REVEALED: After Sanjeev Kumar’s demise, Boney Kapoor and Raj Kapoor had come forward to repay the money they owed the late actor; his sister-in-law says, “The list of debtors was MIND-BOGGLING; the sum was in crores! We still haven’t recovered that money”

By Fenil Seta -

July 19, 2022 - 12:00 PM IST

The 84th anniversary of one of the greatest actors of all time, Sanjeev Kumar, was celebrated on July 9 this year. This anniversary was extra special this year as on the same day, his biography 'Sanjeev Kumar: The Actor We All Loved' was launched with much fanfare. Written by Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta and Sanjeev’s nephew Uday Jariwala, the book focuses on several aspects of the actor’s life and also about episodes that occurred post his demise.

REVEALED: After Sanjeev Kumar’s demise, Boney Kapoor and Raj Kapoor had come forward to repay the money they owed the late actor; his sister-in-law says, “The list of debtors was MIND-BOGGLING; the sum was in crores! We still haven’t recovered that money”

Sanjeev Kumar passed away at the early age of 47 due to a heart attack, on November 6, 1985. The actor had a heart condition and suffered four heart attacks, the fourth one being the final and fatal one. It occurred suddenly when he was in his bathroom. The actor was extremely popular and also was much revered and respected in the industry. As a result, several film personalities came to pay their last respects. Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha and Shammi Kapoor even held his mortal remains while it was being carried to the crematorium. The crowd at his Bandra house stretched to a kilometre as fans tried to have one last glimpse of their beloved actor.

At one point, the book carries the excerpt of Jyoti Nikul Jariwala, the sister-in-law of Sanjeev Kumar and how she managed the affairs post his demise. Her husband Nikul had passed away one year before Sanjeev Kumar. "With Nikul also not around, I felt abandoned and lonely," she wrote and then said, "The first jolt came soon enough. Our lawyer informed me that I had to pay Rs. 6 lakhs to probate Bhai's (Sanjeev Kumar) will."

Jyoti then explained that she started to accumulate the sum of Rs. 6 lakhs. At this point, producer Boney Kapoor was the first person to come forward. He returned the Rs. 2 lakh he had borrowed from the late actor to make his first production Hum Paanch (1981), which also starred the last actor. Jyoti reveals that Boney was Surinder Kapoor's son, who was Shammi Kapoor's assistant. Shammi and Sanjeev had a close bond, due to which Sanjeev loaned the money to Boney and also worked in his movie.

Meanwhile, the Indian actress Shammi, came next and returned Rs. 50,000 that she owed. The showman Raj Kapoor also returned some money that he had borrowed from Sanjeev Kumar.

Besides these, there were many others whom Sanjeev Kumar had given money to. The list was given to Jyoti by Sanjeev Kumar's manager, Jamnadasji. She wrote, "The list of debtors was mind-boggling; the sum was in crores! We appealed to the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (for recovery of the money), but not much came out of it. To tell you the truth, we still haven't recovered that money."

Toward the end, Jyoti stressed the need for education among women so that they can sail through such tough times. She also thanked Subhash Sanas, Sanjeev Kumar's close friend, for helping her in times of need.

Subhash Sanas ran the Jawahar Hotel in Pune and had also done business with Sanjeev Kumar. A chapter in a book is narrated by him where he revealed that he opened a multiplex chain, E-Square, in Pune in 2003. In this business, he offered a small stake to "Jyoti bhabhi in lieu of the investments that Haribhai (Sanjeev Kumar's real name) had made with me."