Sanjay Dutt is an Indian film actor, producer and convicted felon known for his work in
Hindi cinema. He was briefly associated with politics and is also infamous for felonies
committed during 1993 Mumbai blasts. Dutt, son of film actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt,
made his acting debut in 1981. Since then he has acted in some of the most popular Hindi
language films. Although Dutt has enjoyed major success in movie genres ranging from
romance to comedy, it has been the roles of gangsters, thugs and police officers in films
that have won Dutt much adulation, with fans and Indian film critics alike referring to
him as the "Deadly Dutt," for his larger-than-life portrayals of such characters.
Dutt was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act in April 1993, due
to terrorist interactions, and illegal possession of a 9mm pistol and an AK-56 assault rifle.
After spending 18 months in jail, he was granted bail in April 1995. In July 2007 he was sentenced
to six years rigorous imprisonment. The Supreme Court of India, in a judgement on 21 March
2013, convicted Dutt of illegal possession of arms relating to the 1993 Mumbai blasts
case and sentenced him to five years imprisonment.
Personal life
Dutt was born on 29 July 1959 to Hindi film actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis and was educated
at The Lawrence School, Sanawar near Kasauli. His mother died in May 1981, three days before
his debut film's premiere; her death has been cited as the cause of his drug addictions.
He spent 5 months in prison in late 1982 after being caught in possession of illegal substances.
Upon his release he spent 2 years in the United States, the majority of which was spent in
a Texas rehab clinic before returning to India and resuming his career.
Dutt married actress Richa Sharma in 1987. Sharma died of brain tumour in 1996. The couple
have a daughter, Trishala, born in 1988, who lives in the United States with her grandparents,
following a custody battle with Dutt after the death of his wife. Dutt's second marriage
was to model Rhea Pillai in 1998. They divorced in 2005. Dutt married Manyata in 2008 in a
private ceremony in Goa, after two years of dating. On 21 October 2010, he became a father
to twins, a boy named Shahraan and a girl named Iqra.
Film career 1972–1993
As a child actor, Dutt appeared in the 1972 film Reshma Aur Shera, which starred his father;
he appears briefly as a qawali singer. Dutt made his Bollywood movie debut with Rocky
in 1981. He went on to star in Vidhaata, the highest grossing Hindi film of 1982. In 1985
he shot for his first film in three years, Jaan Ki Baazi. Dutt appeared in successful
films such as Main Awara Hoon, Jeeva, Mera Haque, Imaandaar, Inaam Dus Hazaar, Jeete
Hain Shaan Se, Mardon Wali Baat, Ilaaka, Hum Bhi Insaan Hain, Kanoon Apna Apna, and Taaqatwar.
The 1986 film Naam was Dutt's first major critical success, earning praise for his sensitive
portrayal of lead character Vicky Kapoor. He also received critical acclaim for his
performances in Mahesh Bhatt's Kabzaa and J. P. Dutta's 1989 Hathyar. In the late 80s
he was seen in a number of films alongside actors like Govinda, Mithun, Dharmendra, Jackie
Shroff and Sunny Deol. His successes continued in the early 1990s,
with films that include Tejaa, khatarnak, Zahreelay, Thanedaar, Khoon Ka Karz, Yalgaar,
Gumrah, Sahibaan, and Aatish: Feel the Fire. He went on to star in some of the most era-defining
Indian films of the 1990s such as Sadak, Saajan and Khal Nayak, for which he earned his second
Filmfare Best Actor Award nomination. Three weeks before its release, however, in April
1993, he was arrested, charged with involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bombings.
1999–2013 1999 was seen as Dutt's comeback year as he
started the year off by starring in the Mahesh Bhatt directed hit Kartoos along with Khoobsurat,
Daag: The Fire, Haseena Maan Jayegi and the award winning Vaastav: The Reality, for which
he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. His role in 2000's Mission Kashmir won him
critical acclaim and a number of awards and nominations, as did his subsequent performance
in Kurukshetra. As the decade went on, he continued to play important roles in popular
and critical successes such as Jodi No.1, Pitaah, Kaante and the National Award-winning
blockbuster Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., which garnered him several awards. Later successes came with
Musafir, Plan, Parineeta and Dus. He won critical acclaim for his performances in Shabd and
Zinda. The blockbuster sequel Lage Raho Munna Bhai
released in late 2006. He received a number of awards for his performance in the film
along with an award from the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his work in the Munna bhai
series. In the same year news channel NDTV named him Indian of the Year. Although he
was going through a successful time professionally and receiving great acclaim for his performance
in Lage Raho Munna Bhai this coincided with the start of the Mumbai bombing's trial. The
nation became transfixed with Dutt's court ongoings which saw him found not guilty of
terrorism related acts but jailed on two occasions between 2006–2007 for short periods, as
he was found guilty 'under the possession of arms act'. He was granted bail enabling
him to star in successes like Dhamaal and Shootout at Lokhandwala. In January 2008,
Indian film institute Filmfare listed 12 movies featuring Dutt in its top 100 grossing movies
of all time list. He also continued working as an actor although on police bail terms.
