`Munnabhai` thanks Mamta Banerjee for standing by him

Kolkata: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt today thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her support during his tough times.

"I came here to thank her. When I was in jail it was Mamata didi and Shatrughan Sinha who stood by me. She was also good friends with my father," Dutt, 57, said after a meeting with her at the state secretariat 'Nabanna'.

In March 2013, Banerjee had said the actor, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, "already suffered a lot for the blunder".

The "Munna Bhai" star has also accepted an invitation to attend the state-run Kolkata International Film Festival to be held later in the year.

Recalling that he had shot the hit film "Parineeta" in the city, Dutt said he is impressed by the changes in the metropolis.

He said he likes the idea of open jail and wants to be a part of the state government's project on this.