The actor who had brought in his birthday in prison for the last three years, made it an occasion to remember this year with his wife, children, sisters and the media
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 30, 2016)

 Sanjay Dutt who turned 57 on Friday celebrated his first birthday as a 'free' man with wife Manyata, sisters, Namrata and Priya, and their husbands, Kumar Gaurav and Owen Roncon, cutting the first cake at midnight.

A source close to the actor adds, "Sanjay's kids, Shahraan and Iqra, who go to bed by 9 pm, missed out on the midnight celebrations. So the doting dad made it a point to wake up early the next morning despite the late night before they left for school and cut another cake with them. The kids gifted the birthday boy a card while Manyata gifted him a hot pair of wheels, an Audi Q7. The family then proceeded to lunch with Manyata and all of Sanjay's favourite dishes were laid out. The day ended with a family dinner at the couple's favourite restaurant in Bandra."

However, before calling it a day, Sanjay cut a third cake with the media at 6 pm, telling them how great it felt to celebrate as a free man. "I spent the last three birthdays in jail. Today, I'm glad I can celebrate it with my kids," he exulted.

The actor also took the opportunity to address rumours of a rift with Salman Khan, making it a point to underline the fact that the actor had called to wish him. "He is my younger brother, there is no fight between us and can never be. I had called him too when he got a clean chit in the court cases. I'm happy for him, I don't want anyone to go through what I did," he said emotionally.

However it's not all play and no work for the Dutt who has his hands full. "Marco Bhau, with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, will begin in November. I'm doing a film with Mahesh Manjrekar too which is a remake of the Marathi film De Dhakka. And the next Munnabhai film is expected to roll by 2018," he informed, adding that he has resumed his workouts and is also practising martial arts. "I have also given up alcohol and follow a strict diet to keep fit," he concluded.