Fragrance of Yesteryears: Sanjeev Kumar
Thursday, March 22, 2012 | 10:44:20 PM IST (+05:30 GMT) 25 CommentsToday's edition of Fragrance of Yesteryears features one of the most understated, underrated, and versatile actors the Hindi film industry had ever seen.
Today's edition of Fragrance of Yesteryears features one of the most understated, underrated, and versatile actors the Hindi film industry had ever seen. We're referring to none other than the late Sanjeev Kumar, a star of a rare breed who represented both the common man and the artist; one who could recreate the persona and emotions of the most naive and the most crafty, the young and the aged, the humblest and most ambitious characters with equal ease.The venture that established his status as a star was Khilona (1970) in which he shared the screen with the beautiful Mumtaz. He won both critical and commercial accolades for his convincing portrayal of a grief-stricken lover who suffers from psychological trauma after losing the love of his life. His skillful approach to this challenging role lead to many other offers of substance. One of them was the 1971 romantic drama Dastak, which told the story of a young married couple who find their lives disrupted after they move into a particularly disreputable neighborhood. This film fetched Kumar the National Film Award for Best Actor, along with several other awards; it's bold treatment and melodious music make it a favorite even today.
Perhaps the best remembered roles from his varied and colorful career were those of Thakur Baldev Singh in the evergreen Sholay in 1975 and the cold-hearted tycoon R.K. Gupta Trishul in 1978. In both films, Sanjeev essayed intense characters who were much older than he himself was at the time; in fact, in both instances they were an entire generation elder to his real-life contemporary Amitabh Bachchan!
The actor's personal life was far less rosy than his skyrocketing career would suggest. Heartbroken upon being rejected by Hema Malini, he was later linked with singer-actress Sulakshana Pandit but remained a bachelor until the end of his life because of his unrequited love for his "Dream Girl".
One can only wonder what more this legendary artist might have accomplished, had not met with such an untimely demise. However, his legacy lives on through an outstanding body of work from which generations of actors to come can learn from his courage and talent.
* He had initially been rejected in a screen test for Rajshri Productions' Aarti upon first stepping foot into the film industry, only to collaborate with the production house for numerous ventures later in his career.
* The emotional quiver that could be heard in his voice during sentimental scenes was a trademark of his performances.
* To prepare for the role of a psychologically disturbed man in Khilona, he spent four months observing patients in a mental institution.
* Within a span of less than five years, he had played Jaya Bhaduri's love interest (Koshish, Anamika, Naya Din Nayi Raat), father (Parichay), and father-in-law (Sholay). Even after opting out of films to take care of her children, Jaya made an exception to work with him one last time in the Cinderella story, Naukar (1978).
* His brother, Darshan Jariwala, played Mahatma Gandhi in the 2007 Akshaye Khanna starrerGandhi, My Father.
Author: Parm K.
Editor(s): Lola & Jenifer.
Graphics: Sanober.
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