Career
Sanjeev Kumar made his debut in the film Hum Hindustani in 1960. Sanjeev's first film as a hero was the 1965 Nishan. In 1968, he played opposite the famous actor Dilip Kumar in Sangharsh. In 1970, Khilona made him a star. He went on to star in the hits Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Manchali (1973) and Aap Ki Kasam. He started working with the well-known director Gulzar in the early 1970's. He did nine films 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 outstanding performance of a deaf and mute person in Koshish in which the female lead was played by Jaya Bhaduri, who acted as his deaf and mute wife and was nominated for Best Actor award in Filmfare for the same role. Many of his fans believe that these are some of the best films that he did. He will always be remembered as Thakur of Sholay which was released in August 1975. His character in Sholay is the most prominent of all the characters played by him. He started with C Grade stunt cinemas and rose to the heights of being the most versatile actors of Hindi cinemas.
He was endowed with excellent comic timing with which he entertained audiences in films like Seeta Aur Geeta, Biwi O Biwi, Pati, Patni Aur Woh, Angoor and Hero to name a few.
He was always ready to take unconventional roles that challenged him as an actor. He played Mirza Sajjad Ali, a chess-obsessed Lucknowi (citizen of Lucknow), in Satyajit Ray's classic Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977). 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 Navarathiri (1964), which was also previously reprised by Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Navarathri (Telugu; 1966). This film has enhanced his status and reputation as a serious actor in Hindi cinema.
Sanjeev Kumar has always been regarded as one of the most talented and versatile actors ever in Hindi cinema. 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 1980's, Sanjeev Kumar did more supporting roles than playing the lead. In 1980, he starred in a Punjabi movie Fauji Chacha.
Read more about this topic: Sanjeev Kumar
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“From a hasty glance through the various tests I figure it out that I would be classified in Group B, indicating “Low Average Ability,” reserved usually for those just learning to speak the English Language and preparing for a career of holding a spike while another man hits it.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)
““Never hug and kiss your children! Mother love may make your children’s infancy unhappy and prevent them from pursuing a career or getting married!” That’s total hogwash, of course. But it shows on extreme example of what state-of-the-art “scientific” parenting was supposed to be in early twentieth-century America. After all, that was the heyday of efficiency experts, time-and-motion studies, and the like.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
“In time your relatives will come to accept the idea that a career is as important to you as your family. Of course, in time the polar ice cap will melt.”
—Barbara Dale (b. 1940)