Sanjay Dutt says Bollywood lacks togetherness while Hollywood ‘has no jealousy’: ‘It’s become more cut-throat’

Sanjay Dutt noted a shift from a close-knit community in Bollywood to a competitive environment. He compared it to Hollywood's unity.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt made his debut as a leading man with Rocky in 1981 and has since enjoyed a career spanning over four decades, with several successful films to his credit. In a recent conversation with Dr D Nageshwar Reddy on AIG Hospitals' YouTube channel, Sanjay reflected on his 45-year journey in Bollywood and opened up about how the film industry has changed over the years.

Sanjay Dutt talks about the changes in film industry. (AFP)

Sanjay Dutt says Bollywood is not united anymore

Looking back at the early years of his career, Sanjay said the film industry once operated with a stronger sense of community. He said, “When I started, the industry felt like a family. Everyone was together, everyone was helping one another. Now it’s become much more cut-throat, much more competitive. It's sad, but I hope it comes back."

Sanjay then compared Bollywood’s unity with that of Hollywood, where he believes industry bodies and artists stand together more strongly, saying, “In Hollywood, everybody is together, they are friends. It's competitive, but it's very healthy. Over there, everyone is very united. The actors are together, the writers are together. There are industry bodies that support everyone. Even at the Oscars, there's so much togetherness. Whenever an actor goes up to receive an award, there’s no jealousy. You can genuinely see everyone celebrating each other. It’s beautiful.”

Recently, Sanjay reunited with his longtime friend and superstar Salman Khan. On Saturday, Salman took to Instagram to share a picture that gave fans a glimpse of his warm bond with Sanjay Dutt. In the pictures, Salman and Sanjay shared a tight hug. Their bond melted hearts online.

Sanjay Dutt's recent and upcoming movies

Sanjay was last seen in the film Aakhri Sawal. Helmed by Ahijeet Mohan Warang, the political drama also featured Namashi Chakraborty, Aamir Sadh and Sameera Reddy in lead roles. Released on May 15, the film received negative reviews and failed at the box office, collecting only ₹3 crore.

Now, Sanjay is set to reprise his iconic role as Ballu in Khalnayak Returns. The actor announced the film in April this year. It is touted as a ‘fresh interpretation’ of the 1993 original.

At an event in Mumbai, Sanjay revealed that he got the idea for a potential Khal Nayak sequel while serving his jail term in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blast case. “In jail, I asked everyone around me who would be interested in watching it. And the 4,000 inmates said they all would. I asked all of them to write one page about it, and it took me a while to read all 4,000 pages. When I came out on parole, I asked Subhash (Ghai) sir to go through it. After that, he said it should be made,” the actor revealed.