Who is Sanjay Dutt?

Sanjay Dutt - one of the most sought after actors in the Indian film industry today!

Zee Media Archive

 Sanjay Dutt – who has been embroiled in controversies ever since the release of his first movie ‘Rocky’ – is one of the most sought after actors in the Indian film industry today. Son of acclaimed actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt, Sanjay made his Bollywood debut in 1981 with the movie ‘Rocky’, and since then there has been no looking back for the talented actor. Sadly for the actor – who was born on July 29, 1959 – his mother passed away just three days before the release of his first movie. Since his foray into Bollywood, Sanjay has tried his hand at different genres of movies – from comedy to romance - and has enjoyed major success in all of them, but it has been the roles of gangsters, thugs and police officers in action movies that have won him unparalleled adulation from fans and film critics alike. He is since referred to as ‘Deadly Dutt’ for his larger-than-life portrayal of such characters. After completing his education from The Lawrence Schoor, Sanawar, he married actress Richa Sharma – who later died of brain tumour in 1996 – and the couple had a daughter, Trishla, soon after in the late 80s. After Richa’s death, he married Rhea Pillai – a model – but divorced her in 2005.The ‘Munnabhai’ hitmaker then went on to marry Manyata (Dilnawaz Sheikh) at a private ceremony in Goa in 2005, and the couple have twins together - a boy named Shahraan and a girl named Iqra. The Bollywood bigwig – who had fame and fortune gifted to him by his parents at birth itself – started a tryst with drugs at a very young age; courtesy his rebellious behaviour. He got addicted to drugs and found an uncanny solace in them as he was unable to cope with the trauma of seeing his mother – to whom he was excessively attached – dying before his very own eyes. Even though his movies turned out to be massive hits at the Box Office, he started leading a life of depression due to a number of reasons. Firstly, a number of stories blaming his drug addiction for the worsening of Nargis’ health began doing the rounds. Secondly, he was being criticised severely for his acting. All this only pushed him deeper into the perilous web of drugs.In due course of time, his father decided to intervene and sent the ‘Vaastav’ star to a drug rehabilitation centre in America, where he successfully kicked off his drug addiction and came out sober. However, his life again took a sudden turn with the 1993 blasts in Mumbai, when he was arrested for possessing illegal weapons (AK-56 rifles) that were sent to him by the bomb blast mastermind and mafia don Dawood Ibrahim. He even served 18 months in jails for the same before his father – a politician with goodwill – managed to get him out on bail. Although he was acquitted of any TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities) -related offences in 2006, he was still charged under the illegal possession of Arms Act – the verdict of which has finally been passed by the Supreme Court of India on March 21, 2013.