Song by Bhupender Singh & Lata Mangeshkar brings in the serene, lush grasses & clean water stream with Sanjeev Kumar. He is in pain & hurting from his past memories. He can see himself with his first love, Sharmila Tagore.
“Dil Dhoondta Hai… the heart ifs trying to find… Phir wahi fursat ke raat din… Again those times when we had time ….day & night.. Isn’t everyone of us? Where is that time.. it’s gone & so are many people who mattered!
Sanjeev Kumar breathed his last on 6 Nov 1985 in Mumbai. His real name was Harihar Jethalal Jariwala. He was 47 years of age. He died of heart attack. He had two National awards, Dastak & for Koshish.
Dil Dhoondta hai.. we are in search of an actor as versatile. He acted in the super hit ‘Sholay’ in 1975 & ‘Koshish’ also. It did not matter if his role was glamourous or glamourless. He was equally convincing.
He took up the roles for old men, saying I will never live to be at this age! Remember ‘Trishul’ or ‘Mausam’ he shines as an oldie. He did not shy away from being Amitabh or Shashi’s father, or romancing Sharmila Tagore in the first half & being her father in the next in ‘Mausam’.
Dil Dhoondta hai… aaj bhi an actor who directly seeps in the heart & doesn’t remain an idol. He was heavy with a paunch but that did not deter him from singing or following Leena Chandavarkar in ‘Manchali’ or ‘Jaani Dushman’ where he changed into a scary creature on a killing spree.
Incidentally the role of Thakur in ‘Sholay’ was to be performed by Dilip kumar but it landed on Sanjeev kumar’s lap. What a performance! Can you imagine Thakur with his burning eyes focused on Amjad Khan to be someone else?? The distress flowing when he comes across his entire family shot by Gabbar Singh ???
In 1973 ‘Anamika’ he was paired with Jaya Bhaduri after their successful ‘Koshish’ which had a mystery. Why does a girl found on the streets, call him her husband?? The two excellent actors make it enjoyable. In 1975, she became his daughter-in-law in ‘Sholay’. In a white saree, a young widow, she is the epitome of sacrifice.
As I went through the movies he appeared in, I found I have seen most of them. Unknowingly. I never planned to see a movie for the star but it so happened! ‘Khilona’ or ‘Mukti’, ‘Namkeen’ he is in a role that makes him great or the character becomes memorable for ever.
Our heartfelt thanks to the star who made our films stand out. Evergreen. It is the quality that matters. Today our ages are more than 10 years than him, but the name stays on. We will forever remain his ardent fans.
Asian Entertainment 