While Sanjay Dutt was always the non-conformist hero of Bollywood and devoid of clean-shaven handsomeness, it was his arrest in 1993 that gave a sinister colour to his wild existence. In 1993, he was convicted for violating the Arms Act for possession of illegal weapons procured from those accused in the 1993 Bombay Blasts. His alleged links to terrorists and his prison stints made him a polarising figure in Bollywood. After many years in and out of prison, ‘Sanju Baba’, as he is fondly called by his adoring fans, was released in 2016. While he had immense support from his colleagues, there was a cross-section who felt that a Bollywood star shouldn’t be given an easy pass just because of his celebrity status. Long before Salman Khan earned the tag of Bollywood brat, there was Dutt who ticked all those boxes.
Reuters