It was the year 1980. Yakub Sayed, then assistant director at Mumbai Doordarshan, now called DD Sahyadri, received a phone call. It was to inform him that actress Nargis Dutt, who was in New York for medical treatment after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, had passed away. He informed his director, and a call was made to the I&B Ministry, which then connected with the Prime Minister’s office.

“We were informed that PM Indira Gandhi is on her way to Bombay and somebody should go to the airport to let her know the news. I was given this task. I went along with my cameraman. Just as she [PM Gandhi] began descending the airstair, I asked the cameraman to start shooting. When I informed Mrs Gandhi, she said that she was deeply saddened at the news. But it was a small reaction. To get more, I decided to pay a visit to Dev Anand’s office, which was in the vicinity. After I had broken the news to him, he offered us a long byte. To make it a whole package, I decided to pay a visit to Sunil Dutt’s home, hoping to get a reaction from the househelps and drivers. But once I reached there, I saw Sanjay Dutt having tea with his friends, laughing. I asked the cameraman to stay put and decided to ask him about his mother and he said, she is doing better,” Sayed tells mid-day between laughs. 

By the time he had reached DD’s Worli office, everyone had heard what had happened. “I behaved like I didn’t know. They told me I must pay Mrs Gandhi a visit and confess the blunder because she had already offered her condolences at a meeting that day. I refused, saying, I would rather resign than tell her that… she was known to have a temper. Someone else was given the task and I am sure a few people lost their jobs that day.”

A year later, when a call came saying Nargis Dutt had passed away, Sayed took a taxi and went to Breach Candy Hospital where she was admitted. It was only after he saw a crowd of mourners that he was convinced that the news was in fact, true. “But, it was a Sunday. So, everyone was on chhutti. I went to her brother Anwar Hussain asking if he had the reel of her last film, Raat Aur Din. He had the negatives. I got them developed, and that’s what we aired that evening,” recalls Sayed, now 88. “The viewers, I heard, loved that telecast.”

Mumbai Doordarshan completed 50 years last Sunday. Sayed, who was present at the ceremony held at its Worli studio, served the public service broadcaster from 1972 to his retirement in 1992, when he left as director of Doordarshan Kolkata, or DD Bangla.

We met him on a weekday afternoon in Bhiwandi where he put up for the day in an ancestral home that belongs to his daughter and son-in-law. “I moved here from Kurla because my daughter thinks I am too old to live by myself,” he says.

Over the next hour, Sayed takes us on a journey through the initial years of Mumbai Doordarshan, sharing anecdotes that shaped his life. This, however, wasn’t his first job. After a Master’s in Arts degree from Pune University, Sayed bagged a job at All India Radio. “It was after working there for a decade that I was told I have been selected for television and would have to undergo a six-month training at FTII [Film and Television Institute of India],” he says, of the broadcaster when it had just about 100 employees.  

“Since Bombay was catering to the Marathi-speaking population, about 80 per cent of our content was in Marathi. The most popular among this were the Marathi plays. On Saturday, we would show a 2.5 hour-long play which enjoyed better viewership than films; Maharashtrians love their theatre.”

Sayed directed and produced 180 plays himself, including the popular Dinucha Sasubai and Radhabai, Shyamchi Aai, Sharda, Naukri and Piano. “In fact, during the broadcast of Piano—a love story where a female piano player plans to elope with her lover after a performance but cannot—I got a call from Raj Kapoor asking about the actress. He asked me to send her to his office and she was offered the role of heroine in his film; she however, refused saying she was to get married. The film was Prem Rog; the role eventually went to Padmini Kolhapure.”

Another play that Sayed worked on, Beimaan, the story of two friends, was also turned into a film. “Hrishikesh Mukherjee made it into Namak Haraam in 1973 starring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan.”

Besides theatre, Sayed says shows that enjoyed large audience include a children’s shows called Khilbil; a light entertainment programme Garba that focussed on small skits; Aamchi Maati Aamchi Manasa which tackled challenges faced by farmers; a show revolving around home called Sundar Maze Ghar; a comedy called Has Parihas and a chat show featuring the legendary Tabassum, Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan.

“Tabassum’s Phool Khile Gulshan Gulshan [which aired until 1993] was then what Koffee With Karan is today. She interviewed top actors and musicians show from Prem Nath to Amitabh Bachchan, RD Burman, Shatrughan Sinha and Ashok Kumar, some even multiple times… only Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar refused saying they aren’t comfortable being interviewed by someone who was younger to them,” Sayed recalls.

For one of the shows, he turned actor, bringing him public fame. “In one of the meetings, we discussed the need for a comedy programme. The arrow pointed at me. I thought everybody who picks up newspapers does read a joke, why not enact them on television? The show was called Has Parihas. It began in 1973 and became very famous… Mahmood, Jeetendra, Daboo [Randhir Kapoor], everybody came on the show. Lata [Mangeshkar] would also request for jokes… It gave me a lot of fame,” he says, adding, “You know who was my biggest fan? Morarji Desai. He once asked me to meet him, saying he always calls for my tapes and watches them. He even asked why the show was shut down.” After airing for three years, the show stopped after his co-actor on the show Baban Prabhu passed away.

