A few days back, actor Sanjay Dutt had sent a legal notice to author Yasser Usman and publisher Juggernaut Books for publishing his unauthorised biography, Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy. Sanjay took to social media to say that the book is based on some old interviews but largely hearsay, gossip magazines and the like. The excerpts, published by several publications, have hurt him and his family, he said.
In response, Juggernaut Books agreed to not publish any more excerpts.
No such objections have been made about the upcoming biopic Sanju, with Ranbir Kapoor playing the role of Sanjay Dutt. As a matter of fact, director Raju Hirani and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra are known to be close friends of Dutt.
Ranbir Kapoor seems nothing short of phenomenal in the ‘Sanju’ teaser, but can we expect a film that doesn’t deify the actor or absolve him of all agency in the dubious choices of his life? In short, can we expect an authentic biopic?
Dear Raju Hirani, would these unflattering bits of Sanjay Dutt’s life find proper representation in Sanju? Would it indeed be a brave biopic or just a deification of the actor?
Let’s look at how Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy traces Dutt’s journey since childhood, born and brought up as he was as Nargis and Sunil Dutt’s blue-eyed boy. Admittedly, large chunks of it that explores Sanjay Dutt, the person, are less than flattering.
An Adorable Brat
According to the portrait that Usman sketches, Sanjay displayed distinctly brattish tendencies even as a young child. There’s an episode where the six-year-old is allowed to smoke a cigarette by Dutt senior with the well-meaning intention of weaning him off it forever through the inevitable fit of coughing. Presley Junior, as he was fondly referred to by his mother, beat Sunil Dutt at his own game and smoked like a pro to finish the entire cigarette. Dutt Sahab was not happy.
In a bid to rein Sanjay in, Sunil Dutt sent his son to a boarding school in Sanawar, known for its disciplinarian ways. Sanjay had a very rough first few years in school but as he grew older and made friends, the brat within resurfaced. By his own admission, Sanjay became a “big bully”, indulging in country liquor, smoking, et al.
Substance Abuse
Usman spends considerable time in the book talking about Sanjay Dutt’s substance abuse, and how, for far too long, Nargis was in denial over his addiction.
“Whatever drugs there are in the book, I’ve done it. But I preferred cocaine and heroin.”Sanjay Dutt (Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy)
Nargis’ lost battle with cancer pushed Sanjay further down the addiction rabbit hole - he was in a drug-induced haze during her funeral. Even as his film career took off, ready money and that innate pleasure-seeking streak soon established Sanjay as the original “bad boy” of Bollywood.
‘Which ordinary man cuts the neck of a monitor lizard (ghorpad) and drinks its blood and then jogs for one hour to sweat out the toxic effect only because Shakti Kapoor challenged him to do so?’Manoj, Sanjay Dutt’s make-up man (Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy)
Guns, Marriage & Madhuri Dixit
Added to this was his possessiveness as a boyfriend. The book turns the spotlight on his relationship with Tina Munim (now Ambani) and how, in a fit of jealousy over her rumoured fling with Rajesh Khanna, confronted the latter on a film set. On 22 May 1982, in another episode, Sanjay opened fire with his .22 bore rifle - he was an avid hunter - to shatter some windows of his Pali Hill mansion.
This was followed by rumoured affairs with Rati Agnihotri and Kimi Katkar as well as rehab before he met and married his first wife Richa Sharma after a whirlwind romance. But Richa’s consequent cancer diagnosis took her away from Mumbai for treatment for nearly three years and distance gradually crept in. Sanjay worked with Madhuri Dixit in several films during the time, and according to the book, a strong attachment grew soon between the couple.
Sanjay reportedly followed Madhuri around saying “I love you” all the time without caring about who was around. Madhuri too gave glowing interviews about him being her favourite co-star.
Richa, whose illness was on remission, failed to save the marriage and the couple filed for divorce in 1993. The fact that Richa’s cancer returned during this time did not give Sanjay much good press.
Mumbai Blasts
Then came the 1993 Mumbai blasts in which 257 people were killed and over 700 injured. Sanjay Dutt was arrested under the dreaded TADA [Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act] for the illegal possession of an AK-56 rifle and confessed to his connection with the underworld and Dawood Ibrahim. It broke his father Sunil Dutt’s heart.
The film industry too, largely moved away, as Sanjay began spending time in isolation in custody - a nightmare that would repeat itself later in 2007. Madhuri too reportedly washed her hands off him.
She made it clear to senior journalist Bharathi S Pradhan in an interview at that time that she was not involved with him. Pradhan said: “It was only a few weeks later, after the cover story was published, that I realised that I’d been the messenger. She (Madhuri) had unequivocally broken off with Sanju with that one well-timed interview.”
According to the unauthorised biography, Sanjay Dutt was released on bail in May 1993 and tasted high success with Khalnayak, Sahibaan and Gumrah, coupled with the new woman in his life, Rhea Pillai, and his renewed love for the bottle.
But in July 1994, Sanjay’s bail was cancelled and he was back in solitary confinement in Thane Jail. It’s said Sunil Dutt’s strained relationship with then Maharashtra CM Sharad Pawar tipped the scale against the actor. His loneliness there drove him to bang his head on the wall so hard one day that he needed stitches.
It was ultimately Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray who helped Sanjay Dutt walk out of jail after 18 months.
Meanwhile, the custody battle for his child Trishala had been going through all these years. It finally came to nought when Richa Sharma passed away on 10 December 1996 as Mrs Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay married Rhea in February 1998.
But the actor could never stay out of trouble. As per the book, he maintained his contact with the underworld. On 11 November 2000, CBI tapped and recorded a conversation he, and directors Sanjay Gupta and Mahesh Manjrekar had with the notorious underworld don and Dawood’s right-hand man, Chhota Shakeel. The tapes were broadcast and published in all media outlets.
Enter Manyata
Also during this time, his affair with Nadia Durrani, a belly dancer from Pakistan, began to make its rounds. He was still married to Rhea. The marriage hit rock bottom after Sunil Dutt’s death in 2005. Even as divorce proceedings unfolded, Rhea had a baby with tennis icon Leander Paes and Sanjay met his current wife Manyata, then known as Dilnawaz Shiekh. She took control over his life.
Manyata took the reins in her hands and, says the report, ‘rumour has it that Sanjay gives a part of his acting fee of every assignment to her’.Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy
The couple reportedly tied the knot in 2006 - which they denied. They officially married in February 2008.
Things soured between the Dutt siblings with Manyata’s entry and Priya Dutt especially hit out at him as a Congress MP when Sanjay tried to contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket. She felt Manyata was responsible for the move.
‘He is far too busy with films to find the time for politics . . . She [Manyata] manipulated my brother into this situation to further her own ambitions.’Priya Dutt
Just as Sanjay stopped his wives from acting in films, he discouraged his daughter Trishala from joining the movies as well.
‘Trishala wanted to be an actress and I wanted to break her legs.’Sanjay Dutt (Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy)
Sanjay is back to the big screen now after his release from prison in 2016. He is home and dry, for now, with a Rajkumar Hirani-directed biopic on his life coming up, featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Sanjay Dutt. According to Sanjay, an authorised biopic is coming up as well. But be it as it may, he doesn’t like Yasser Usman’s Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy for sure.
(This story was first published on 23 March 2018. It has now been updated before the release of the film Sanju.)
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