Mahesh Bhatt’s till-death-do-us-part friendship with the actor par excellence Sanjeev Kumar started with a bouquet.
Recalls Mahesh, “The voice of my sister echoes in my memory. ‘Roses! Look, somebody has sent Mahesh roses.’ I was barely 23, and my first film, Manzilein Aur Bhi Hain, was about to release. Sanjeev Kumar, a star of great repute who had locked horns with Dilip Kumar in Sungharsh, sent me that bouquet of roes with a small intimate note. I’ll never forget it: “The takeoff may be delayed, but the flight is certain. Wish you a great career. Love, Sanjeev Kumar.What prompted this great actor to see something in an amateur filmmaker like me is something I’ll never figure out. But that’s why they are grea: they have an eye to spot talent. As I’ve always said, there’s never a shortage of talent, but a shortage of people who can spot it, and Sanjeev had that.”
After Mahesh Bhatt’s Manzilein Aur Bhi Hain flopped, so did the film he did with Snjeev Kumar. “Nobody knew that Vishwasghat was made possible because of Sanjeev’s love for me. He was shooting Sholay in Bangalore and adjusted his dates, calling me to Bangalore with my unit. “I’ll shoot for Sholay in the day and shoot for you at night,” he said. That gave Vishwasghat the lifeblood it needed to reach completion.Despite the disaster of Vishwas Ghat, which was a rank amateur film, there were great moments of intimacy, especially the scenes where Sanjeev played a double role of father and son.Even after its failure, he didn’t lose faith in me.”
Sanjeev, in fact, saved Mahesh’s life. “One day, when my movies weren’t working and I was in despair, he said, ‘Come with me, let’s go to the USIS. There’s a documentary on the great American director, Frank Capra. Let’s watch it.’ That documentary changed my life. Capra’s words stuck with me: “People are interested in people, not in brilliant shots through dark alleys and sunsets. You may be the best writer, director, and art director all rolled into one, but if you can’t get a project together, forget it. This business is not for you.” When Capra said that, Sanjeev turned to me and said, ‘Remember this all your life.’ And I did.
The mutual love and respect remained till Sanjeev Kumar’s untimely death. “The bouquet of roses he sent me years ago withered and died, but my friendship with Sanjeev Kumar bloomed. Ironically, when he died, I visited his house in the middle of the night. Sozzled and drunk, I kissed his forehead and thanked him for what he had been to me. As I was leaving, I saw a cab driver looking for Sanjeev Kumar’s address. The cab was full of roses for Sanjeev Kumar’s funeral the next day. He was a generous man, a great actor, and he touched my life in a way only I know.”