Sanjay Dutt @ 60: 10 roles the actor has taken on

This actor’s life is no less than a film perhaps that is why in the year 2018 a film named ‘Sanju’ was made based on his life. Even his entry into films was not how he expected it to happen but after every film he grew not only as an actor but as a human being. He learnt from his mistakes and made his weaknesses his strength.

This year the legendary actor Sanjay Dutt turns 60 years old. On this special occasion BizAsiaLive.com celebrates his life by looking at some of the roles that he has taken on in his career.

The young hero in ‘Rocky’ (1981)
The story revolved around the hero Rakesh aka Rocky (Dutt) who lived a happy and fun filled life with his adoptive parents. Although his mother was still alive he had to live with his adoptive parents due to a horrible incident in his childhood where he loses his father. His mother is forced to stay away from her son because every time he sees her he remembers the incident in which he lost his father making him ill. With time he learns of the many truths that were hidden from him. The truth about how is biological father died, about his real mother and why that incident occurred many years ago in his childhood.

The film was released a few days after the death of his mother, the late Nargis who herself was a beautiful actress in her time. His father the late Sunil Dutt directed this film as well as making a small appearance in it. It was a bitter sweet moment for the entire family with Dutt feeling the loss of his mother on such a special occasion.

The tragic poet in ‘Saajan’ (1991)
Aman (Dutt) was the good son and brother anyone would be proud to have. Although he always had a smile plastered on his face there was a part of him that he never told anyone about. Only one person knew of this little secret and that was his agent who he wrote poetry for. Aman’s pen name was Saagar who poured all his hearts feelings into his poetry. Dutt’s character was down to earth and very shy. He would often hide his feelings not sharing it with anyone not even his brother/ best friend Akash (Salman Khan). It was a role unlike any Dutt had done before but it suited him very well.

A rebel in love in ‘Sadak’ (1991)
Ravi (Dutt) kept himself busy by driving his taxi day and night in order to forget the dark memories that haunted him. One evening he meets Pooja (Pooja Bhatt) who asks him to take care of her pet bird as she has to leave in the morning and isn’t allowed to take her pet with her. Seeing her innocence he agrees to take the bird not realising that this is just the first of many meetings between them. The second time they meet it is in a totally different setting and one that shocks Ravi, however it is during this meeting that he realises that he actually has feelings for this girl and would do anything to protect her from the situation she is in. The film was a romantic thriller giving Dutt a chance to show he can excel in both genres.

A villain in ‘Khalnayak’ (1993)
Ballu (Dutt) was a dangerous criminal who didn’t know the meaning of love, if anyone dared to challenge him they would surely regret it. He seemed like a heartless soul but if one got closer to him they would realise that there is in fact some goodness within him. In reality Dutt was going through some issues with the law and was seen in and out of prison. With everything going on in his personal life it seemed to help the film. In 1994 Dutt was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor proving to audiences that Dutt was a serious actor.

A loving brother in ‘Chal Mere Bhai’ (2000)
Dutt played the elder brother of Salman Khan in this romantic comedy. Their relationship in the film somewhat resembled their relationship in real life as they are very close friends. Although they played the role of brothers in the film Vicky (Dutt) treated his younger brother like a son protecting him at every stage. Dutt’s character was of a serious businessman who only concentrated on work however around his family he showed a caring side, even a mischievous side around his brother.

A lovable doctor ‘Munnabhai M.B.B.S.’ (2003)
It was a total transformation of Dutt as he was known mostly for doing action roles but this was a full on comedy. The story revolves around a gangster who lies to his parents that he is a doctor. When the truth comes out in an embarrassing situation, his father is insulted leaving Munna (Dutt) feeling both sad and guilty for hurting his father. After that Munna vows that he will become a doctor and get revenge for the insult his father faced. The film had many great moments with many things for the audiences to learn about such as being kind and helping one another.

Dutt’s risk paid off and the film became a super hit paving way for a sequel a few years later.

The fake cop in ‘Thandedaar’ (1990)
Dutt played the role of Brijesh who after an unfortunate incident ends up separating from his family in his childhood. While his brother goes into the police and searches for his younger brother, Brijesh (Dutt) grows up to become a criminal. Brijesh promises the girl he loves that he will go with her to her village while travelling there he ends up having a fight with a policeman on a train. In the fight the policeman ends up falling out of the moving train with Brijesh feeling guilty as he didn’t mean to hurt him. When he reaches the village everyone is under the assumption that he is the new police officer that has been assigned there. He decides to continue this charade of a policeman but later ends up actually fulfilling the role of an honest police officer.

The accidental gangster in ‘Vaastav: The Reality’ (1999)
Raghu (Dutt) lived a happy life with his graduate brother and both his parents. He would often get scolded by his father for not concentrating on his studies and messing around with his friends. One day he comes up with a proposal for his father and decides to start a business with his friends which actually starts to do well. However when the brother of a gangster repeatedly visits their business causing trouble, things take an ugly turn for Raghu with him and his friend accidentally murdering the man during a fight.

Raghu and his friend are now on the run falling deeper and deeper into the world of crime. As time progresses he learns that there is a way into this world but not a way out. His role was appreciated so much that in the year 2000 Dutt won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

The monster in ‘Agneepath’ (2012)
Dutt had changed his look completely for this remake of the 90s film. In the original film his character ‘Kancha Cheena’ was played by Danny Denzongpa who gave the villain a very cool and stylish look. Dutt however had a totally different look with him shaving his head completely and working on his body to look even bigger and muscular. Dutt’s character was very dark in terms of personality and quite scary, even the way he spoke was eerie. His efforts all paid off with Dutt being nominated many times for his portrayal of the evil menace Kancha Cheena.

The friendly musician in ‘PK’ (2014)
Bhairaon Singh (Dutt) is a band master who travels to various places with his group and performs. When he encounters PK (Aamir Khan) he assumes that he has lost his memory unaware that he is actually an alien who is on the hunt for his remote that has been stolen. Bhairon ends up becoming PK’s friend and tries his best to help him recover his stolen remote. Dutt may have made a small appearance in the film but it was enough to make the audiences love his role. His comic timing was superb and the fact that his character Bhairon goes out of his way to help a stranger out of the goodness of his heart made him unforgettable.

The team at BizAsiaLive.com wishes Sanjay Dutt a happy 60th birthday and all the very best for his upcoming projects!