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SANJAY DUTT
GENESIS
His mother was known as the first lady of Indian cinema. One of the most talented, most graceful women of our silver screen. His father has had an enviable spell as an actor and an impeccable reputation as a politician. Being a star son of people like Nargis and Sunil Dutt can be both a blessing and curse. Blessings and curses have dogged Sanjay Dutt constantly through his life, almost in equal measure.
SUCCESS AND SETBACKS
When his first movie Rocky, was to come out in 1981 his mother died of cancer. When he saw success as a movie star in the early days he was overcome by drug addiction. Post deaddiction when he tasted success again with Khalnayak, he was embroiled in TADA and had to be imprisioned for 18 months. Just when he tasted success again with Munnabhai, he had to face court trials and another imprisonment.
BRAT
He cannot blame all his troubles on providence though. Despite being the son of mature rooted people that his parents were, he has lived his life with too much self-indulgence. His problem is that his self-indulgence, even if it was innocent, has backfired on him. Like his ongoing court case.
GOOD START
Despite the setback he faced when his mother died just before the release of his first movie, Rocky, produced and directed by Sunil Dutt and costarring Sanjay with Tina Munim was a hit. His next major movie was Vidhata which was a huge hit. However, it had Dilip Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar and Shammi Kapoor as the major stars. Sanjay was the young lead with Padmini Kolhapuri. All in all, a good start.
He worked in several masala movies before he hit critical paydirt with Naam. This was a Mahesh Bhatt starrer which is still held up as an example of a good movie. It is still referenced whenever Sanjay Dutt is called a good actor. The movie was a big hit and Sanjay Dutt, who was looking to reinvent himself after drug abuse, was back on the climb.
BODY CULT
With his vulnerable eyes, sweet smile and soft hair, Sanjay Dutt looked hardly like an action star. He was one of the first bollywood hero ever to build up his body. Soon, he had bulging biceps and a trim tummy. He looks were now in character with roles like Khatron Ke Khiladi, Imandaar, Mardon Wali Baat, Mohabbat ke Dushman, Kabzaa, Taqatwar. A little dance, a little romance, some dhishum dhishum, payback time for villian, and then peace again for the hero and his heroine. Sanjay Dutt chased the formula, his fans loved the body cult and loved him.
Thanedaar was one such movie. It co-starred him with Madhuri Dixit. Although Sanjay was not a very good dancer, Madhuri was, and Tama Tama loge was a big hit, along with the movie.
ROMANTIC MAKEOVER
Though Sanjay Dutt's movies were predominantly action masala like Yodha, Qurbani Rang Layegi and Fateh, aimed at front benchers he soon got a makeover thanks to Lawrence D'Souza movie Saajan. In Saajan, there was no action, in fact he played a handicapped young man who limps. The movie was a romantic triangle with Salman, Madhuri and Sanjay. Sanjay did a fabulous job here, ably supported by the talented Madhuri. His next was also a romantic movie, Sadak. Mahesh Bhatt made this gritty movie of a young man in love with a prostitute who must rescue her from her criminal pimps. Both the movie were big hits.
LOVABLE VILLIAN
His next big movie was Subhash Ghai's Khalnayak. He was the title Khalnayak here, fallen into bad ways. An undercover police officer, Madhuri tries to help her lover, Jackie Shroff by tracking and capturing the Khalnayak. Of course for that, she had to dance to the iconic Choli ke peeche kya hai to get the attention of Sanjay Dutt. The song and the movie raised a storm and it was a big hit.
He was back to his old action flicks which were flops or semi hits. Vijeta, Sanam, Mahanta, Dushman. Daag the fire and Kartoos fared well.
TURN AROUND
Then came two movies, right on each others heels that turned his fortune around once again and consolidated his status as an all-time STAR. First let us take Haseena Maan Jayegi. It was a David Dhawan movie with Govinda, Karishma Kapoor and Pooja Batra. It explored the funny side of Sanjay Dutt. Even if the movie was a moderate hit, it paved the way to future amazers like Munnabhai.
Vastaav (1999) was made by Mahesh Manjrekar. A typical bollywood mafia flick. A well intentioned young man tries to make his way in the world (running a food-cart). He is set upon by minions of the local bhai and unwittingly falls into bad ways, till he becomes a bigtime mafia boss himself. Then finally a Mother India kind of an end to the movie. The movie was gritty and realistic. Sanjay Dutt was fantastic as the simple boy turned mafia lord. He won Filmfare's Best Actor award and the movie is held up as one of the best Bollywood Gangsta movies.
