The Rise, Fall and Return of Sanjay Dutt The actor, producer and entrepreneur talks about his highs and lows over a 30-year-old career

After a month long wait to hear from Sanjay Dutt's team, I finally ended up meeting him at his Imperial Heights apartment on a Sunday afternoon. The high-rise building, which earlier used to be a bungalow owned by his parents Nargis and Sunil Dutt, has been broken down to be rebuilt.

As my team and I reached there, 15 minutes prior to our scheduled meeting, we were warmly welcomed by him at the door. Dressed in crisp white kurta-pyjama, owing to the Ganesha festival, the tattooed, mustachioed, actor at 58 looked no less dapper than his favorite Hollywood heroes, Denzel Washington or Mel Gibson.

Life seems back to normal at the Dutt Dome. It seems like the house of any other celebrity caught in the nitty-gritty of his celeb circle. Friends like Sanjay Leela Bhansali (filmmaker) and Sachiin Joshi (producer) with wife Urvashi Sharma (Model and Actress) flock to the house.

In his own words, his life has been an open book. From drugs, keeping a gun at home, even being charged under TADA — not a single word has been left to be written, not even for his autobiography.

Early Stardom

An overly pampered child of acclaimed actors Nargis and Sunil Dutt, Sanjay shot to stardom immediately after his first film Rocky released in 1981.

Super stardom at such a young age became difficult to be handled and he got into drugs. However, with immense support from his father, he came out of this phase. (It is also rumored that he met his first wife Richa Sharma, when he was at the rehab in the US.)

Trial and Conviction

He came with a huge commercial hit, Naam, after being written off by the critics. Things were smooth for sometime, as he delivered back-to-back hits like Thanedaar, Saajan, Sadak and Khalnayak. In 1993, he was linked to the Mumbai serial blasts. After the trial, he was convicted in the Arms Act. With every low, Sanjay emerged even stronger.

No Dent in Popularity

In the span of 36 years with so many actors coming to the forefront, his place in Bollywood still remains untouched. People know what Dutt can deliver cannot be matched by any other. The father to six-year-old twins, Dutt now spends most of his time with his son and daughter. Though nobody shies away from talking about the past, but everyone seems to have moved on.

Comeback

People around him have stood by him to bring him back to the place where his passion lies – cinema. September marks the release of Sanjay's comeback film – Bhoomi, which happens to be his first film after his five-year imprisonment.

The setback didn't set him back, as he seemed humble and mellow. Leaving the past behind, Rocky is all set to roll. The room where we were offered to sit, houses pictures of his parents and his present wife Manyata with kids and a painting of his.

Though he is much mellowed down today, his hand seemed shaking while he struck a pose for Dabboo Ratnani for our photoshoot. Speaking about what kept him going all these years, he credits his father and Manyata for their immense support.

After the shoot, we came down to the ground floor as the family prepares to leave for Ganesha Visharjan. The papparazi had gathered to click pictures of Sanjay Dutt – the star. It was magnificent to see how his popularity continues to prosper.

While on my way back from Sanjay Dutt's Pali Hill house, these lyrics play at the back of my mind from James Fortune and Fiya. "I can't be stopped I keep on rising The greater my struggle I just keep dancing I won't stay down Don't think it's over After every attempt I bounce back."

The Fallen Hero

The life he lived is no less than a Bollywood script. From being a brat in his youth, fighting a case for 23 years to losing his mother and his first wife, Richa Sharma, to cancer, Dutt's life has been maligned with controversies. But, his passion for cinema has kept him going. In a candid conversation with Entrepreneur India, the actor shares more on how he bounced back every time.

THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CHALLENGES, WHAT KEPT YOU STRONG THROUGH HARDSHIP?

I think faith in God, my family, and people of my country - these three things helped me fight. My father always told me that life is a struggle and one should never run away from it. Face the problem and look at it in the eye and fight it. You can't hide behind a bottle of alcohol or drugs or build an attitude to escape it. This is how I learned to survive.

