Prison may not have changed Sanjay Dutt, but who cares?
Jailed for illegally possessing an AK-47 assault rifle in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Sanjay Dutt will walk a free man today. By the time Dutt was finally sentenced to five years imprisonment in 2013 the case had dragged on for exactly 20 years and he had already spent 18 months in prison as an undertrial.
The shadow that had loomed over him for two decades, something that Dutt had perhaps become accustomed to, will finally disappear forever when he walks out of the Yerwada prison, and a new Sanjay Dutt would return to the world that where things would be just the way he left them.
One of the reasons people say prison has a profound effect is because time allows you to reflect. Incarceration might have changed Dutt to some extent but the manner in which he has parallelly existed in two extreme worlds – the prison and the glittering universe that he is a bright star of – even during his imprisonment, compel one to think that perhaps the 28 months confinement never really happened.
Insensitive as it may seem to some, a cursory glance at the number of days the actor was out on furlough and/or parole – more than 100 between May 21, 2013 and his release date, February 25, 2016 – and the activities he indulged in during this period – a New Year bash – are telling signs that nothing changed.
While it could be argued that Dutt’s parole and furloughs were all within the purview of law and what he does outside ought not to be anyone’s concern but requesting a break from prison on account of daughter’s nose surgery or the illness of wife Maanyata, whose photos at public events at the same time created quite a stir, only suggest that some are created more equal.
Far from diminishing, the aura of Sanjay Dutt, the superstar, only grew during the time he spent in prison. In addition to being in news due to his regular furloughs and parole Dutt also had three releases – Zanjeer (2013), Ungli (2014) and PK (2014) – in the time he was serving his sentence.
Moreover, constant collaborators such as Vidhu Vinod Chopra are more than ready with scripts for Dutt. Chopra produced the Munna Bhai series with Dutt playing the titular gangster, who is a mix of a gentle giant and a child with an insatiable curiosity, besides directing Mission Kashmir (2000) and Eklavya- The Royal Guard (2007) has said that the third instalment of Munnabhai is already in pre-production stage.
While the idea of playing Munna bhai would be tantalising for Dutt and a no-brainer on most fronts, the actor should consider reinventing himself. Like most actors whose career spans across a few decades Dutt has constantly adapted himself and on more occasions than others risen from the ashes.
The mid-1980s witnessed his coming of age in Mahesh Bhatt’s Naam (1986) and later with Mission Kashmir he switched gears to adjust himself as a supporting actor who wasn’t relegated to playing the traditional elder brother or younger chacha. Very few stars are able to manage what Dutt achieved with Munna bhai and that too almost two decades after their debut. With Munna Bhai MBBS (2003) Dutt created a template that he could rely on for the rest of his acting years and Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) proved that this character would never age.
In a lifetime spent in front of the camera, Dutt has somehow managed to carve out characters out of the largely run of the mill roles that came his way.
Filmmakers exploited his off-screen persona (remember the poster of Subhash Ghai’s Khal Nayak (1994) that had "Yes, I’m the villain" proudly splashed all over?) and in turn, his onscreen persona helped him get away with many things (‘Munna Bhai’ Dutt going to the Yerwada prison was juxtaposed with Mahatma Gandhi’s stint in the same prison).
Such is Dutt’s goodwill both within as well beyond the film business that everyone from co-stars to political bigwigs to former justices to the aam aadmi, everyone just can’t get enough of Sanju baba.
Even when Dutt himself refused to apply for mercy in 2013 before he was about to surrender, the then chairman of Press Council of India Justice (retd) Markandey Katju sought pardon for Dutt along with Zaibunnisa, another 1993 Mumbai blasts case convict. Katju believed that he was doing this on humanitarian grounds as Dutt’s career suffered because of the case as no producer offered him any roles during a particular phase, which could be considered factually incorrect looking at Dutt’s filmography, and every time he needed to seek court’s permission before going on foreign trips. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh expressed mercy for Dutt and the Bhopal Youth Congress workers carried out a signature campaign to request a Presidential pardon for him.
Irrespective of how one views the treatment bestowed upon Dutt in the aftermath of the revelation of his involvement, the manner in which the charges against him were framed and the endless outings he availed during his ultimate imprisonment, or even getting free eight-months before his due date on grounds of good conduct, Dutt has served his sentence.
The trade is more than looking forward to having him back amongst them, the fans are more than ready to see him don the greasepaint and Dutt, obviously, would be getting ready to serve both… in the meantime, we can all enjoy Chicken Sanju Baba, a dish created by a restaurant, Hotel Noor Mohammadi, to be served free on the day the star walks unrestricted in the open.