PAYDIRT
Among his next releases were Khoobsoorat (with Urmila Matondkar) and Chal Mere Bhai (with Salman and Karishma), typical bollywood comedies that did well. It set him off on a track of several successful comedies to follow. Jodi No 1 with David Dhawan, costarring the infamous Monica Bedi and Govinda was a big hit. Ek aur Ek Gyarah, a followup to Jodi no 1, was another comedy to ace at the box office. He has scored with comedies as much as with any serious or action film. Anthony Kaun Hai, Vaah! Life ho to Aisi, Nehle Pe Dehla and the recent blockbuster, Dhamaal.
But it is not as if he had thrown action out of the window. Mission Kashmir was released in year 2k, right when his co-star Hritik was the newly crowned darling of the masses. Performance wise, he showed Hritik who the man was. He played Hritik's dad in the movie, without a scratch on his image and walked away with accolades. Kaante, Plan, Rakht, Musafir, Tathastu,Zinda, Sarhad Paar, Shootout at Lokhandwala (one of the most successful movies of the drab 2007) were all action based roles that he has taken up in this decade. Action suits him so much, that when he single handed beats up everyone in Kailash ka Dhaba in Dhamaal, it is extremely believeable.
STAR NO 1
His personality is so awesome, that he does walk-on roles with equal ease and elan without any heed to the 'image' that a star has to maintain. Tango Charlie, Seher, Eklavya, had him in a guest appearence, in Taxi No. 9211 he was just a narrator.
Put him in charge of an emotional role, as Girish of Parineeta or a tortured husband in the washout, Shabd. He delivers a faultless performance.
So far, out of his vast and illustrious career, his signature movies have been Vaastav and Munnabhai series. Vaastav came to him when his career was in doldrums and re-established him as an actor of substance. The Munnabhai series have given him a unique identity, quite close to his real life persona of a good guy stuck in bad situations.
GOSSSSSIP
No lack of gossip here. He was married to Richa Sharma at a very young age. They seperated later, and she died of brain cancer. He has a daughter, Trishala, from this marriage. Trishala lives with her maternal grandparents in US and is studying criminal law. She is a famous socialite in New York social circle and a shopaholic.
At a point in time he was supposed to be dating Madhuri Dixit. The couple denied it hotly, though the gossip rags had a merry time playing it up.
He married Rhea Pillai next, but pressures of work drove the couple apart and they divorced amicably. She married Leander and is a happy mom now.
He has had his share of affairs, is always with some arm candy. At the moment he is dating Manyata, seriously some say, though he denies it, claiming they are just friends.
His unfortunate involvement with the mafia backfired badly on him and he is knee deep in a serious court case without any indication of how he will come out of it. Thanks to this, he is also in danger of being a victim of media overkill which may seriously hamper his career which shows no sign of abating despite his advancing years.
FILMOGRAPHY
- Kidnap (2007/I) (filming)
- Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) (post-production)
- Mr. Fraud (2007)
- Dhamaal (2007)
- Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007) .... Shamsher Khan
- Nehlle Pe Dehlla (2007) .... Johnny
- Eklavya (2007) .... DSP Pannalal 'Pannu' Chohaar
- Seher (2007) .... Master Madan
- Sarhad Paar (2006) .... Ranjeet Singh
- Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) .... Murliprasad 'Munna Bhai' Sharma
- Anthony Kaun Hai? (2006) .... Master Madan
- Taxi No. 9211 (2006) .... Narrator
- Zinda (2006) .... Balajeet Roy
- Tathastu (2006) .... Ravi Rajput
- Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005) .... Yamaraj M.A.
