An Actor’s Actor: An Authorized Biography of Sanjeev Kumar

More than thirty-five years after his death Sanjeev Kumar remains a role model for all aspiring actors. He could light up the screen in underpants paunch showing in one of Hindi cinema's most lovable song sequences 'Thande thande paani se nahana chahiye' (Pati Patni Aur Woh 1977). Entirely unselfconscious of his image as a star he would often be cast as the father figure to a number of his contemporaries most famously Sharmila Tagore in Mausam (1975) and Amitabh Bachchan in Trishul (1978) or as the elderly Thakur in Sholay (1975) and yet leave an indelible mark with his presence and his acting prowess. After starting out in B-films in the 1960s he caught the eye in Sungharsh (1967) where the manner in which he held his own against Dilip Kumar is now stuff of Hindi film folklore. Equally adept at comedy (Angoor and Manchali for example) and dramatic serious roles (Anubhav and Koshish) he was truly an actor's actor.Hanif Zaveri and Sumant Batra's biography provides a glimpse of star's personal and professional lives taking off from the traditional business of the Zariwalas his romantic involvement with some of Hindi cinema's biggest names his lifelong battle with loneliness and his glittering achievements on screen. An Actor's Actor is a succinct introduction to the life and films of a star who left us tragically at the young age of forty-seven but who continues to live through his unforgettable and remarkable contribution to Hindi cinema. About the Author Hanif Zaveri is an author journalist actor and playwright residing in Mumbai. A student of Maharashtra College of Arts Science and Commerce Mumbai he has worked as a freelance film journalist and interviewed eminent film personalities from Ashok Kumar to Dilip Kumar. He wrote directed and acted in the play Naqli Nawab for Stage Arts International. A member of Indian People Theatre Association (IPTA) he worked with M.S. Sathyu Ramesh Talwar Shabana Azmi A.K. Hangal Anjan Srivastava Manmohan Krishna Sulbha Arya Sudhir Panday and Rakesh Bedi. He worked as chief reporter for the film weekly Film City. He acted in the Doordarshan serial Babaji Ka Bioscope and wrote the documentary Khatti Meethi Yaadein. He is the author of Mehmood: A Man of Many Moods. Apart form writing he also works as an administrative officer for the construction company RNA Builders (NG). Sumant Batra is India's number one insolvency lawyer as rated by Legal 500. As senior international consultant to the IMF World Bank Group OECD and other development institutions he has worked extensively on policy matters in Africa Eastern Europe the Middle East and South Asia. He is the founder and architect of a number of innovative creative projects to promote Indian heritage culture art and literature. An avid collector he probably has the largest collection of Indian cinema memorabilia has set up Chitrashala a private museum of Indian vintage graphic art and has curated a boutique hotel in the Himalayas using his collection. He is the author of The Indians a coffeetable book that included a foreword by Cherie Blair.