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Sanjay Dutt: from lovable Munnabhai to jail
Film star Sanjay Dutt's life has been a rollercoaster ride, from the huge popularity to the confines of a jail cell.
Film star Sanjay Dutt's life has been a rollercoaster ride, from the huge popularity of "Munnabhai" to the confines of a jail cell.
The verdict by the TADA court on Tuesday convicting accused number 117 under the Arms Act in the 1993 serial blasts here puts the 47-year-old actor's career in jeopardy at a time when it is at a peak after two huge hits -- "Munnabhai MBBS" and its sequel "Lage Raho Munnabhai". Judge PD Kode acquitted Sanjay of charges under the TADA act, meaning he had not been found guilty of terrorist acts.
The son of two yesteryears' film stars — Nargis and Sunil Dutt — Sanjay's life has turned out be a story fit for a Bollywood thriller.
Having started his career with "Rocky" in 1981, Sanjay always carried an enfant terrible image and failed to get going in the film industry. His mother's premature death due to cancer led him to drug abuse.
Sanjay overcame his addiction, visiting a rehabilitation centre in US, but personal problems for him aggravated with the death of his first wife Richa from cancer.
He, however, made a comeback, moving from the loverboy image of "Rocky" to gritty action roles in films like "Khalnayak" and "Thanedaar" in the 1990s.
However, his career suffered another setback when in a development that shocked the nation, Sanjay was made an accused in the Mumbai blasts that killed 257 people and arrested on April 19, 1993. He was released on bail three months later, but was re-arrested on July 14 and remained in jail for 15 months before he was again granted bail.
He was charged with illegally possessing an AK-56 rifle during the 1993 blasts and for destroying the weapon under the TADA act and the Arms Act.
