A new biography of actor Sanjeev Kumar looks at his multi-faceted life and career and sheds light on many, first to his credit – the first to use artificial make-up in Hindi cinema, playing nine roles in one film and being a part of one banned in independent India.
Written by his nephew Uday Jariwala and Rita Ramamurthy Gupta, “Sanjeev Kumar: The Actor We All Loved” will be published by HarperCollins India ahead of his birthday on July 9.
It has an endorsement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and includes personal essays by Kumar’s friend Gulzar, Randhir Kapoor and co-stars Sharmila Tagore, Moushumi Chatterjee, Tanuja among others.
Jariwala says the book is a labor of love and took about four years to complete.
“It is an authentic representation of his life. For the first time, his fans will get to know him intimately as he really was,” he says.
The authors say their book aims to find out what is not commonly known about Kumar or Haribhai, as he was popular. Born on 9 July 1938, Harihar Jethalal Jariwala started his film journey with black-and-white movies. He was a mainstream hero who credibly did action, romance and stunt films before a precocious punch asserted itself.