Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor and film producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema, and has also appeared in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Marathi and Punjabi films. He has acted in over 135 films. Known for his versatile roles, style, and intensity, he has often portrayed flawed heroes on screen. Dutt has received awards such as two Filmfare Awards, three Screen Awards and a Global Indian Film Award.

Part of the Dutt family, he is the son of actor-politicians Sunil Dutt and Nargis. Dutt made his acting debut with Rocky (1981), directed by his father. A career slump followed, with exceptions being Vidhaata (1982), Naam (1986) and Thanedaar (1990). He later starred in films such as Saajan (1991) and Sadak (1991), and appeared in commercially successful releases including Adharm (1992), Gumrah (1993), Khalnayak (1993), Daag: The Fire (1999), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Vaastav: The Reality (1999), Jodi No. 1 (2001), Munna Bhai MBBS (2003), and Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006); his performance in Vaastav: The Reality won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Since 2000, he's done a series of commercially successful films including Mission Kashmir (2000), Kurukshetra (2000), Kaante (2002), Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003), Dus (2005), Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), Dhamaal (2007), All the Best (2009), Double Dhamaal (2011), Agneepath (2012), Son of Sardaar (2012), and PK (2014). After a career decline, Dutt expanded into South Indian cinema, playing the main antagonist in the Kannada film K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022)—the fifth highest-grossing Indian film and the Tamil film Leo (2023)—the 22nd highest-grossing Indian film. He also achieved success playing supporting roles in the Hindi films Housefull 5 and Dhurandhar, with the latter emerging as his highest-grossing film.

In April 1993, Dutt was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and the Arms Act, and was later convicted under the Arms Act for possession of illegal weapons, including AK-56 rifles, procured from others accused in the 1993 Bombay bombings. He was sentenced to five years in prison, and after periods of bail, completed his sentence in 2016. Dutt's life has been the subject of considerable media coverage in India, and in 2018, Sanju, a biopic based on his life, starring Ranbir Kapoor as Dutt; the film was one of the highest-grossers of Indian cinema.

Early life

Sanjay Dutt was born in Bombay, Bombay State (now Mumbai, Maharashtra), to Hindi cinema actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt. He studied at The Lawrence School, Sanawar, and later at Elphinstone College, Mumbai.

Born to a Hindu father and a Muslim mother, Dutt's ancestry through his father and maternal grandfather traces back to the Rawalpindi Division of western Punjab (in present-day Pakistan), with his paternal village being Khurd in Jhelum District. Dutt is the maternal grandson of Jaddanbai from Benares, who came from a family of tawaifs (courtesans) with ancestral links to the Mughal court, and worked as a director, producer, actress, also being among the earliest female music composers in Hindi cinema. Through Jaddanbai, Dutt is the nephew of character actor Anwar Hussain, Nargis's half-brother. Through his father, Dutt belongs to the Hussaini Brahmin community, which reveres Imam Hussain and is traditionally said to have participated in the battle of Karbala; the community's syncretist identity as "half-Hindu and half-Muslim" is reported to have made the them a target during the 1947 partition of India riots. Dutt has two sisters, Priya Dutt, a politician, and Namrata Dutt, who is married to Kumar Gaurav, the son of actor Rajendra Kumar.

Dutt's given name was chosen by crowdsourcing via the Urdu-language film magazine Shama. His mother died in 1981, shortly before the premiere of his debut film; her death has been cited in accounts of the onset of his drug use. Dutt made his acting debut as a child, playing a qawali singer in his father's film Reshma Aur Shera (1971).

Career

Breakthrough (1981–1989)

Dutt made his Bollywood film debut with Rocky (1981). He then appeared in Vidhaata—the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1982—alongside Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, and Sanjeev Kumar, and in Main Awara Hoon (1983) and Zameen Aasmaan (1984). In 1985, he shot Jaan Ki Baazi, his first release in two years.

The film Naam (1986) is described by commentators as a turning point in Dutt's career and was a critical and commercial success. During the late 1980s, he appeared in box-office hits including Imaandaar, Inaam Dus Hazaar (1987), Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1988), Mardon Wali Baat (1988), Ilaaka (1989), Hum Bhi Insaan Hain (1989), Kanoon Apna Apna (1989), and Taaqatwar (1989).

His performances in Kabzaa (1988) and J. P. Dutta's Hathyar (1989) were both well received by critics; trade sources classify both films as having average box-office returns. In the same period, he appeared in multi-starrer projects with actors including Govinda, Mithun, Dharmendra, Jackie Shroff, and Sunny Deol.

Rise to prominence (1990–1993)

In the early 1990s, Dutt's releases include Tejaa (1990), Khatarnaak (1990), Zahreelay, (1990) Thanedaar (1990), Khoon Ka Karz (1991), Yalgaar (1992), Gumrah (1993), Sahibaan (1993), and Aatish: Feel the Fire (1994). He also starred in Sadak (1991), Saajan (1991), and Khalnayak (1993); he received nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Saajan and Khalnayak.

The Hindu wrote that "Dutt's earlier films (like Naam and Sadak) got him a lot of favourable attention", and "Saajan established Dutt as the conventional soft hero." Saajan was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1991, and Sadak ranked fifth. Khalnayak was the second-highest-grossing film of 1993. This was followed by another box office success Gumrah, this was Dutt's second consecutive hit that year.

Arrest and later career (1993–1998)

In March 1993, Bombay (now Mumbai) experienced a series of bombings later attributed to organised crime and terrorist networks. Dutt was among several Bollywood figures charged in connection with the case; prosecutors alleged that Dutt received weapons at his residence from Abu Salem and co-accused Riyaz Siddiqui as part of a consignment linked to those involved in the bombings. In his confession, Dutt stated that he had obtained a single Type-56 rifle from the producers of the movie Sanam, for family protection. Reports suggest that his father Sunil Dutt's political activity influenced how the case proceeded.

Dutt's first film after his 1993 arrest was Daud (1997); trade sources describe its box-office results as average. He followed this with Dushman (1998) which performed well commercially.

Resurgence (1999–2002)

1999 was an excellent year for Dutt and one that is regarded as his comeback, with all of his five releases being among the highest-grossing films of that year. He began it by starring in the Mahesh Bhatt-directed film Kartoos, followed by Khoobsurat, Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Daag: The Fire and Vaastav: The Reality, for which he won many awards, including his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor. His role in 2000's Mission Kashmir won him critical acclaim and a number of awards and nominations, including his fourth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Dutt was also invited by the President of India to Rashtrapati Bhavan for his performance in the film.

As the decade went on, he continued to play lead roles in critical and commercial successes such as Jodi No.1 (2001), Pitaah (2002) and Kaante (2002), which earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Munna Bhai and supporting roles (2003–2014)

He played the lead role in the National Award-winning film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003), which garnered him several awards, including his first Filmfare Award for Best Comedian. At the box office, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. achieved a silver jubilee status (25-week run) being one of only eight films to have achieved this status since the year 2000. In its 26th week of release, the film could still be found playing on 257 screens throughout India. Later successes came with Musafir (2004), Plan (2004), Parineeta (2005), which earned him his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Dus (2005). He also won critical acclaim for his performances in Shabd (2005) and Zinda (2006).