Book excerpt: How Sanjeev Kumar refused to fold on his fee for his second film as a leading man

Sanjeev Kumar is considered one of Hindi cinema's greatest actors. He starred in over 150 films after starting off in the 1960s. He played the main lead for the first time in Nishan (1965). Directed by Aspi Irani, the film saw Sanjeev play twin brothers Kiran and Badal. It was very rare for an actor to get a chance to play dual roles in his first film as the lead. 

Author duo Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta and Uday Jariwala in their biography of the star, Sanjeev Kumar – The Actor We All Loved, reveal an interesting anecdote about how he bagged his second film as the lead and the process of finalizing his fees for the same. 

Excerpt: 

How a producer tried to negotiate Hari’s [Sanjeev’s nickname] price after seeing him on the bus

An interesting anecdote from those days came from Subhash Indori, arguably Hari’s closest friend, in his interview with journalist Anil Chitre in the July 1980 issue of Cineblitz.

Sanjeev Kumar used to travel by bus, even though he had a release to his credit, Nishan, his first film [as the main lead]. During one such bus ride, a producer travelling on the same bus recognised Sanjeev as Nishan’s hero. When Sanjeev alighted at Grant Road, the producer hurried after him and told him that he was launching a film and he wanted to discuss things with Sanjeev. The producer took his residence address and promised to drop in the next day.

Photojournalist Pradeep Chandra reveals Sanjeev Kumar's unusual sleeping arrangement

The following day, the producer arrived at Sanjeev’s one-room chawl at Bhuleshwar and saw Sanjeev sleeping in the kitchen. Sanjeev immediately woke up and prepared tea for his guest and carried the cup to him. During the discussion that followed, the producer enquired about the amount he had received for his film Nishan. ‘Rs25,000,’ Sanjeev told him.

The producer was surprised and told Sanjeev, ‘But I can offer you only Rs10,000.’

‘I know,’ Sanjeev answered. ‘When you saw me travelling in a bus you deducted 5,000, and when I prepared the tea myself and offered it to you, you deducted another 5,000. Now you’re offering me the balance amount. But my price is still Rs25,000.’

The deal was clinched, and Sanjeev was signed at his price.

Nishan may not have been the ideal launch pad, but it gave Hari his next few films, which were released in 1967 and 1968. These movies featured costumes, sword fights and stunts and showcased Hari’s immense talent.

The extract from Sanjeev Kumar: The Actor We All Loved has been published with permission from HarperCollins.