SANJAY DUTT A Living Legend

Shubarna Mukerji Shu: In all the years that I have spent being a fly on the wall in the glittery world of Bollywood, I have never seen anyone so steadfast in refusing change. His thinking, his ways, his affection and even his acting style – nothing has changed. Sanjay Dutt is one person who is averse to change that’s why he doesn’t make new friends easily and likes to stick to the old ones. Secretly everyone wants to belong to the elite group he calls friends.

         Why is that, you may ask? Quite simply because Sanjay makes you look good when you are with him. That’s the charm and magic of this man. His producers may have to wait endlessly for him to step out of his van and meet them, but they seem placated the moment he does. There is an odd mix of euphoria and reverence around him which has to be experienced to be understood. Watch him as he strolls about the set looking like a rockstar even at 60 and you might understand the magnitude of his charisma.

         If you have seen Kalank, his latest film, you will understand what I am talking about. He has very few scenes in the film but he owns the frame in each one. I watched him during the filming of a scene. It was supposed to be a high-tension sequence, but Dutt looked relaxed. He simply waited for the director to shout action and then he took over the scene. It’s hard to express in words how he turned a simple scene into a larger-than-life moment. He told Bollywood Insider how he does it.

Kalank is a big film and it is lovely to see you being part of such a gorgeous canvas…

I have a supporting role in the film. It is Varun (Dhawan), Alia (Bhatt), Sonakshi (Sinha) and Aditya Roy Kapur’s film. These are the young guns today. It was lovely being a part of a Dharma film. Late Yash Johar and I go a long way.

How was it working with Madhuri Dixit after two decades?

It was wonderful just to be with Madhuri and to perform with her again. I mean it was amazing. She has always been that powerful actor you have to watch out for and now she has kind of evolved into a great actor. We spent a lot of time catching up, talking about our kids and their school, it was nice. It is always lovely to work with her. Actually, everyone in the film is really nice. I have seen Varun as a kid when I used to work with David (Dhawan). Sonakshi and Alia are also really young but they are all phenomenal as actors.

What if you would have debuted alongside these young actors?

I don’t know if I would have had a chance to debut even. (Laughs)

Kalank is all about stigma and prejudice, something you have had to suffer a great deal too. Does that make you cautious about not having a prejudice against others?

You are right I have dealt with my share of stigma and accusations. There have been times when I have been criticized, there were times when I was forced to face the brunt of it, but I would like to think that I am beyond those things now. I am a clean slate. As for my prejudices against others, I could never afford to hold grudges.

How was it being directed by Abhishek Varman? He is only one-film old….

Abhishek Varman is a wonderful director, he is very soft spoken but he is capable of churning out a lot of theatrics. I especially loved the way he handled the confrontation scene between Madhuri, Varun and I.

Despite it being one of the bigger films you have done of late, you refused to publicize the film. Why is that?

I am not the main lead of the film. I didn’t think I had to be a part of the promotions.

What’s your take on the whole promotion whirlwind?

Publicity and so on is okay and also very important. You have to promote your films and you have to do all sorts of things. But I cannot be everywhere and tell people, ‘Look, at me do this and that….’ And honestly, I’m happy with what I do. I’m happy with my audience and how they respond to me, I’m happy I have an audience even today. That’s important and it’s all that matters in the end. So, I keep trying to do good work instead of being omnipresent.

You never publicize yourself, you are not even on social media… don’t you feel it is necessary to speak about yourself? You sponsor various charity projects also but never speak about it...

Why should I? I do my stuff but I do not make it public. I help Cancer patients, drug-addicted children, HIV+people, physically and mentally challenged people but I never go to the press and talk about it. That’s not worth it. Because that means that you do not do charity; you do it for the sake of publicity. That’s not my upbringing at all. That’s why I don’t get into the whole social media scene either. I cannot go on talking about myself. There are people out there who are constantly arguing who is number one. But for my part, I know that I am not a number – I am Sanjay Dutt!

Clearly, Baba doesn’t suffer from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)...

You are right. I am not an insecure person.

How come? Given there have been so many times that you have come close to losing it all…

I’ve been in the industry for 30 years now. It’s an agonizingly long time to work, doing the same thing over and over again. I really do not have to show my abilities as an actor anymore.

Your friends often say you are very innocent...Is that possible at your age?

For me, the innocence that they talk about is being myself. I am not trying to do something, trying to use an excuse. I am just who I am. If you say that’s a difficult task, I would disagree. A task is something that you ought to do; for me it is just being me. I also do not know what else I should be other than myself, whether in public or private or wherever. I consider that to be one of my qualities, never deceiving anyone. I have been this way too long, I cannot change that anymore.

Your wife Manyata often says that your trusting quality often has people duping you. Don’t you feel the need to be more cautious?

Yes, there were times when people were not honest and correct with me, but I forgave them. While I can no longer trust them as friends, I have excluded them from my life. Probably, my years in prison have made me think that way; but the fact is that nothing comes of it when you hold any grudges. I could have been bitter in prison at the thought of all those people who wronged me but the best way is to forgive and keep going.