‘He was like a brother’: Parikshit Sahni recalls his friendship with Sanjeev Kumar

Seasoned actor Parikshit Sahni, the son of the iconic Balraj Sahni, has had a rich and varied journey from ‘Anokhi Raat’ and ‘Tapasya’ to ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘Housefull 4’.

This resulted in long and fascinating associations with some of the most prominent names of the film industry, and one such name was that of veteran actor Sanjeev Kumar.

Sahni spoke at length about his bond with Sanjeev Kumar, their friendship, his complicated relationships, and his health issues.

In a recent conversation with ANI, he shed light on his close friendship with the ‘Angoor’ actor, saying, “He was like a brother. Because he was in the first film, ‘Anokhi Raat’. And I had just come from Russia, and they cast me in that role. I didn’t know Hindi because I spoke Russian for six years.” Sahni went on to share how Sanjeev Kumar would help him with his dialogue delivery, which further deepened their bond. “So Hari bhai, Sanjeev, became like an elder brother. And he used to tell me that I had my pauses all wrong. Asit Sen, who was the director, kept complaining, ‘Oh, this boy. Pause, pause in-between. You are speaking non-stop.’ I said, ‘Sir, this has to be spoken after rote learning.’ It was Hari Bhai who came to my rescue.” Sanjeev Kumar took on a variety of roles, including action, comedy, and tragedy, rather than defining himself by a single category. His films, such as ‘Sholay’, ‘Koshish’, and ‘Angoor’, continue to be widely appreciated to this day.

The ‘Pavitra Paapi’ actor also spoke about Kumar’s health issues. “He had bad habits. In the sense that he, after the shootings, drank a lot. He drank and drank and drank. He also ate a lot till 2 a.m. He ate and threw the bones under the table. And that’s why he died. I mean, he had a heart attack.” He also touched upon his relationships. “Well, I didn’t ask him, but I know that a lot of, I don’t want to name the girls because some of them are film actresses. They were crazy about him and wanted to marry him. But he didn’t marry.” Sahni is also known for his roles in the TV series ‘Barrister Vinod’, ‘Gul Gulshan Gulfaam’ and Gaatha. He also wrote books such as ‘The Non-Conformist: Memories of My Father Balraj Sahni’ and ‘Strange Encounters: Adventures of a Curious Life’.