When Sanjay Dutt comes under the spell of Gandhi and confesses to Vidya Balan that he is a goon, there’s a wide round of applause. When he puts to shame an official who bribes a retired schoolmaster, the cheer is louder. Gandhigiri zindabad! Sanju baba zindabad!
Thanks to Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Sanjay Dutt has emerged a hero. A man who wears his discovery of Gandhi on his sleeves. A new-age Gandhian who has created a new wave of awareness about the father of nation.
Ironically, contrary to this newfound image, Dutt – son of yesteryear film stars Nargis and Sunil Dutt – has only been a black sheep of his family, always stirring up controversies. And his life had the ingredients of a Bollywood thriller – with a mix of action, stunts and crime.
Sanjay took to drugs at a young age. His mother’s premature death due to cancer worsened the situation. But soon, the man overcame his addiction, visiting a rehabilitation centre in the US. He then decided to turn a new leaf – by foraying into Bollywood with the film Rocky in 1981.
But Sanjay always carried an enfant terrible image and failed to get going in the film industry. Nevertheless, putting critics to rest, he made a comeback – moving from the lover boy image of Rocky to gritty action roles in films like Khalnayak and Thanedaar in the 1990s. Life suddenly looked better.
But misfortune struck him again. Wife Richa died of brain tumour. Losing the custody of his baby daughter was a bigger sorrow. Sanjay married again; that too was a failure.
But the biggest shock was yet to hit his family and the nation at large – Sanjay was announced an accused in the Mumbai blasts that killed 257 people.
He was charged with illegally possessing an AK-56 rifle, a 9 mm pistol during the 1993 blasts and for destroying the rifle under the TADA Act and the Arms Act. He was arrested on April 19, 1993, and released on bail three months later.
But was re-arrested on July 14 and remained in jail for 18 months before he was granted bail. Sanjay’s life- till date – has been controversial. But his fans nevertheless stood by him, always. After he stepped out of jail, the tinsel world gave him a few memorable roles in Parineetha, Dus, Kaante, LOC Kargil, Pitaah, Jodi No.1, Raju Chacha, Kurukshetra, Mission Kashmir, Jung and Vaastav to name a few. Awards and accolades followed.
But it was Munnabhai MBBS and Lage Raho…that gave him the ultimate gift – a new image, that of a ‘new-age’ Gandhian. Now that he is going to be jailed, will that image persist? Well, that’s a big question.
As of now he is free from jail till Decemebr 18, 2006. After that it will depend on the course of his advocates.