Sanjay Dutt is one of the most versatile performers in Bollywood. The 64-year-old actor has weaved an incomparable career in films, and has reigned as one of the mighty superstars ever. It was in 1981 when he made his debut with Rocky. Moving forth, the actor has witnessed a lot of ups and downs in his life, especially during the 1993 Bombay blasts. For the unversed, the actor was arrested under the TADA act and sentenced to jail for six years, for allegedly possessing arms and ammunition. He was released as a free man acquitted from all charges in February 2016.
Recently, in an interactive session at the Kellogg Management school, filmmaker, Vidhu Vinod Chopra sat down for an array of anecdotes pertaining to his iconic film, Munnabhai M.B.B.S. He mentioned offering Sanjay Dutt the role at a time when the actor was barely out of jail and was unanimously banned in Bollywood. Vidhu mentioned Sanjay’s father, Sunil Dutt asked him if he wanted to take the risk of getting banned himself, by offering a film to his son. Adding how he simply didn’t care what the world thought of him by announcing Sanjay Dutt as the hero to his film, Vidhu Vinod Chopra said:
“Sanjay Dutt went to jail. I didn’t know him at all. The whole industry banned him, but I thought this was very wrong, so I went to his house and made a film with him. His father said that I’ll be banned as well, but I said I don’t care. I told him I’ll never make a film with you, I just announced it because it was the right thing to do. He’s a very simple man. A good man, but a simple man.”
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Moving forth in his revelation, Vidhu Vinod Chopra mentioned how Sanjay Dutt was never offered the lead role for the film, Munnabhai M.B.B.S. initially. The actor was offered to play a crucial side role, which was later played by Jimmy Sheirgill. However, once the already chosen lead actor backed out from the film, it was then that Vidhu offered it to Sanjay Dutt. Adding how the latter never really read the script of the film, the filmmaker said:
“And he’s such a simple fellow, he said ‘I know’. I said, not that role, main Munna Bhai. He said, ‘okay if you say so, I’ll do it.’ He never reads a script.”
Previously, during his appearance on the show, Star vs Food Survival, Sanjay Dutt reminisced about the past and recalled how he used to spend his time during his jail term. He revealed how during that time, he learnt to cook, read scriptures and took his workout gain on another level. In his words:
“The first time I went to jail if you see the photographs outside Thane jail – Anna, Akshay, Ajay, Shah Rukh, everybody came and wished me well. I had no respite from serving jail time, so why overthink it? I had to make up my mind that yes I had to go. I have to face it. In six years, I faced it, managed it, made the most out of it, and learned from it. I used that time to learn cooking, scriptures, and working out. I came out with a better physique."
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Quite early on in his life, Sanjay Dutt had dived deep into the habit of drug consumption, due to which he faced many severe health issues. In one of his older interviews with a leading daily, the actor remembered one such incidence where his family ended up thinking that he passed away due to drug overdose. Sanjay mentioned how one morning, he woke up from his sleep feeling hungry and asked a helper to prepare him food. However, the person immediately started to cry in shock. When the actor asked him for the reason, the helper revealed how Sanjay had actually woken up after two days, during which everyone in his family thought that he died.
What do you think about Sanjay Dutt getting banned in films after his jail tenure?
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