Sanjeev kumar wanted a traditional wife who would stay at home, look after his mother, and manage the household.

Sanjeev Kumar acted with Hema Malini in the famous movie Seeta Aur Geeta (1972). While making the film, he fell deeply in love with her. At that time, Hema and Dharmendra weren’t seriously involved yet, so Sanjeev felt he had a real chance.

He even sent a marriage proposal to Hema’s house. Hema’s mother, Jaya Chakravarti, liked Sanjeev and was happy with the match. But she had one firm condition: Hema would continue working in films even after marriage.

Sanjeev, however, wanted a traditional wife who would stay at home, look after his mother, and manage the household.

 In a 1991 interview, Hema herself said Sanjeev was looking for the “ideal bahu” who would devote herself to family duties. Since Hema wasn’t ready to give up her career, she politely turned down the proposal.

Around the same time, actress Sulakshana Pandit was madly in love with Sanjeev and wanted to marry him. But Sanjeev’s heart was broken after Hema’s refusal, so he said no to Sulakshana too.

After these two rejections, Sanjeev pretty much gave up on the idea of getting married. There was also a strange fear that haunted him his whole life. He believed that if he ever married and had a son, he would die as soon as the boy turned 10. This fear came from his family history.

his own father had died when Sanjeev’s elder brother was 10 years old, and later, when that elder brother’s son reached 10, Sanjeev’s brother also passed away suddenly.

To have some family joy without taking the “risk” of marriage, Sanjeev adopted his brother’s son and raised the boy as his own. Tragically, on November 6, 1985, when that adopted son turned 10, Sanjeev Kumar suffered a massive heart attack and was found dead in his room. He was only 47 years old.