Biography:

Sanjeev Kumar was a noted Indian film actor. He won several major awards including two National Film Awards for Best Actor for his performances in the movies, Dastak (1971) and Koshish (1973). He acted in various genres ranging from romantic drama to thrillers. Much unlike his peers, Sanjeev Kumar did not mind playing roles that were non glamorous, such as characters way beyond his age. Movies like Sholay and Trishul exemplify his talents. He is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters.

Sanjeev Kumar, born Harihar Jethalal Zariwala in Surat, Gujarat, (also referred as Haribhai) 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 had two younger brothers and one sister.

Kumar started his acting career as stage actor, starting with IPTA in Mumbai and later he joined the Indian National Theatre. Even as a stage actor, he had a penchant for played older roles, at age 22, an old man in an adaptation of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. This when director Gulzar first spotted him, later he was to cast Kumar in the roles of older man in Koshish (1973), Aandhi (1975), Mausam (1975). In the following year, in a play directed by AK Hangal, he again played the role of a 60-year-old with six children .

Sanjeev Kumar made his film debut with a small role in 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 (1974). In 1973, he made a guest appearance during a song in a Tamil movie, Bharatha Vilas (1973). 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.He had also played an incomplete flim love and god

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 Navarathri (Tamil; 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.

Sanjeev Kumar remained single all his life. He fell deeply in love with fellow actress Hema Malini, although she never reciprocated his feelings. He was involved with actress Sulakshana Pandit, but he remained unmarried until the end.

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