Flashback: Sanjeev Kumar Travelled By Bus Despite Being A Star

Bollywood had produced many talented actors during 1960- 1970. These actors of yesteryears have carved their own niche in the industry with their hard work and talent—

Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Rajkumar, Dharmendra, Amithabh Bachchan to name a few.

Among these talented actors, actor Sanjeev Kumar stands out as an unique performer on the screen. The actor has left an indelible mark in the minds of movie buffs. His movies are watched and rewatched even to this day and capture record eyeballs on YouTube where his movies can be streamed for free.

Sanjeev Kumar was a powerhouse of talent, who could portray any kind of character on the screen amidst competition from the above mentioned great actors. But the regrettable aspect is that Sanjeev Kumar did not enjoy the celebrity status as much as other actors of those years.

The actor was born in Gujarat in the year 1937. His earlier name was Harihar Jetalal Jariwala which was changed to Sanjeev Kumar after his entry into Bollywood. The actor won National Award twice for his performances in movies like "Arjun Pandit" "Sholay' and "Trishul'. Sanjeev Kumar's talent can be seen in his movies like "Manchali", "Pati Patni, Aur Woh" "Biwi O Biwi" and Hero.

The actor entered the tinsel town at his very young age. By the time he succeeded and came to limelight in Bollywood, his life took a tragic turn. He died of heart attack at the age of 48.

Sanjeev Kumar made his debut in Hindi movies with "Hum Hindustani" directed by Ram Mukherji in the year 1960. He used to do minor characters at the beginning of his film career and in 1965, he became a lead actor in the movie "Nishaan" directed by Aspi Irani.

In the year 1968, the actor shared his screen space with senior actor Dilip Kumar and since then, he earned his star status and never looked back in his cinema journey. The most interesting part was that the actor would travel by public transport in spite of being a star.

After seeing him getting down from a bus, one of his leading ladies went and quarreled with the Producer and director saying she would not want to work with Sanjeev Kumar. This incident was revealed by none other than the actor himself during an interview.

Throughout his life, Sanjeev Kumar used to opt for aged people roles. When the actor was 22, he had worked as the father of AK Hangal in a drama by the name "All my Sons'. Hangal was 24 years older to Sanjeev Kumar. Besides, the actor used to accept even small characters.

Sanjeev Kumar won a National Award in the year 1970 for his acting prowess in the movie Dastak. Great directors like Hrishikesh Mukherji, Gulzar, and Satyajith Ray had showered high praises about the actor for his acting abilities.

One can never forget his performance in Satyajith Ray's movie "Shatranj ke Khilari". His performance in "Khilona" and "Koshish" had become talk of the town during those days. His portrayal of the deaf and mute character in Koshish in 1970 was a milestone in his career.

Several of his movies were remade into other languages featuring big stars of the industry to give their careers a boost. It is learnt that Southern movie producers were insisting on casting Sanjeev Kumar in the remake of their movies, for, the actor used to do full justice to their characters.

Sanjeev Kumar had proposed to Hema Malini in the year 1973. Both were said to be in touch until 1976 until the actor had a heart attack. Then there was also a buzz that Sulakshana Pandit had proposed to Sanjeev Kumar and the proposal was turned down by the actor. Hema Malini married actor Dharmendra in the year 1980 and Sanjeev Kumar remained a bachelor until his death.