- Ajnabee.lkc">Ek Ajnabee (2005) .... Special Appearance (Hip-hop MC)
- Shaadi No. 1 (2005) .... Lukhwinder Singh (Lucky)
- Viruddh... Family-Comes-First.lkc">Family Comes First (2005) .... Ali Asghar
- Dus (2005) .... Siddanth Dheer
- Parineeta (2005) .... Girish Sharma
- Tango Charlie (2005) .... Squadron Leader Vikram Rathore
- Shabd (2005) .... Shaukat Vashisht
- Mohabbat-Ho-Gayi-Hai-Tumse.lkc">Mohabbat Ho Gayi Hai Tumse (2005)
- Musafir (2004) .... Billa
- Rakht (2004) .... Rahul
- Deewaar (2004) .... Khan
- Rudraksh (2004) .... Varun
- Plan (2004) .... Mussabhai
- Munnabhai M.B.B.S. (2003) .... Murli Prasad Sharma (Munna bhai)
- LOC: Kargil (2003) .... Lt Col. Y.K. Joshi, 13 JAK Rifles
- Ek Aur Ek Gyarah: By Hook or by Crook (2003) .... Sitara
- Tere Pyaar Ki Kasam (2003)
- Kaante (2002) .... Jay 'Ajju' Rehan
- Annarth (2002) .... Iqbal Danger
- Hathyar (2002) .... Rohit Raghunath Shivalkar
- Maine Dil Tujhko Diya (2002) .... Bhai-Jaan
- Yeh Hai Jalwa (2002) (uncredited) .... Shera (special appearance)
- Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin (2002) .... Munna Bhai
- Pitaah (2002) .... Rudra
- Jodi No.1 (2001) .... Jai
- Raju Chacha (2000) .... Gafoor
- Kurukshetra (2000) .... A.C.P Prithviraj Singh
- Mission Kashmir (2000) .... SSP Inayat Khan
- Jung (2000) .... Balli
- Chal Mere Bhai (2000) .... Vicky Oberoi
- Baaghi (2000) .... Raja
- Khauff (2000) .... Babu
- Khoobsurat (1999) .... Sanju (Sanjay Shastri)
- Vaastav: The Reality (1999) .... Raghunath Namdev Shivalkar
- Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999) .... Sonu
- Safari (1999) .... Kishan 'Captain' Jatin Khanna
- Kartoos (1999) .... Raja/Jeet Balraj
- Daag: The Fire (1999) .... Captain Karan Singh
- Dushman (1998) .... Major Suraj Singh Rathod
- Daud: Fun on the Run (1997) .... Nandu
- Mahaanta (1997) .... Sanjay 'Sanju' Malhotra
- Dus (1997) .... Captain Raja Sethi
- Sanam (1997) .... Narendra Anand
- Vijeta (1996) .... Advocate Ashok
- Namak (1996)
- Andolan (1995) .... Adarsh
- Jai Vikraanta (1995) .... Vikranta
- Amaanat (1994) .... Vijay
- Aatish: Feel the Fire (1994) .... Baba
- Insaaf Apne Lahoo Se (1994) .... Raju
- Zamane Se Kya Darna (1994)
- Gumrah (1993) .... Jagan Nath (Jaggu)
- Kshatriya (1993) .... Vikram Singh (Mirtagarh)
- Khal Nayak (1993) .... Balaram Prasad "Ballu"
- Sahibaan (1993) .... Prince Vijay Pal Singh
- Yalgaar (1992) .... Vishal Singhal
- Sarphira (1992) .... Suresh Sinha
- Sahebzaade (1992) .... Raja
- Adharm (1992) .... Vicky Verma
- Jeena Marna Tere Sang (1992)
- Sadak (1991) .... Ravi
- Saajan (1991) .... Aman Verma/Sagar
- Do Matwale (1991) .... Ajay 'James Bond 009'
- Khoon Ka Karz (1991) .... Arjun/Commissioner Yamraj
- Fateh (1991) .... Karan
- Qurbani Rang Layegi (1991) .... Raj Kishan
- Yodha (1991) .... Suraj Singh
- Thanedaar (1990) .... Brijesh Chandar (Birju)
- Krodh (1990) .... Vijay (Munna)
- Jeene Do (1990) .... Karamveer
- Khatarnaak (1990) .... Suraj 'Sunny'
- Tejaa (1990) .... Tejaa/Sanjay
- Zahreelay (1990) .... Raaka
- Ilaaka (1989) .... Inspector Suraj Verma
- Do Qaidi (1989) .... Manu
- Hathyar (1989) .... Avinash
- Hum Bhi Insaan Hain (1989) .... Bhola
- Kanoon Apna Apna (1989) .... Ravi
- Mohabat Ka Paigham (1989)
- Taaqatwar (1989) .... Police Inspector Amar Sharma
- Kabzaa (1988) (as Sunjay Dutt) .... Ravi Varma
- Mohabbat Ke Dushman (1988) .... Hisham
- Khatron Ke Khiladi (1988) .... Rajesh
- Mardon Wali Baat (1988) .... Tinku
- Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1988) .... Govinda
- Imaandaar (1987) .... Rajesh 'Raju'
- Inaam Dus Hazaar (1987)
- Naam O Nishan (1987) .... Inspector Suraj S. Singh
- Naam (1986) .... Vicky Kapoor
- Jeeva (1986) .... Jeeva/Jeevan Thakur
- Mera Haque (1986) .... Prince Amar Singh
- Do Dilon Ki Dastaan (1985) .... Vijay Kumar Saxena
- Jaan Ki Baazi (1985)
- Zameen-Aasmaan.lkc">Zameen Aasmaan (1984)
- Mera Faisla (1984) .... Raj Saxena
- Bekaraar (1983) .... Shyam
- Main Awara Hoon (1983) .... Sanjeev 'Sanju' Kumar
- Vidhaata (1982) .... Kunal Singh
- Johny I Love You (1982) .... Raju S. Singh/Johny
- Rocky (1981) (as Sunjay Dutt) .... Rocky D'Souza
- Reshma Aur Shera (1971) (as Master Sanjay Dutt) .... Qawalli Singer (Child Artist)
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