​Lead A to Z of Sanjay Dutt

From rebellion to resilience and redemption, Sanjay Dutt’s life has been like movie filled with high drama. The son of Hindi cinema legends Sunil Dutt and Nargis has spent decades fighting inner demons, drug addiction, legal battles, and public scrutiny. Through it all he has remained a fan favourite, with unforgettable performances in films across diverse genres like Naam, Sadak, Saajan, Khalnayak, Vaastav, Munna Bhai MBBS and Agneepath. The actor returns to the screen with mega-budget action-entertainer Dhurandhar, which releases in cinemas globally on December 5 and has a huge star cast that includes Ranveer Singh. Eastern Eye reflected on the life 66-year-old actor’s like with an all you need to know A to Z about his extraordinary life and legacy.

Lead A to Z of Sanjay Dutt www.easterneye.biz

A is for addiction: Sanjay Dutt spiralled into drug addiction after the death of his beloved mother Nargis. He once confessed to trying “every drug in the book” including cocaine and heroin. After years of rehab including in the US, he overcome his addiction and inspired others.

B is for beginning: The actor was born Sanjay Balraj Dutt in Mumbai on July 29, 1959, to Bollywood superstar parents Sunil Dutt and Nargis. He grew up in the heart of Hindi cinema. He made his film debut at an early age, playing a child qawwali singer in his father's hit film Reshma Aur Shera (1971).

Sunil Dutt Sanjay Dutt Nargis

C is for controversies: Whether it was his drug addiction, alleged underworld connections, being convicted for arms possession, serving jail time (see P) or rebellious behaviour, Dutt’s life has been filled with controversies. Some of these were documented in his biopic Sanju (see R).

D is for debut: Dutt made his debut as a leading man with romantic action drama Rocky (1981), which was directed by his father Sunil Dutt. It was released shortly after the death of his beloved mother Nargis, with an empty chair being left at the premiere for her. The successful film commenced a rollercoaster career for the actor.

Rocky VT9A

E is for ensemble: Whilst most Bollywood leading me prefer solo films, Dutt hasn’t been afraid to be part of multi-starrers throughout his career. These have included Khatron Ke Khiladi, Saajan, Yalgaar, Kshatriya, Mission Kashmir, Eklavya: The Royal Guard, Bhuj: The Pride Of India, and films where he played the villain like Agneepath.

Khatron Ke Khiladi

F is Father: Dutt has a daughter, Trishala, from his first marriage to Richa Sharma and twins (a boy and girl) from his third marriage to Manyata (see L). His relationship with his own father, Sunil Dutt, was deeply affectionate and was beautifully explored in the biopic Sanju.

G is for Gangster: Dutt has played the anti-hero in multiple movies, with the most notable being 1999 gangster movie Vaastav: The Reality, which won multiple accolades including his first Filmfare Award for best actor and spawned the 2002 sequel Hathyar.

Vaastav The Reality pr

H is for Hair: The actors longer flowing locks early in his career became massively popular with male Hindi movie fans. He has since experimented with different styles including a completely bald look to play the villain hit film Agneepath (2012).

I is for Illness: The heavy smoker was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020. He underwent intensive treatment and described it as his ‘biggest battle’. He has since made a recovery.

J is for Jackie: Actor Jackie Shroff got his big break in the 1983 film Hero because Sanjay Dutt was unable to do the movie due to his drug addiction. Shroff would later star alongside Dutt in multiple movies, with the most notable being 1993 classic Khalnayak.

Khalnayak: Jackie Shroff and Sanjay Dutt

K is for KGF: Chapter 2: Dutt played the antagonist opposite Yash in the record-breaking period action sequel, which became one of the highest grossing movies in Indian cinema history. Ever since starring in the Kannada language movie, dubbed in multiple languages, he has been heavily in demand to play similar roles in regional cinema, which included a role in 2023 Tamil blockbuster Leo.

L is for love life: Dutt reportedly dated different high-profile leading ladies across the decades like Tina Munim and Madhuri Dixit. He married Richa Sharma in 1987, but she died of a brain tumour in 1996. He then had a decade long marriage to Rhea Pillai in 1998, which ended in divorce. In 2008 he married Manyata, and they remain together.

M is for Muscles: Dutt was one of the first modern day actors to build a muscular physique. This inspired other actors to follow suit, which ultimately helped redefine the Hindi film hero.

N if for Nickname: Dutt is endearingly referred to by those in the film industry as Baba. He has also been called Sanju.

O is for Overseas: A major turning point in the actor’s career was landmark movie Naam (1986), which won universal acclaim and looks at the often deadly plight of those who go overseas looking for a better life. His portrayal of a young man who encounters problems in Dubai struck a chord with audiences and helped turn him into a global star.

P is for prison: The actor served multiple stints in jail after being convicted under the Arms Act in the 1993 blasts case, until he was finally released from Yerwada Central Jail in February 2016. He had briefly contested elections in 2009 with the Samajwadi Party but withdrew due to his ongoing legal troubles. He lost over 20 kilos whilst in jail.

Q is for queen: Dutt’s mother Nargis is one of Indian cinema’s greatest ever leading ladies. Her death had a deep impact on the actor and sent him on a downward spiral of drug addiction. Whilst in rehab, he was sent some tapes by his father of Nargis talking during her final days to help him. He cried continuously for four days after hearing her voice – it was the first time he properly grieved since her passing.

R is for Rajkumar Hirani: The actor delivered his career-defining roles in the Rajkumar Hirani directed movies Munnabhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munnabhai. His portrayal of the kind-hearted gangster in both movies won universal acclaim. Hirani would later go onto direct Sanju, a super hit biopic of the actor starring Ranbir Kapoor.

S is Salman Khan: Dutt has always shared a close friendship with Salman Khan, including starring alongside him in the movies Sajaan and Chal Mere Bhai. He was persuaded by Khan to co-host the fifth season of Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss. Both actors have had legal troubles and are seen as rebels.

T is for tattoos: One of the most inked stars in Bollywood has multiple tattoos that symbolise his rollercoaster journey of pain, passion and personal evolution. This includes religious symbols, the names of his parents, a lion, dragon, samurai soldiers and many others that have deep personal meaning to him.

U is for untold: In 2018 author Yasser Usman published the biographical book Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy. It contained revelations, including Sanjay's name being chosen by crowdsourcing via the Urdu language film magazine Shama. U is also for underwater: Dutt is a certified scuba diver and participated in underwater action sequences for the film Blue.

V is for Vidhaata: Dutt’s first major cinema success was the Subhash Ghai directed 1982 action drama Vidhaata. He starred alongside Bollywood legends Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar, in what was the highest grossing Bollywood movie of that year.

W is for writer: Whilst in jail, Dutt learned to cook, worked as a radio host, and wrote extensively. This included writing stories and Hindi poetry.

X is for X-Factor: Although he has been prominently known as an action star, Dutt has been defined by his versatility. He has found success in multiple genres, including comedy, emotion, drama, and romance. This combined with a great screen presence has given him a wide body of work across a career that has lasted more than 40 years. During his peak, he was also a massively popular pin-up with female fans.

Y is for YouTube: Dutt starred in Sadak 2 (2020), which was the sequel to his successful 1990 movie and marked a comeback to directing for Mahesh Bhatt after 22 years. Unfortunately for him, it smashed the YouTube record for most disliked film trailer of all time. It had such a negative impact that YouTube hid the dislike count on videos.

Z is for Zodiac: The actor is a Leo. Primary positive traits of that star sign include confidence, charisma, loyalty, generosity, creativity, dramatic and being hardworking.