WAS THERE A SURVIVAL STRATEGY?

When you go through drugs, so many deaths in the family and then go to the jail, a case going for 23 years, then you can't live by a strategy. These things come to you all of a sudden. It is like living in the jungles and which animal survives, the predator or the prey. The stronger will survive. My dad told me, one day I am going to die to leave you on the road where people would want to kill you. If you can survive and that too being a good human being, then that will make a big difference. These are things that I learned from my father, with time and experience.

"One single time when I broke down was when they put the handcuffs on me for the first time. It was traumatic but you have to rise above the situation" - Sanjay Dutt

THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY, WHO ALL STOOD BY YOU?

My family, few people from the industry like Mahesh Bhatt, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Raju Hirani, my friends.

HOW DID YOU RECOVER FROM THE DRUG PHASE?

The whole drug phase was a very tough time. Initially, you are just having fun with friends but with time, it tends to make you a loner and to come out of that is very difficult. I think it's God's blessings and the support of my family that made me realize that work gives you a better high compared to something which is mood altering like cocaine and heroin. Now, I advise youngsters to be high on life and work.

HOW THE 23 YEARS LONG LEGAL BATTLE AFFECT YOU?

Initially, I was linked to the terrorist attack in Mumbai (then Bombay). Again, I would say that the people of this country never believed that. "Haan usne bandook to rakkhi hogi but yeh toh nahi ho sakta' (He might have kept the gun but this can't be true). And that trust in me really helped me to fight back. The most difficult part was that in between all this, my father passed away. He was my anchor and suddenly I was left alone and that too when my judgment was being pronounced. I had to be tough to face it and I thank the judiciary for a fair judgment, after which I was taken out of the terror case and convicted for illegal possession of arms.

HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THE JAIL TERM?

I realized that I had to be there for a certain amount of time and there is nothing I could do to alter it, so let's make the most of it. Instead of being regressive, let's move on and make it positive. I have deep faith in God and I read the Shiv Puran and Ganesh Puran, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita. I read all the books which I wanted to but would never do or get the chance to read, if I was out. I utilized the time gaining knowledge about my religion and other religions. I did a lot of work in the natak company there, I used to train people to act. I started a radio station there, Radio YCP, where we would play songs then have topic of discussion about religion and secularism.

DID YOU EVER BREAK DOWN?

The single time when I broke down was when I went to the jail for the first time. Besides, when I got convicted it was a very tough time. I had 8 weeks to go in and I had to honor all my commitments. I was doing everything, I was dancing, singing and fighting, I was completing the movies knowing that I have to go to the jail within eight weeks. It was fearsome.

AFTER THE JAIL TERM, HOW DID YOU COME BACK TO NORMALCY?

My wife played a huge role in those trying times and she has been my anchor after Dutt saab. She gave me a beautiful home and a beautiful family. She is a strong woman and for her, to raise two kids while their father was in jail it meant a lot. She would come all the way to Pune every month, as she knew that I looked forward to that. Once she just fell down during a meeting. Later my lawyer told me that she had 103 fever. When I asked her, she told that I did not want to make you feel that I could not come. You can't become a bitter person just because you had a bad experience; I had left that in my past.

AND IN TERMS OF WORK, HOW THE FILM INDUSTRY WELCOMED YOU?

Oh! I waited for the right film. After I came back, I did not panic. "arre kya hoga, arre bhai picture nahi hain, aur main pagal ho jayunga" (I don't have any film and I will go mad - I never reacted like that). The industry means business. And, I knew in my mind that if films would not happen, I would move on. But then I did Bhoomi. It was such an emotional phase to be back on the sets after so many years. To see the lights and the camera back and there was so much of love from the people. The love of the people never went away.

DO YOU PLAN TO REVIVE SANJAY DUTT PRODUCTIONS?

110 per cent, we are going to move ahead with Sanjay Dutt Productions but at the right time. We already have three to four films in the pipeline. My wife has excellent business acumen. She takes care of it.

(This article was first published in the September 2017 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)