Interestingly, television was still in a nascent stage and those who had TV set at home struggled with its operation. “Once I got a call from a minister, asking me to come over to his residence. Because he was an important man, I dropped everything and went across. He told me his TV was not working. I was no engineer. I asked his staffer to go to the roof and continue to gently move the antenna till I asked him to stop. When it was adjusted enough to sit parallel to the TV, the set came on.” In return as a goodwill gesture, the politico agreed to come on Kilbil as guest.  

But Sayed’s favourite story is from the inaugural day of Mumbai Doordarshan—October 2, 1972. “At around 6 pm, we realised that the hustle-bustle that should have marked the arrival of the chief minister was missing. On calling his secretary, we were told that his diary had a wrong date entry. The event that should have started at 6.30 pm was delayed; this irked Bismillah Khan [shehnai maestro], who had to miss his evening namaz. Then a cup broke in the green room and hurt Asha Parekh’s foot and she started to bleed. I went downstairs to find a doctor. To top it all, we ran the programme live but forgot to record it. DD Mumbai does not have a recording of its debut broadcast.”

Yakub Sayed with actress and television host Tabassum whose chat show Phool Khile Gulshan Gulshan was very popular and saw the presence of every prominent actor and musician

Yakub Sayed with popular Marathi actress Neena Kulkarni, who began her career in the 1970s with theatre

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Yakub Sayed and his co-actor on the show Has Parihas, Baban Prabhu with Amjad Khan

But actor yet to decide on his next course of treatment; waiting for test reports to come in
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 28, 2020)

Sanjay Dutt, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer, has been granted a five-year US visa and can now go there for treatment. However, the 61-yearold actor is waiting for the reports of the tests carried out at the Kokilaben Hospital last week to come in before he consults with specialists on his next course of action given that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. The actor was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital on August 8, complaining of breathlessness. He tested negative for Covid-19 and was discharged two days later. However, the following day, he announced that he would be taking a break for medical reasons.

Mirror had earlier reported (August 17, 2020) that the actor has started his treatment in a city hospital. However, even as he undergoes chemotherapy, Sanjay is also considering travelling abroad to countries like the US and Singapore for treatment. “The family wants him to get the best possible treatment and they are leaving nothing to chance,” informed a source.

Sanjay’s mother, Nargis Dutt, fell ill during a Rajya Sabha session on August 2, 1980. She was rushed to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital, where, after 15 days of tests, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She underwent treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York City. Upon her return home, her condition deteriorated and she passed away on May 3, 1981.

Sanjay’s first wife, actress Richa Sharma, was diagnosed with brain tumour and passed away at her parent’s home in NY on December 10, 1996. The couple’s daughter, Trishala, lives in the US.

There have been reports in the press that because of his conviction in the 1993 blasts case, Sanjay would not be eligible for a US visa. He was arrested in 1993 by the crime branch at the Mumbai airport upon his return from Mauritius, on charges of possession of an AK-56 rifle, a 9 mm pistol and ammunition connected to the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. For the next 23 years, Sanjay was in and out of prison before he was acquitted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), and convicted under the Arms Act. He was finally released from prison on February 25, 2016.

The source informs that according to US policies, if anyone is convicted in any case for five years and above, they need a special waiver to apply for a US visa.

After 38 years in Bollywood and five films in the pipeline, actor Sanjay Dutt is only getting hungry for more meaty roles
Shreya Mukherjee (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 19, 2019)

Every performer adopts a certain methodology while choosing a project. For an actor, it is sometimes the role, sometimes the script, or sometimes the team, which draws him towards the film. For Sanjay Dutt, it’s the balance of all these elements.

“Character and story go hand-in-hand. If the character is amazing but the story isn’t, then it’s a futile endeavour and vice versa. For me, both of them are equally important. However, if I strongly feel for a character, I might do it, irrespective of the length of the role in that film. As actors, our hunger for playing challenging role increases with every character that we portray on screen,” says Sanjay.

Having spent 38 years in the industry, Dutt is still going strong with five upcoming releases — KGF 2, Panipat, Sadak 2, Shamshera and Torbaaz. And the actor says that the length of a role has never really bothered him. “It really doesn’t matter, but the gravity of the role does. I’ve done double-hero films at the peak of my career, so I don’t have any insecurity. I get attracted to strong characters backed by powerful stories,” adds Dutt.

Well, that explains why the 60-year-old actor is still offered meaty roles and filmmakers are keen on collaborating with him. Dutt’s talent and amiable nature, many contemporaries feel, is a legacy that he carries forward well from his parents — two legendary actors, late Sunil Dutt and late Nargis Dutt. So, does he still feel the burden of expectations every time his film hits the theatres? “Though expectations have ridden high on me because of my family, I’m grateful for it. I don’t see my inheritance as a burden, but as a gift. I cherish this gift by giving my best in all the films I do,” says Dutt, humbly.

The actor has had a chequered life and feels grateful for the constant support received from his fans. Expressing gratitude, he says, “I feel blessed when audiences start expecting so much more from their favourite actors. It makes us push our envelope and raise the bar. It throws you out of your comfort zone and helps you deliver something new, every time.”

