Our kids should know their dad did wrong and paid heavy price for it: Sanjay Dutt's wife

In a recent interview, Sanjay and Maanayata Dutt spoke about their kids and family life

Munna Bhai star Sanjay Dutt is certainly not your average Bollywood celebrity.

The dynamic actor has also had an array of controversies associated with him. Sanjay – who was jailed for alleged involvement with suspects of terror attacks in Mumbai – recently did a photoshoot for Hindustan Times, wherein he said that he would like to make up for the time he lost during his incarceration.

“The case dragged on for 23 long years. It bogged me down. But I was really lucky that when I started my jail term, the twins were about two years old and they don’t have any memory of it. And I'm glad that I came out just when they were becoming aware of their surrounding," shared the Agneepath star. "Now I am always there for them, always around.”

PHOTO: HINDUSTAN TIMES

Sanjay's wife Maanayata also pitched in her two cents. “Even before he went to jail, Sanjay would be out on shoots and the kids were never really used to seeing him at home all the time," she said.

"Still, seeing Sanjay with the kids now, I am realising that I could not have filled the void his absence had created. The way he interacted with the kids, the way the kids bargained for pocket money with him, suddenly made me acutely aware of how important he is to them. After they left, I told him I never expected him to be this good at being a dad!”

PHOTO: HINDUSTAN TIMES

The star's wife also said that the twins don’t know that Sanjay was ever jailed. “They are still too young to understand what happened. Shahraan’s dad is his hero; his role model... he idolises him. I worry about two things," Maanayata added. "First, it could be too much of a shock for him; he might not be able to justify what had happened or understand why it happened. Second, he might start thinking whatever his dad did back then was cool. We don’t want either to happen."

She continued, "They should know their father did wrong and paid a heavy price for it. Not many people would have the courage to own up to what they had done and face the consequences. I want my kids to understand how it happened, why it happened, and how Sanju took it in his stride. But they're still too young and we don’t want to burden their childhood.”

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