#theFridayFeature — Sanjay Dutt
“Sanju Baba… That is the way I am.
I can’t let that ‘boy’ die down.”
- Sanjay Dutt
Deep in my memoir lie glimpses of a tall man surrounded by hysteric fans waiting for a glance of the superstar whose personal life has always managed to give newspapers the desired headlines. Me, the 9 year old boy then, today reminisces scenes of a bearded Sanjay Dutt in a kurta sitting silently yet saying a lot besides the gathered crowd in a corner. Catching my stare at the screen, my mom had given me a lesson for life, “Look at him Amey, he has tremendous regret today for the weapons he had kept then. Never do things that you’ll regret later. Study hard.” We all being humans, is it truly possible for us to stay away from regret? I wonder.
Some years later when I began dwelling deep into who Sanjay Dutt is, I realized how judgemental the world can be. Most people posing an opinion on his guilt or otherwise, mostly do so without former knowledge backing their claim simply relying on what the newspapers then said. No matter what side you lie on regarding anything under the sun, it is always crucial to have a congruent reply to ‘why’. This blog, is my attempt in assessing the turbulent yet transformational trip of a man many love to hate.
Sanjay Dutt has led a roller coaster life marked with unimaginable ups and unprecedented lows. Right from experimenting with drugs, crashing his car on an actress’ wall, his alleged affair with Madhuri Dixit and his inexplicable indulgence in the infamous Bombay bombing — he’s seen it all — he’s been where you have and probably way beyond. What makes Sanju Baba an intriguing persona is the fact that despite being born to highly respectable parents, he faltered in living up to their expectations, or maybe, it was the other way round.
Nepotism is a subject highly debated across the world in various industries, but prominently with regard to the Indian Film World. A belief resides that star kids are born with a silver spoon and receive it all conveniently served on a platter. But as they say, everything we are blessed often comes with a pinch of salt. 2 months post the 1993 Bombay blasts, the Indian heartthrob was suddenly arrested — accused of being party to the complete conspiracy. Overnight, Sanjay Dutt had become the terrorist who had bombed Bombay.
“I’m not mad. I’m not even slightly mad. I’m quite a dumb guy.”
- Sanjay Dutt
Was it truly that simple? In fear of the threatening calls that his family was facing after Sanjay along with his actor-turned-politician father Sunil Dutt extended aid to religiously sensitive areas affected after riots, was Sanjay simply naive about the whole affair? Was it really the emotional side of him that took over logic? Who knows, but I choose to believe so.
“I basically helped humanity, human beings you know… I didn’t think about a Hindu and a Muslim and this and that… I don’t know I mean there’s nothing wrong in helping someone who really needs help but it just gets you into trouble.”
- Sanjay Dutt
As for me, Sanjay Dutt gives me the courage to own up to past mistakes. We are all humans and go wrong sometimes, but mistakes aren’t to be hidden but glorified to the world with pride. The amount of openness with which Sanjay speaks about his drug phase, the jail term or the foolishness of possessing a weapon is truly commendable. He taught me to not take anything for granted — what is today may not be there tomorrow.
“There used to be a guy in jail who used to come and serve us tea. At that time I wished I was him. Because he would just come, give us tea, go out… free.”
- Sanjay Dutt
The audiences saw the real life merge with the reel and enormously applauded the 1993 release ‘Khalnayak (The Villain)’. The fictional character reflected the then current situation. The film turned out to be a huge success.
I’ve heard my mentor often say that when things don’t sway your away, it is only belief that keeps you going. It doesn’t matter what you believe in and for what reasons, the sole fact that you believe in something keeps you from doing stupid things. Post his arrest, Sunil Dutt (Saab), keeping his pride aside, put all his power in helping his very own Sanju Baba stay away from prison. He would often visit thane (jail) and each time Sanjay would ask when would his father get him out. One fine day, Dutt Saab simply held his collar overpowered with mixed emotions and confessed that he had already done all that was within his reach. He couldn’t say when Sanjay would be coming out.
Soon, due to security reasons, Sanjay Dutt was shifted to solitary confinement where he spent over a year’s time.
I wonder what kept him going.
“I had always believed in God but I was not the type to keep fasts and read the Chalisa, read the Shiv Chalisa, but it did make me do all of that. It made me feel stronger. It made me feel protected. It made me feel that nothing was gonna happen.”
- Sanjay Dutt
If courage had to be symbolized, it would be Sanjay Dutt. Simply because, amidst all this chaos, Sanju Baba still manages to steal a smile from time.
Thank You Sanju Baba for being an immense inspiration to me and millions of others. Hope the dreams that you are working towards are achieved shortly in the near future!
“Main nadaan hoon yaaron,
nahi dil ka bura hoon…”
- Na Dekho Mujhe Aisi Nazar Se
Well, that’s all for today.
Keep reading, keep sharing and never stop believing!
“One person gave me an example of me. He compared me to a coconut… hard… and soft inside.”
- Sanjay Dutt
