Making amends: 57 years of the Sanjay swag
Actor opens up on life after prison, ‘Munnabhai 3’ and his relationship with Salman Khan
Sanjay was released from jail on February 26, 2016. PHOTO: FILE
MUMBAI:
It seems like Sanjay Dutt’s 57th birthday proved a good omen for both him and his fans alike. Bollywood’s very own Khalnayak spent the evening at a media interaction wherein he revealed that the highly-anticipated third instalment of his successful Munnabhai franchise will hit theaters in 2018. “Marco – my film with Vidhu Vinod Chopra – will start in November. After that, I am doing a film with Mahesh Manjrekar, which will be a remake of De Dhakka. Then, there is a good line-up of other films,” he shared. For Munnabhai 3, Sanjay simply stated, “2018.”
When asked about the delay, considering the hype surrounding the third film, Sanjay jokingly responded, “That you should ask Rajkumar Hirani and Vinod sir. Even I am waiting for Munnabhai.” Recently, actor Arshad Warsi – who plays Munnabhai’s sidekick Circuit – stated that the shooting for the film has gotten delayed due to Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay’s real life. The film – which will star Ranbir Kapoor in the lead – is yet to go on floors, despite being set to begin in June this year. Sanjay, however, remained mum on the details. “I am not acting in it but I think it would be shot in February,” he said.
The Agneepath star went on to shed some light on his private life, after being released from prison in February. Sanjay had been incarcerated and serving the remainder of his five-year sentence for illegal possession of arms. “I have started working out and doing martial arts. I spend four hours in the gym every day,” he revealed. “I have also quit drinking and there is a very strict diet I follow, with grilled fish and grilled chicken. You have to eat what you eat in the hospital.”
Considering it was his birthday, Sanjay took the opportunity to express how much he missed his late parents Sunil Dutt and Nargis. “I really miss my father and mother. If they would have been here, they’d be very proud of me. There is really no one bigger than your parents!” he told the media at his residence, later in the evening. Recalling his birthdays during imprisonment, Sanjay shared, “For three years, I spent my birthdays in jail. Today, I am a free man and so happy to be with my children. I will take them out for dinner.” The actor also received a white Audi Q7 as a birthday gift from his wife, Manyata. “My wife has gifted me the car, which is so sweet. The kids have given me a nice card and cake… what more can I ask for?”
Of late, Sanjay has been under the limelight for alleged friction between him and his fellow Bollywood star Salman Khan, but the actor rubbished all such reports on Friday, asking the media to not make mountains out of molehills. “Salman is my younger brother – always was, is and always will be. God has given him all the success and all his cases are over now,” stated Sanjay. “We are both busy and can’t meet daily. In fact, we met in Madrid but the media didn’t write about that! It only focuses on fights but will someone ever fight with their brother? I love Salman and that’s that.” The actor also shared that he is very happy for Salman, as the Rajasthan High Court acquitted the Sultan actor in two 18-year-old, animal poaching cases from 1998 on Monday. “I always call him and I feel happy for him. I don’t want Salman or anyone to go through what I did. Somewhere, justice prevails and I am happy this happened,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2016.
It seems like Sanjay Dutt’s 57th birthday proved a good omen for both him and his fans alike. Bollywood’s very own Khalnayak spent the evening at a media interaction wherein he revealed that the highly-anticipated third instalment of his successful Munnabhai franchise will hit theaters in 2018. “Marco – my film with Vidhu Vinod Chopra – will start in November. After that, I am doing a film with Mahesh Manjrekar, which will be a remake of De Dhakka. Then, there is a good line-up of other films,” he shared. For Munnabhai 3, Sanjay simply stated, “2018.”
When asked about the delay, considering the hype surrounding the third film, Sanjay jokingly responded, “That you should ask Rajkumar Hirani and Vinod sir. Even I am waiting for Munnabhai.” Recently, actor Arshad Warsi – who plays Munnabhai’s sidekick Circuit – stated that the shooting for the film has gotten delayed due to Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay’s real life. The film – which will star Ranbir Kapoor in the lead – is yet to go on floors, despite being set to begin in June this year. Sanjay, however, remained mum on the details. “I am not acting in it but I think it would be shot in February,” he said.
The Agneepath star went on to shed some light on his private life, after being released from prison in February. Sanjay had been incarcerated and serving the remainder of his five-year sentence for illegal possession of arms. “I have started working out and doing martial arts. I spend four hours in the gym every day,” he revealed. “I have also quit drinking and there is a very strict diet I follow, with grilled fish and grilled chicken. You have to eat what you eat in the hospital.”
Considering it was his birthday, Sanjay took the opportunity to express how much he missed his late parents Sunil Dutt and Nargis. “I really miss my father and mother. If they would have been here, they’d be very proud of me. There is really no one bigger than your parents!” he told the media at his residence, later in the evening. Recalling his birthdays during imprisonment, Sanjay shared, “For three years, I spent my birthdays in jail. Today, I am a free man and so happy to be with my children. I will take them out for dinner.” The actor also received a white Audi Q7 as a birthday gift from his wife, Manyata. “My wife has gifted me the car, which is so sweet. The kids have given me a nice card and cake… what more can I ask for?”
Of late, Sanjay has been under the limelight for alleged friction between him and his fellow Bollywood star Salman Khan, but the actor rubbished all such reports on Friday, asking the media to not make mountains out of molehills. “Salman is my younger brother – always was, is and always will be. God has given him all the success and all his cases are over now,” stated Sanjay. “We are both busy and can’t meet daily. In fact, we met in Madrid but the media didn’t write about that! It only focuses on fights but will someone ever fight with their brother? I love Salman and that’s that.” The actor also shared that he is very happy for Salman, as the Rajasthan High Court acquitted the Sultan actor in two 18-year-old, animal poaching cases from 1998 on Monday. “I always call him and I feel happy for him. I don’t want Salman or anyone to go through what I did. Somewhere, justice prevails and I am happy this happened,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2016.