From screen to memoir, to screen

As Sanjeev Kumar’s biography gears up for release, sources say Anil in talks for book’s adaptation rights

He didn’t believe in frills or glamour, always placing his craft above all else. It is this relentless pursuit of excellence that made Sanjeev Kumar one of the most enduring star actors of Hindi cinema. Almost 37 years after his demise, fans will revisit Kumar’s life and times as his official biography, titled Sanjeev Kumar: The Actor We All Loved, will be released on June 9. It is heard that Anil Kapoor has reached out to the memoir’s writers — Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta, and Kumar’s nephew Uday Jariwala — to acquire the adaptation rights for his production house.

The book will take readers through the artiste’s early years as Harihar Jethalal Jariwala, how he pursued theatre, before becoming one of Bollywood’s most versatile actors with stellar work in Koshish (1972), Aandhi (1975), Sholay (1975) and Trishul (1978). It will have personal anecdotes by his close friends, including Gulzar, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee. For Kapoor’s production house, a biopic on Kumar could be an interesting addition. A source says, “It’s a dream role for any actor to play Sanjeev Kumar on screen. The biography will reveal the man behind the enigma, his successes and heartbreaks. A few members of his family, besides Uday, have contributed to the research. Anil is apparently in talks with the authors as he wants to take the book to the screen. It is not yet known whether he will play the acclaimed actor.”

mid-day reached out to Kapoor, Gupta and Harper Collins India, who remained unavailable for comment.

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