Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema in addition to a few Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi and Telugu films. In a career spanning over four decades, Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 135 films, ranging from romance to comedy genres, though usually in action genres, thus proving himself one of the most popular Hindi film actors since the 1980s.

Part of the Dutt family, he is the son of actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis. Dutt made his acting debut with Rocky (1981). A career downturn followed, with the exception of the crime thriller Naam (1986), a milestone in his career. He later established himself as a prolific star with films like Thanedaar (1990), Saajan (1991), Sadak (1991), Adharm (1992), Khalnayak (1993), Aatish (1994), Daag (1999), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Vaastav: The Reality (1999) and Mission Kashmir (2000). His critically acclaimed performance in Vaastav won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Dutt gained widespread acclaim for playing Munna Bhai in the Munna Bhai series (2003–2006), his most iconic role, and his biggest sole commercial success ever. Since 2000, his other notable films include - Jodi No.1 (2001), Parineeta (2005), Dus (2005), Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), Dhamaal (2007), All the Best (2009), Double Dhamaal (2011), Agneepath (2012), Son of Sardaar (2012), and PK (2014). This was followed by another major career downturn with the exceptions of Kannada film K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022) and the Tamil film Leo (2023), the former being the 4th highest-grossing Indian film and the latter being the 12th highest-grossing Indian film, both in which he played the main antagonist.

Dutt was arrested under the TADA and the Arms Act in April 1993 and was convicted later for violation of Arms Act for possession of illegal weapons procured from other accused in the 1993 Bombay bombings. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He was granted bail several times during his sentence which is why he only completed his five-year jail sentence in 2016. He was granted bail in 1993, 1995, 2007, 2013, 2015, and 2016. Dutt's life receives considerable media coverage in India, and in 2018, Sanju, a biopic based on his life (which also saw a special appearance by him), starring Ranbir Kapoor as Dutt, was released to positive reviews and emerged as one of the highest-grossers of Indian cinema.