Jo khata lamhon ne ki, Woh sazaa sadiyon ne payi (The mistake committed by a few moments, Earned a punishment of a lifetime)
The Urdu couplet best describes the tragedy of Sanjay Dutt. Two decades of relentless court hearings, of ignominy followed by intermittent incarceration, two decades of hope and despair have still not absolved the 50-plus Sanjay. The Supreme Court recently upheld the conviction of the actor under the Arms Act in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, sentencing him to five-year imprisonment. Having already served 18 months in jail, Sanjay now has to serve the remaining three years and six months.
The devastating verdict has once again shattered the equilibrium had just about achieved after his third marriage to Maanayata and the subsequent birth of their twins Shahran and Iqra. The irony in the Sanjay saga cannot be missed. His mother, the late Nargis Dutt was Mother India incarnate, given her illustrious film career, her stint as a Parliamentarian and the various charitable causes she espoused. His father, a reputed filmmaker/actor, a politician and social worker was a leader of the masses. Yet, Sanjay had to spend a major chunk of his youth to rub off the tag of 'the terrorist' that was hurled at him. "The sentence came as a huge shock to us. His track record is clear, he's broken no laws; he's taken legal permission whenever he had to travel. He has also been involved with the Nargis Dutt Memorial Charitable Trust as a good citizen. He's not a criminal," says sister Namrata Dutt whose existing stomach ailment has aggravated due to the sudden stress in their lives.
"The media hypnotises people by repeating the same footage. When the honourable Supreme Court has said he's not a terrorist, he's not involved in the bomb blasts case, he's not anti-national, and he's not part of the conspiracy, why doesn't the media respect that? You're showing a Sanjay Dutt clipping and then a car blast, a Sanjay Dutt clipping and then people dead. This is abuse of the Supreme Court. People tend to believe what they are shown," underlines Namrata who, along with younger sister and MP Priya, Dutt has been a pillar of strength for Sanjay.
"Life has been harsh on him but I've never found him bitter. There's been no 'why me?'. He has nothing against anyone. I've never heard him curse anyone or even wish someone bad. No one knows him the way I do. So everyone please stop judging him," she appeals.
MEDIA MAYHEM
Namrata is upset with the media's tendency to get condemnatory. "The media went berserk. The electronic media is like a mafia. They were parked here on both sides of the road for four days without realising there are other buildings around, making life hell for everyone. All they wanted was a story." She continues, "They started speculating, debating on him and his actions even before he had opened his mouth. I was really, really upset with Arnab Goswami (anchor Times Now). First of all, you are the host of a show so you've got to be unbiased. You invite guests on the show but you are so rude and obnoxious to them. You don't let them talk. You forget that you are a host; you become a judge, a lawyer, a witness – all in one. You give a verdict. He has already decided what Sanjay is going to do; he's become a prophet and a mind reader too." She asserts that being a celebrity Sanjay is targeted. "It's a curse to be a celebrity."
THE BROTHER I KNOW
Her angst softens as she begins talking about her brother. "Sanjay is busy shooting. There's a lot of money riding on him (he has to complete films Ghanchakkar, Ungli, Peekay, Zanjeer and Policegiri). He's putting on a tough act. It must be so difficult to act and play different characters when you're going through your own hell. You return home every night, you see your kids but you know you have to leave them soon. I don't know how he's doing it. He's taking each day as it comes," she says with sadness. "He's been a good father to Shahran and Iqra. Since the past few years, he loves spending time at home. He can't handle the party scene any longer. Even if we are to attend a party, he'll cancel it at the last minute. At home he enjoys listening to music, the westerns bands of the '60s and '70s and Kishore Kumar songs," she smiles.
She gets emotional recollecting the time when the sisters had gone to tie Rakhi when Sanjay was in jail in 1994 and he gifted them the two-rupee jail coupons he had earned during his stay there. As also the time when their dad, the late Sunil Dutt, spent a large part of the night sitting in his car outside the cell Sanjay was kept in telling his daughters, "How can I sleep in the comfort of a home when my son is languishing inside?" She adds with sisterly concern, "Being confined is the worst punishment. You can't stay confined even in the comfort of your home. But Sanjay bore things patiently and never shared his distress. His friend Yusuf Nulwala, who has been sentenced with him, once said that confinement could make anyone crazy."
HOPE FLOATS
Much like the title of Sanjay's debut film Rocky (1981), the star's life has been a pebbly one. His stardom being punctuated with consistent setbacks. The much publicised drug addiction, the loss of both his mother Nargis and first wife Richa Sharma to cancer, his lung ailment, the collapse of his second marriage to Rhea Pillai and of course the two decade long court case. "The growing up phase was difficult. My father, Priya and I were in the US for almost a year where my mother was being treated for pancreatic cancer. Sanjay was left alone here completing Rocky. He did drugs, which is a serious medical condition. But he got out of it. Very few do. Whatever he has earned is due to his hard work. Who says you can't enjoy life if you have worked hard?" she defends him.
"He's large-hearted and never thinks twice about gifting things to people. There is this story about him, which my mother never tired of repeating – so proud she was of him. Once, my parents had taken Sanjay, then just 10, for a wedding in Delhi. It was cold and he was wearing a suit. He happened to see a beggar boy with nothing on. He removed his suit and gave it to the boy," she says of the soft-hearted 'Baba' who went on to become the cult Munnabhai. "Though he's older to me by two years, I've always called him
Sanjay, never Sanju. I can speak my mind with him. I won't think twice, even if he dislikes it and we get into an argument. But Priya, who's younger and calls him Bhaiyya, thinks a hundred times before telling him anything."
Namrata says that she grew up overnight the day her mother Nargis passed away (May 3, 1981) as she had to take charge of the family. Though she was the tough one then, she confides that the loss of her father has made her vulnerable. "Now, Priya is the tougher one. After I lost dad I've become more emotional. For me dad was superman. I'd share a lot with him – the way you chat with your mother. It's a helpless situation for the family today. We are hoping for divine intervention. Hope keeps us going but enough is enough."
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