Sanjeev Kumar predicted his early death; Sachin found him ‘face down on the carpet’ | Bollywood News

Actor Sachin Pilgaonkar once opened up about his close friendship with legendary actor Sanjeev Kumar and the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding what was meant to be their final meeting.
Although Sachin was much younger than Sanjeev Kumar, the two shared a deep bond and often confided in each other. In an old interview, Sachin recalled how Sanjeev had asked him to visit early the next morning, but work commitments delayed his visit. the time he reached the actor’s home that afternoon, Sanjeev Kumar had already died.
‘He asked me to come early’
Speaking to Bollywood Aaj Aur Kal, Sachin said he had met Sanjeev Kumar a day earlier while the latter 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.’”
‘They told me he wasn’t feeling well’
Sachin said he reached Sanjeev Kumar’s home around 2:30 pm and was informed that the actor 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 said he was upset that Sanjeev Kumar was working late despite being unwell.Story continues below this ad
“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.”
As time passed, Sachin grew increasingly worried because no one was 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.”
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‘I saw his feet on the carpet’
Sachin said he slid open the bedroom door and was met with a devastating sight.
“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.”
The doctor tried to revive Sanjeev Kumar but it was 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.”Story continues below this ad
Sanjeev Kumar’s untimely death
Sanjeev Kumar died on November 6, 1985, after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 47 years old.
Over the years, several of his friends and colleagues have spoken about the actor’s lifestyle. Veteran actor Parikshit Sahni once said that Sanjeev Kumar’s heavy drinking, late-night eating habits and demanding routine took a toll on his health.
“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.
Sachin Pilgaonkar too had recalled that Sanjeev Kumar had rented a separate one-bedroom flat in Mumbai’s Pali Hill just to enjoy non-vegetarian food, as it wasn’t allowed in his family home.Story continues below this ad
According to Sachin, Sanjeev would often host late-night gatherings with friends including Shammi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha and Randhir Kapoor, where they would eat paya and nihari after drinking until the early hours of the morning.
“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
Tabassum recalls Sanjeev Kumar’s prediction about his life
Another story that resurfaced after Sanjeev Kumar’s untimely death came from late actor Tabassum, who recalled the actor’s fascination with playing older characters. According to her, Sanjeev once revealed that a palm had predicted he would not live long, which is why he gravitated towards elderly roles on screen.
“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’”.Story continues below this ad
Sanjeev played memorable older characters in films such as Sholay, Mausam, Sawaal and Trishul, despite being only in his 30s and early 40s.