Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 100 films, ranging from romance to comedy genres, though usually in action genres, thus proving himself one of the most popular Hindi film actors of the since 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 ''Saajan'' (1991), ''Sadak'' (1991), ''Khalnayak'' (1993), '' Gumrah'' (1993), '' Aatish'' (1994), '' Andolan'' (1995), '' Daag'' (1999), ''Haseena Maan Jaayegi'' (1999) and '' Mission Kashmir'' (2000). His critically acclaimed performance in ''Vaastav'' (1999) 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, he was cast in notable films like '' Jodi No.1'' (2001), ''Munna Bhai MBBS'' (2003), '' Parineeta'' (2005), ''Dus'' (2005), ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' (2006), ''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 exception of Kannada film '' K.G.F: Chapter 2'' (2022), the third highest-grossing Indian film, 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. After serving his sentence, he was released in 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.

Early life

Dutt was born in Bombay City, Bombay State, Republic of India into a Punjabi family, to parents who were noted Hindi cinema actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt. Born to a Punjabi Hindu Mohyal Brahmin father and Muslim mother of Punjabi descent, Dutt's ancestry can be traced back to the Rawalpindi Division of West Punjab. Sanjay has two sisters, Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt. Sanjay's name was chosen by crowdsourcing via the Urdu