Sanjay Dutt

Double role?
His innocent charm makes him a lovable human being. At the same time, he often makes headlines for the wrong reasons. Sanjay Dutt continues to be an enigmatic character. So, who is the real Sanju?

Diganta Guha

Abhishek Bachchan was asked by Karan Johar on one of the episodes of the talk show, Koffee with Karan, to choose between Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan. That was part of Karan’s rapid fire round. And Chhota B’s answer was, “Sanju baba,” with an affectionate smile on his face.
Fast forward to 2009 — actor Sanjay Dutt’s political innings receives a jolt after the Supreme Court disqualifies him from contesting the Lok Sabha elections under Section 8 (3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 that doesn’t allow a person sentenced to two or more years of incarceration to be a candidate for election. The actor was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in the infamous illegal possession of weapons case. So, here you go — on one hand he is the darling of the film industry and his fans, but on the other, this same man is at the wrong end of the law. And now, he is also in the news for doing a sting operation on a senior Congress leader.If we sit back to assess Dutt’s journey, it comes across as that of man who is a picture of contradictions in himself — an enigma to most. So, who is the real Sanjay Dutt?
Loved by colleagues
Abhishek is not the only one. If you do a survey in Bollywood, Sanjay will certainly emerge as one of the most loved human beings. There is an element of vulnerability in him that endears him to you. The son of yesteryear stars, Sunil Dutt and Nargis, doesn’t belong to any camp. And it goes to Sanju’s credit that he has risen above these camp wars in the film industry. The Bachchans love him, so does Salman Khan. He is close to the Chopras and Johars and is respected by both Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. And, he has his team of die-hard supporters like Vidhu Vinod Chopra, David Dhawan, Suniel Shetty and others who simply swear by him. Industry insiders would tell you that Sanjay would not hesitate to cut down his price for them, and in many instances, wouldn’t even bother to read the scripts before signing on the dotted lines. And Baba, as he is fondly called, goes the whole hog for his pals even at the expense of his box-office image. It was on personal grounds that he had to add some C-grade potboilers like EMI to his CV. “He is a great human being who will always remain by your side and this also reflects in his work,” adds director Raj Kaushal who directed him in Anthony Kaun Hai?
When it comes to charity, Sanjay is always the first one to stand up. To give you one example, Sanjay organised a concert called Each One Reach One in aid of tsunami victims. And the best part about him is that he does it without any fanfare. Not for without a reason was he chosen the goodwill ambassador for the International Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition in 2008. A man with a big heart — that’s what his colleagues would refer to him as. Ask actress Koena Mitra who debuted as a leading lady in Dutt’s production Musafir. “He is very different from what people perceive of him. Call him in the middle of the night and he is there for you,” she says adding, “There are lots of stars who make money, but how many actually feel for people? Sanju is one of those rare ones whose heart always reaches out to you.”
Talk of his integrity, Sanjay parted ways with long-time friend and co-producer Sanjay Gupta on the ground of non-payments by the latter to his actors. Trade expert Taran Adarsh would say that Sanjay is a softie by heart. And needless to say, that at 49, he still sells as an actor with quite a number of plum projects in hand. Didn’t we say there is no dearth of Sanjay Dutt fans?
The other side
Yet, it is this same man, who according to many, spoilt the image of his illustrious parents. First, the drug problems at a young age that almost ruined his career. Then came his alleged association with the underworld, which culminated in his conviction in the arms possession case. If his drug abuse had actually led to the death of his mother, (she died of cancer), as some people believe, his frequent brush with the law brought a lot of embarrassments to his family. Sanju’s critics are quick to point out, “It’s because of his family background that he has not been isolated from the industry. People have a lot of respect for his parents and hence he is tolerated.” A filmmaker who is extremely fond of him attributes his run with problems to his association. “Yes he is lovable but there is always a question mark on some of his trusted aides who have a 24x7 access to him. There are wrong elements in the group whom he trusts blindly. And they put him into trouble. In fact, this is a never-ending process. One leaves, another comes,” says the director on condition of anonymity. Adarsh says, “Perhaps he was misguided and was in the wrong company. He is not very shrewd and calculative.” And it is his non-calculative nature that gets him into trouble so often.
But isn’t Sanjay himself to be blamed for the controversies he is entangled in? Why always blame his so-called friends? Doesn’t he himself choose the wrong people? His marriage to Manyata, a former Bollywood item girl, distanced him from his sisters Priya and Namrata. And currently, he swears by friends who aren’t quite looked up to. For some reason or so, knowingly or unknowingly, he tends to tread a path that throws up questions. He joined the Samajwadi Party, and he is now its National General Secretary. Mind you, his father had been a dedicated member of the Congress party till his death. At times some of his comments get him into controversies. The actor, who entered a new phase in his career portraying Munnabhai on the big screen, opened a Pandora’s box with his provocative statement on women, “Girls after marriage must assume their new surname. That’s a message not just to my sisters, but to all girls who hang on to their parents’ surname. It’s become fashionable these days. But I strongly feel that by doing so they disrespect the person they’ve married.” Quite justifiably, it incurred protests from several women’s organisations.
Tragedy king
When you sit back to analyse Sanjay’s ‘penchant’ for inviting trouble, several angles come into your mind. There are stories about how Nargis pampered him to such an extent that he went astray. Kolkata-based psycho analyst, Paromita Mitra Bhowmick explains scientifically, “He has this tendency to crave for affection since the ups and downs in his life have been very drastic. As a result, he trusts anybody who shows even an iota of love to him. And in the process, he runs into the wrong company.” His marital life has been tragic too. Love has played a peculiar hide and seek game with him — three marriages and some broken affairs. “You have to give it to the man. He is extremely courageous. He has always come out of crisis with a smile,” says Koena Mitra. Sanjay himself doesn’t seem to have any regrets for what he has done. “I don’t want to rewrite my past. I have done what I have felt right,” he said in an interview to NDTV. Now what that means, only God knows.
But deep down, despite all the hardships he has faced, Sanjay Dutt is a person whom you can’t afford not to love, as Kaushal says. Mitra adds, “All actors are misunderstood and Sanju is no exception. He is what he is and I don’t think he has to go around giving clarifications for his actions.” We said in the beginning that Sanjay is an enigma. He still remains so. But towards all his fans who worship him, there is one responsibility he can never shirk — never disappoint them with your actions.
Will the real Sanjay Dutt please stand up?
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