ACTOR & A GENTLEMAN

Nephew and co-author of the biography Sanjeev Kumar: The Actor We All Loved, Uday Jariwala shares his memories about his uncle. Farhana Farook jots them down.

In an era of superstars like Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar had his own fan base. The caress in his voice, untailored demeanour and dimpled smile stirred the right hormones. In contrast to this celebrated image, Sanjeev in person was both sensitive and sentimental. The shadow of past tragedies had made him just as sentimental about his family. Grandfather Shivalal Jariwala and father Jethalal Jariwala both succumbed to heart attacks before reaching 50. Sanjeev, beset by these misgivings, was once quoted saying, “I play older roles to live that life which I’m not fated to otherwise.” The foreboding did play itself out when younger brother Nikul Jariwala passed away in 1984, Sanjeev in 1985 and middle brother Kishore Jariwala in 1986. But Sanjeev Kumar’s legacy, given his genius, has defied death and the decades. Here, nephew and co-author of the biography, Sanjeev Kumar: The Actor We All Loved (co-written by Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta) handpicks fond memories of his late uncle. In Uday Jariwala’s own words:

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS