Book excerpt: Sanjeev Kumar’s dedication to the craft of acting

Although Sanjeev Kumar is well known for the myriad roles he essayed during his lifetime, little is known about the man behind the actor. Hanif Zaveri and Sumant Batra’s book, An Actor's Actor: The Authorized Biography of Sanjeev Kumar, offers insights into his personal and professional life.

From the commanding yet mysterious thakur from the unforgettable film Sholay (1975), around whom the entire plot unfolds, Sanjeev Kumar’s roles span an enviable range of genres, from romance dramas to action films and thrillers. Rajinder Singh Bedi’s Dastak (1970), LV Prasad’s Khilona (1970), Gulzar’s Koshish (1972), Ramesh Sippy’s Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Raghunath Jhalani’s Anamika (1973), Gulzar’s Aandhi (1975) and Mausam (1975), BR Chopra’s Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978), Gulzar’s Angoor (1982) are just some of the films he is remembered for.

The book recounts the beginnings of his journey as an actor in theatre, moving on to B-films in the 1960s, to his role in Sunghursh (1968), where the young actor held his own in front of the legendary Dilip Kumar. His struggles, personal and professional, are brought to the fore as the book paints a picture of the man behind the various characters that he portrayed. It also reminds us of the sheer talent of Sanjeev Kumar, who could grasp a character’s pulse with ease. An excerpt follows:

Notoriously late to the sets for most other films, Sanjeev Kumar was immensely punctual while working with (Satyajit) Ray, excited to be part of such a project. (Producer Suresh) Jindal had assigned a separate car to convey him to the sets, and Sanjeev would be up and ready to go even before the car could arrive at the hotel. According to most sources, he worked on Shatranj Ke Khilari for very little remuneration, since he believed working with Satyajit Ray to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

During the making of the film, Shabana Azmi was asked how much she was being paid to star in the film. She responded that money meant nothing to her and that she would even chop off her right hand to do a Ray film. Ever the prankster, Sanjeev replied: Well, I can't cut my hand off, it has already been lopped off by Ramesh Sippy for Sholay.

Once the laughter had subsided, he said on a more serious note: Any actor who puts money before Ray’s film would be a fool.

Suresh Jindal also recalls: When I told Shabana Azmi, a gifted actress with several memorable films to her credit, that her role in Shatranj Ke Khilari would be limited to two or three scenes, she replied: ‘Suresh, if Ray wants me to hold a jhadu [broom] for one shot only, I will gladly do it. Work with Ray? Wow!’

The first shot taken for the film was of Sanjeev Kumar and Saeed Jaffrey playing chess. Although the script did not mention any extraneous gestures, Sanjeev Kumar improvised while shooting. As soon as the camera started rolling, he looked completely absorbed in the game. Lost in thought, he stroked his eyebrows and plucked a single hair and rolled it between his fingers for a while before making his next move. The gesture was so natural that even Ray was impressed with Sanjeev’s ingenious addition. According to Farida Jalal, who played Nafisa in the film: This could only be done by an actor who is committed to his work and is concerned about the betterment of the project.

Unfortunately, creative differences soon erupted between Saeed Jaffrey and Sanjeev Kumar. While Sanjeev Kumar preferred to rehearse a shot multiple times before he faced the camera, Jaffrey felt that too many rehearsals would rob his performance of spontaneity. Shoots were cancelled for a day, and a tense Ray called for a meeting to resolve the problem. (Actor Richard) Attenborough came up with a solution: Saeed would sit by himself in a corner while Sanjeev rehearsed with (dialogue writer Javed) Siddiqui. As soon as Sanjeev felt sufficiently ready, they would join each other for a technical rehearsal before the take.

Sanjeev had his own method and this had hardly changed since his days at IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association). During the first rehearsal he only learnt his dialogues from memory and did not concentrate on any expression; on the third rehearsal he delivered dialogues with the right expression and continued with it until he was absolutely satisfied with himself. He had to feel like he had internalized the character so well that his entity and the character’s had fused into one. And only then would he ask for the final take.

Excerpted with permission from An Actor’s Actor: The Authorised Biography of Sanjeev Kumar, Hanif Zaveri and Sumant Batra, Penguin Random House. Click to buy your copy.