Allthough Dutt is currently in prison he is still regarded as a top draw at the Indian
box office with the majority of the movies he has featured in settling for average-hit
box office verdicts, 2012 was a great year featured , where he was critically praised
for his anti-hero acts in the blockbusters Agneepath and Son of Sardar. He has featured
in the 3 releases since his 2013 prison incarnation which flopped although his one solo starrer
Policegiri ammased a good box office opening. His next release is a reunion with director
Raj Kumar Hirani co-starring Amir Khan who has also collaborated with the director in
3 idiots, it is set for a December 2014 release and is the last film Dutt completed before
his prison sentence. Filmography
Awards and nominations
Other activities Bigg Boss 5
Sanjay Dutt co-hosted the fifth session of the Indian reality show Big Boss along with
Salman Khan. The show aired on Colors television from 2 October 2011 to 7 January 2012. Later
Dutt told, it was Salman Khan who persuaded him to co-host the show.
Super Fight League Sanjay Dutt and entrepreneur IPL cricket team
owner Raj Kundra together launched India's first professionally organized mixed martial
arts league — the Super Fight League — on 16 January 2012.
Illegal possession of arms 1993–2006
Mumbai suffered a series of serial bombings in 1993. Dutt was among several people associated
with Bollywood who were accused of involvement and in April 1993 he was arrested under the
provisions of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act. Dutt was granted bail by the
Supreme Court of India in October 1995 but was re-arrested in December 1995. He was again
released on bail in April 1997. The case came to court in 2006 and Dutt was
accused of accepting a delivery of weapons at his house from Abu Salem and co-accused
Riyaz Siddiqui, who had also been implicated in relation to the Mumbai blasts. It was claimed
that the weapons formed a part of a large consignment of arms connected to the terrorists.
The period between 2006–2007 saw Dutt spend seven months in Arthur Road Jail and Pune
prison on three occasions for the offences. 2007–2009
Abdul Qayyum Abdul Karim Shaikh, who was thought to be a close aide of the terrorists' ringleader,
Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested. Dutt had given Qayuum's name to the police when confessing
to arms possession, saying that in September 1992 he had bought a pistol from Qayuum in
Dubai. On 31 July 2007, the TADA court sentenced
Dutt to six years' rigorous imprisonment for illegal possession of weapons and cleared
him of charges relating to the Mumbai blasts. According to The Guardian, "The actor claimed
he feared for his life after the notorious "Black Friday" bombings, which were allegedly
staged by Mumbai's Muslim-dominated mafia in retaliation for deadly Hindu-Muslim clashes
a few months earlier. But the judge rejected this defence and also refused bail." Dutt
was returned to jail at Arthur Road and soon after moved to the Yerwada Central Jail in
Pune. Dutt appealed against the sentence and was
granted interim bail on 20 August 2007 until such time as the TADA court provided him with
a copy of its judgement. On 22 October 2007 Dutt was back in jail but again applied for
bail. On 27 November 2007, Dutt was granted bail by the Supreme Court. On 21 March 2013
the Supreme Court upheld the verdict of the TADA court but shortened the sentence to five
years' imprisonment. Dutt was given a month to surrender before the authorities.
Dutt has said that "I am not a politician but I belong to a political family." He was
persuaded by a close friend to contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections as a candidate for
the Samajwadi Party but withdrew when the court refused to suspend his conviction. He
was then appointed General Secretary of the party, leaving that post in December 2010.
Re-imprisonment In March 2013, the Supreme Court upheld Dutt's
five-year sentence, 18 months of which he already spent in jail during the trial. He
was given four weeks to surrender to the authorities, the court having refused to release him on
probation due to the severity of the offence. With analysts believing that his imprisonment
would have a significant impact on the fortunes of Bollywood, people from that movie business
made statements of support following the ruling and some said that they would be making appeals
for him to be pardoned. On 10 May, the Supreme Court rejected Dutt's review petition for
the reconsideration of his conviction and asked him to surrender on the stipulated date.
On 13 May, the Supreme Court rejected appeals filed by two film producers who were seeking
more time for the actor to surrender so that he could complete two of his under-production
films. On 14 May, Dutt withdrew the mercy plea and surrendered to the Mumbai Police
on 16 May 2013. Just before the surrender the Mumbai jail authority got an anonymous
letter threatening Dutt's life. Dutt filed an appeal to allow him to surrender before
Yerwada jail. Later, Dutt withdrew this request too. Dutt subsequently surrendered in court
as ordered. He was out on parole from 21 December 2013. The parole was extened thrice for him
which is being questioned by Mumbai high court. Now the Maharashtra govt is planning to amend
Parole law. Currently he is back in yerwada prison after his parole ended.
References
External links Sanjay Dutt at the Internet Movie Database
Sanjay Dutt on Twitter