Sunjay Dutt

Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who works in Hindi cinema in addition to a few Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi films. Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 160 films.

Part of the Dutt family of Punjabi background, 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 major exceptions being ''Vidhaata'' (1982), '' Naam'' (1986) and ''Thanedaar'' (1990). He later established himself as a star with films like ''Saajan'' (1991) and ''Sadak'' (1991) and continued to deliver hits, such as '' 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), the latter of which proved to be his biggest solo commercial success till date. His critically acclaimed performance in ''Vaastav'' won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Since 2000, his other notable films include - ''Mission Kashmir'' (2000), ''Kurukshetra'' (2000), ''Kaante'' (2002), ''Dus'' (2005), ''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' (2007), ''Dhamaal'' (2007), '' All the Best'' (2009), ''Double Dhamaal'' (2011), '' Agneepath'' (2012), ''Son of Sardaar'' (2012) and '' PK'' (2014). This was followed by another major career downturn with the exceptions of Kannada film '' K.G.F: Chapter 2'' (2022) and the Tamil film '' Leo'' (2023), the former being the 4th highest-grossing Indian film and the latter being the 12th highest-grossing Indian film, both in which he played the main antagonist.

Dutt was arrested under the TADA and the Arms Act in April 1993 and was convicted later for violation of Arms Act for possession of illegal weapons including AK-56 rifle(s) procured from other accused in the 1993 Bombay bombings. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He was granted bail several times during his sentence which is why he only completed his five-year jail sentence in 2016. He was granted bail in 1993, 1995, 2007, 2013, 2015, and 2016. Dutt's life receives considerable media coverage in India, and in 2018, ''Sanju'', a biopic based on his life (which also saw a special appearance by him), starring Ranbir Kapoor as Dutt, was released to positive reviews and emerged as one of the highest-grossers of Indian cinema.

Early life

Sanjay Dutt was born in Bombay (now Mumbai since 1995), Bombay State, to parents who were noted Hindi cinema actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt. Born to a Punjabi Hindu (Mohyal Brahmin) father and a Muslim mother of Punjabi descent, Dutt's ancestry can be traced back to the Rawalpindi Division of West Punjab (present-day Pakistan); with his paternal village being Khurd in Jhelum District. Through his father, he belongs to the Hussaini Brahmin community, which reveres Imam Hussain and has participated in the battle of Karbala, the community's fluid identity as half-Hindu and half-Muslim having made it vulnerable during the 1947 Partition riots. Sanjay has two sisters, Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt. He is the maternal grandson of music composer Jaddanbai and nephew of actor Anwar Hussain.

Sanjay's name was chosen by crowdsourcing via the Urdu language film magazine ''Shama''. His mother died in 1981, shortly before his debut film's premiere; her death is cited as the instigator of his drug abuse. Dutt made his acting debut at an early age, playing a child qawali singer in his father's film '' Reshma Aur Shera'' (1971).

Career

Early career and breakthrough (1981–1990)

Dutt made his Bollywood film debut with the moderately successful ''Rocky'' in 1981. Dutt then went on to star in ''Vidhaata'', the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1982, along with film veterans Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar. He also starred in movies like '' Main Awara Hoon'' (1983)'' Zameen Aasmaan''(1984). In 1985, he shot , his first film in two years.

The 1986 film '' Naam'' was a turning point in Dutt's career, it was a major critical and commercial success. Dutt appeared in successful films throughout the '80s such as ''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 both '' Kabzaa'' (1988) and J. P. Dutta's '' Hathyar'' (1989) were both well received by critics, although both films only managed average collections at the box office. In the late 1980s, he was seen in a number of multi-starrers alongside leading actors like Govinda, Mithun, Dharmendra, Jackie Shroff and Sunny Deol.

Rise to prominence (1991–1993)

His successes continued in the 1990s, with films that 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 went on to star in some of the most era-defining Indian films of the early 1990s such as ''Sadak'' (1991), ''Saajan'' (1991) and '' Khalnayak'' (1993), earning two nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the latter two.

''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'' was the fifth highest grosser of 1991. ''Khalnayak'' became a blockbuster and was the second-highest grosser of 1993. This was followed by another box office success ''Gumrah'', this was Dutt's second consecutive hit of the year.

Involvement in 1993 serial bombings and later career (1993–1998)

Bombay (now Mumbai) suffered a series of serial bombings in 1993. Dutt was among several people associated with Bollywood who were accused of involvement. It was alleged that Dutt accepted delivery of weapons at his house from Abu Salem