Happy Birthday Sanjay Dutt

Actor Sanjay Dutt will spend his 57th birthday with his family this year as he has returned home after completing his jail term in Pune`s Yerwada Jail, in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

The actor walked free in February this year and has been showered with film offers ever since.

Here’s a look at Sanjay Dutt’s journey as he turns a year older.

Sanjay Dutt, who was born on 29 July 1959, is the eldest child of actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt. He received his education at The Lawrence School, Sanawar near Kasauli.

Sanjay Dutt has two sisters named Priya and Namrata. Priya is a politician and is married to Owen Roncon while Namrata is married to actor Kumar Gaurav.

Sanjay Dutt made his first appearance on the big screen when he was just 12. He played a small role as a young qawali singer in the 1971 film Reshma Aur Shera featuring his father Sunil Dutt, Waheeda Rehman and Rakhee.

Sunil Dutt then launched his 22-year-old son in Rocky, which was very well received by the audience. Sadly, the release of the film was marred by Nargis Dutt’s death from pancreatic cancer just three days before the premiere.

After a mixed bag of hits, including Vidhaata, and flops, Sanjay Dutt appeared in Naam (1986), his first critical success.
 
 
Sanjay Dutt’s success story continued through the nineties with films such as Tejaa (1990), Thanedaar (1990), Khoon Ka Karz (1991), Yalgaar (1992), Gumrah (1993), Sahibaan (1993) and Aatish: Feel the Fire (1994) to his credit.
 
 
Sanjay swapped his action hero roles for that of poet in Saajan (1991), opposite Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan. The role earned him his first Filmfare Award nomination in the Best Actor category.
 
 
In the fateful 1993, Sanjay Dutt was arrested for illegal possession of arms and spent 18 months in jail. Three weeks after his arrest, his film Khalnayak released, co-starring Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff. It went on to become a super hit and established Sanjay amongst the top-rung of Bollywood actors. It also earned him his second Filmfare nomination.
 
 
 
Jail free, Sanjay Dutt made his Bollywood comeback in 1999 with films like Khubsoorat, Daag: The Fire, Haseena Maan Jayegi and the award winning Vaastav. He was now in his Forties. In Vastaav Sanjay played a gangster and won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
 
 
Sanjay Dutt’s comic timing was also been widely appreciated and the actor was seen in more comedies like Dhamaal (2007), All The Best (2009), No Problem (2010) and Rascals (2011).
 
 
In 2012, the new Agneepath broke the record of the highest opening day collections. Sanjay Dutt received rave reviews for his performance as the villainous Kancha Cheena in the film. This was followed by Ram Gopal Verma’s Department in which he played Inspector Mahadev Bhosle, the leader of an encounter squad. In the film, Sanjay also featured in a remake of hit song Thodi Si Jo Pi Li Hai, from Big B’s film Namak Halaal.
 
 
Sanjay Dutt’s personal life has been as chequered as his professional one. After a quick courtship, young Sanjay married starlet Richa Sharma in 1987. In 1988 Richa was diagnosed with cancer and she left for the US for treatment. Richa died in 1996. The couple has a daughter, Trishala.
 
 
In 1998, Sanjay married model Rhea Pillai. However, his second marriage proved to be unsuccessful and the couple was divorced in 2005.