While Sanjeev Kumar is popular for being one of the best actors in Hindi cinema, fans continue to feel his void as he passed away too soon. He passed away in November 1985 at the age of 47. Sachin Pilgaonkar once shared the heartbreaking story of what was supposed to be his final meeting with close friend Sanjeev Kumar, a meeting that never happened because the legendary actor passed away before he could see him.Despite the age difference between them, Sachin and Sanjeev Kumar shared a close friendship built on trust and mutual respect. In an old interview with Bollywood Aaj Aur Kal, Sachin recalled that Sanjeev had requested him to visit early one morning, but work commitments delayed his arrival. By the time he reached the actor’s residence later that afternoon, Sanjeev Kumar had already breathed his last.Recalling their final conversation, Sachin said he had met Sanjeev Kumar a day earlier while the actor was dubbing.“I had gone to meet him at his house. In fact, I had met him the previous day while he was dubbing. I told him I wanted to see him the next day. He said, ‘Come in the morning.’ I told him I’d come around 2 or 2:30 pm instead. He asked, ‘Can’t you come a little earlier?’ I said I had some work to finish first and would come after that. He said, ‘Alright.’”When Sachin arrived at around 2:30 pm the next day, members of the household told him Sanjeev Kumar was in his room.“I asked where he was, and they told me he was in his room, taking a bath. I waited for about half an hour. Then I asked if he wasn’t feeling well. They said yes, he wasn’t, and that his secretary had gone to bring the doctor. After a while, Jamnadas ji arrived with Dr Gandhi. I asked what had happened. They said he had vomited. He had returned home very late the previous night, around 3 or 4 am.”Sachin remembered feeling upset that Sanjeev had continued working despite being unwell.“I said, ‘He’s not well, yet he’s working late into the night? What’s this?’ I told them that when I met him, I would scold him. He was my friend, philosopher and guide. We shared such a close bond that there was nothing we couldn’t discuss with each other.” s more time passed, Sachin sensed something was seriously wrong. What troubled him most was that no one seemed willing to enter Sanjeev Kumar’s room.“I began to feel something was wrong. He never took this long. Nobody wanted to go inside. I thought I’d go myself. I figured the worst that could happen was that he might be changing. I’d apologise and close the door.” Then he finally slid open the bedroom door, he was met with a devastating scene. At first, I couldn’t see anyone. Then I noticed two feet on the carpet. I stepped forward and saw him lying face down on the floor with one hand stretched towards the door. I screamed and called the doctor immediately.”Although the doctor tried to revive the actor, it was already too late. The doctor came in, turned him over and tried pumping his chest. Then he told us that he had passed away quite some time earlier. The ground slipped beneath my feet.”Sanjeev Kumar passed away on November 6, 1985, after suffering a massive heart attack. He was only 47.In the years that followed, several of his colleagues reflected on the lifestyle choices that may have contributed to his deteriorating health. Veteran actor Parikshit Sahni once claimed that Sanjeev’s demanding work schedule, heavy drinking and late-night eating habits had taken a serious toll on him.“He had bad habits. After shooting, he drank a lot. He also ate a lot… That’s why he died. He had a heart attack,” Sahni had said in an interview. achin Pilgaonkar had also spoken about Sanjeev Kumar renting a separate one-bedroom apartment in Mumbai’s Pali Hill so he could enjoy non-vegetarian food, which was not permitted in his family home.According to Sachin, the apartment became a regular gathering place for close friends including Shammi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha and Randhir Kapoor, where they would spend hours drinking before sitting down to late-night meals of paya and nihari.“So he would order paya, nihari. Sanjeev Kumar, Shammi kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Randhir Kapoor and me, we would all eat together there. The paya had to reheated 4-5 times because we would continue drinking till 5 am and then we would eat the paya. We would eat it with those bakery naans and enjoy,” he recalled in a chat with Kunal Vijayakar.Another anecdote that resurfaced after Sanjeev Kumar’s death came from late actor Tabassum, who once spoke about the actor’s fascination with portraying elderly characters. She revealed that Sanjeev had once confided in her about a palm reader’s prediction that he would not live long.“He told me, ‘A palm reader once said I wouldn’t live long or see old age. That’s why I play older roles in films—to experience that phase of life on screen that I may never get to live in reality’”. Despite being in his 30s and early 40s, Sanjeev Kumar memorably portrayed older characters in films such as ‘Sholay’, ‘Mausam’, ‘Sawaal’ and ‘Trishul’—roles that remain among the most celebrated performances of his career.
