (1973) and Aap Ki Kasam. He started working with Gulzar, a well-known director in the early 1970s. He performed in a total of nine movies 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 exemplary portrayal of a deaf and mute person in the movie Koshish in which the female lead was played by Jaya Bhaduri, who acted as his deaf and mute wife and was herself nominated for Best Actor award by Filmfare for the same role. These were some of his best movies. His portrayal of the character Thakur, from the movie Sholay, released in August 1975 was one of his stellar performances. With his humble origins in B Grade stunt movies, Sanjeev Kumar eventually rose to become one of the most versatile and recognized faces of Hindi cinema.
Sanjeev Kumar's excellent comic timing entertained audiences in films like Seeta Aur Geeta, Biwi O Biwi, Pati, Patni Aur Woh, Angoor and Hero to name a few.
He demonstrated a willingness to take on unconventional roles that challenged him as an actor. His role as Mirza Sajjad Ali, a chess-obsessed Lucknowi (citizen of Lucknow), in Satyajit Ray's classic Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) exemplified that aspect. 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 enhanced his status and reputation as a serious player in Bollywood. He stood his ground against leading superstars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor 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 took to acting primarily in supporting roles. In 1980, he starred in a Punjabi movie Fauji Chacha. The movie Raja Aur Runk, released in 1968, starring Sanjeev Kumar was a great success. The song 'O Phirki Wali' and "Mera Naam Hai Chameli" were the some of the best produces of the evergreen Bollywood composers, Lakshmi Kant Pyarelal.