Background
Sanjay is from a muslim reality and is the son of the late actors Nargis, and Sunil Dutt. And he has two sisters, Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt (Anju). He was educated at the Lawrence School, Sanawar. Dutt struggled with drug addiction while in high school and after the death of his mother in 1981. He even underwent treatment for the same at a drug rehab program in Jackson, Mississippi in the United States which helped him considerably in kicking his drug habit.
Personal life
Sanjay married Richa Sharma in 1987. She died of cancer in 1996. They had a daughter, Trishala Dutt, who lives in the United States. His second wife was Rhea Pillai. Dutt is currently married to his third wife Dilnawaz Shaikh, also known as Manyata. Dutt has entered into Politics.
Illegal possession of arms
According to the judge Kode, Dutt attended a dinner party hosted by actor-filmmaker Feroze Khan during the shooting of Yalgaar in December 1992 in Dubai which was attended by gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and Iqbal Mirchi. On April 19, 1993, Sanjay was arrested for illegally possessing arms purchased from gangsters involved in 1993 Mumbai bombings. He spent 16 months in jail as an undertrial until he was granted bail in October 1995 by the Supreme Court of India.
In November 1993, a 10,000 page long primary chargesheet was filed against the 189 accused in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case including Sanjay.
On December 18, 2001, Sanjay refuted charges of possessing an AK-56 rifle and destroying it. He also denied that Samir Hingora and Ibrahim Chavan had visited his residence in a car laden with arms and ammunition prior to the 1993 Mumbai explosions. In July 2002, Dutt pleaded that the evidence placed by CBI against him was fabricated and hence inadmissible. In his final arguments before the special court, he said that CBI had not produced the original document to show that a call was made from his residence to Anees Ibrahim in Dubai prior to the 1993 Mumbai bomb explosions.
In March 2006, when framing charges against extradited Abu Salem and co-accused Riyaz Siddiqui in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, the prosecution said that Salem delivered 9 AK-56 rifles to Sanjay at his Bandra house in the second week of January 1993.
On February 13, 2007, the crime branch of Mumbai police arrested Abdul Qayyum Abdul Karim Shaikh, a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim and wanted by CBI Special Task Force for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts from Mumbai. Qayuum had been named by Sanjay Dutt in his confessional statement. Sanjay had said that he met Qayuum in Dubai in September 1992 and bought a pistol from him. According to CBI, the pistol was sold to Sanjay at the instance of Dawood's brother Anees Ibrahim.
On July 31, 2007, Dutt was sentenced to six years rigorous imprisonment for illegally possessing three AK-56 rifles, a pistol and ammunition obtained from the Mumbai underworld. At the same time, Dutt was also "cleared of terrorism conspiracy charges in the blasts" related to the 1993 bombings. According to The Guardian, "The actor claimed he feared for his life after the notorious "Black Friday" bombings, which were allegedly staged by Mumbai's Muslim-dominated mafia in retaliation for deadly Hindu-Muslim clashes a few months earlier. But the judge, Pramod Kode, rejected this defence and also refused bail." Dutt was immediately taken into custody and sent to Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail. As the sentence was pronounced, Dutt was "visibly shocked and was seen shivering and holding back tears".
On August 2, 2007, Sanjay Dutt was moved from Arthur Road jail in Mumbai to the Yeravada Jail in Pune. On August 7, 2007, Dutt appealed the sentence. Later, on August 20, 2007, the Supreme Court of India granted Dutt interim bail.He was released after Yeravada Jail authorities received a copy of the court's bail order. The bail was valid until the time the special TADA court, which sentenced Dutt on July 31, provides a copy of its judgment to him. Dutt was released from jail on August 23. On October 22, 2007 Dutt was back in jail but again applied for bail. On 27 November 2007, Dutt was granted bail by the Supreme Court. He currently has an appeal for an acquittal pending. In January 2009, Dutt announced that he would contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections on the Samajwadi Party ticket. However, he withdrew his candidacy in March, 2009 after the Supreme Court refused to suspend his conviction.
International Humanitarian Initiatives
On 16 December 2008, Sanjay Dutt was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (IIMSAM). He will be promoting the use of spirulina to help the organization's fight against malnutrition and hunger. His role will also support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by mainstreaming the use of spirulina.
Career
Dutt's debut film was the 1981 film Rocky, which was produced and directed by his father, Sunil Dutt. Dutt went on to appear in numerous other films, including Vidhaata (1982), Naam (1986), and Hathyar (1989). His breakthrough role came in Subhash Ghai's Khalnayak (1993), for which he received a Filmfare Awards nomination.
Dutt's most successful role has been that of comic goon Munna Bhai, appearing in the films Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and Lage Raho Munna Bhai.