Sanjay, with wife Maanayata, discusses life after his incarceration, making films together and bringing up kids Iqra and Shahraan
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 10, 2019)

It’s another rainy day in Mumbai and the traffic is nightmarish. At one point, one wonders if the journey to Sanjay Dutt’s Santacruz office will ever end. It does, two hours after one had left from home. Maanayata Dutt is already there, the actor strolls in a few minutes later and is ready for a chat. When suggested that his wife join him, he asks Maanayata to come along. The couple complements each other in black-andwhite and is in-sync as the words flow. Excerpts from an interview:

Your first Hindi production, Prassthanam, has the tagline, ‘earn the legacy’. Sanjay, is this film your way of taking the legacy of your parents, Sunil and Nargis Dutt, forward?
Maanayata: It’s just the tagline of the film and has nothing to do with his family. Yes, dad (Sunil Dutt) had a production company, but he didn’t keep making films to set Sanju up as a star. He was a self-made man, so is my husband. But Sanju is among the few actors who will always wear his boots. Since acting is age-bound, we had to figure how to take his career a step up. Producing films is another way of entertaining.
Sanjay: I know that both my parents will be very happy that my production company is taking off.

Maanayata, even when Sanjay was away, you had kept his production dreams going. There was talk of a Satte Pe Satta remake…
Maanayata: We were planning to make Satte Pe Satta jointly with Ashtavinayak. When that company wound up operations, the project was put on the backburner. But during Sanju’s incarceration, I developed a lot of scripts. But since I didn’t have his expertise and practical knowledge on how a film is made, I waited till he was there to guide me before rolling with my first film.

But you have been dabbling in other things, including interiors and corporate trading. You could bring that experience into this company; besides you’ve been an actress too.
Maanayata: Every business is about building a product, branding and marketing it. You could build yourself or another entity, but the crux of any business is profit and loss. That’s what any business school teaches you. Then, it’s how you implement it. I’ve done just one film and even after I married Sanju, I didn’t hang around the sets like a star wife. Even today, I can only answer questions related to our productions. If you were to ask me what films Sanju is doing, I’d turn to him and ask, “Aap kya kar rahen hain?” That’s why I held back from producing a film till he returned.

What made you zero in on a remake of a Telugu film as your first Hindi production?
Maanayata: The size of cinema, technology and the faces of actors and directors have changed. What remains unchanged is emotions. Our film is high on the E-quotient.
Sanjay: Yes, it’s a content-driven film which is about life, values, morals and entertainment. My character, Baldev, has many shades in his relationship with his wife and sons; the role offers me scope to perform. Even though it’s set against a political background, it’s an earthy, massy film.

Talking of politics, the ruling coalition partner Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) chief and state minister Mahadev Jankar recently announced that you will be joining his party on September 25.
Sanjay: He’s family… like my brother… but I no longer have any political aspirations. I’m happy being an actor and our dream today is for this company to make good cinema.

Is this company something you’d want to pass on to your twins, Iqra and Shahraan?
Maanayata: I don’t believe materialistic things should be passed on, they should be earned. I could build an empire for my children, but if they can’t keep it together or expand it, they might lose it. What we can give them is education and values.

Do the children show interest in any aspect of filmmaking?
Maanayata: My daughter, who will turn nine soon, is an artist. From her grade—two divisions of 24 kids combined—her paintings get selected every year for the school magazine. I’m planning an exhibition of her canvases soon. My son is more interested in sports—cricket, football and taekwondo.

The family has always been the centre of your existence. Do you see your life changing now that you are a film producer?
Maanayata: You have to evolve with time, growth lies in change. The kids are busy with school and an activity class every day, be it skating or swimming. They don’t have much time for us and as they grow older, they will get busier. So, it is better that I, too, get busy with something else. This company is like my baby too.

What’s the next film after Prassthanam?
Maanayata: There’s a Punjabi comedy which rolls in mid-November. It will be shot in Punjab in three schedules over 55 days. Habib Faisal is directing a slice-of-life film for us, it starts in January. We have also signed (director) Mudassar Aziz.

Sanjay, do you feature in these films too?
Sanjay: No, but there’s another film with Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, titled Pandit Galli Ka Ali, which I will be doing with Chintu sir (Rishi Kapoor), with whom I’ve worked in many films. God bless him, we’re waiting for him to return to start that one.
Maanayata: There’s also a horror-comedy, Virgin Tree, being directed by ad filmmaker Siddhant. It has Sanju playing a virgin baba.

That’s an interesting one.
Sanjay (smiling): Yeah, I have some interesting films lined up, from Shamshera, Panipat and Prithviraj Chauhan to Bhuj: The Pride of India, a film with Vikas Bahl, and two sequels, KGF 2 and Sadak 2. The latter reunites me with (Mahesh) Bhatt saab after two decades. He has the same energy and madness, and after a long time, I felt he was really happy, to be back in the director’s chair. KGF 2, which rolls soon, is an action-packed drama with me as Adheera, the villain’s brother, who returns to take revenge. Maanayata was insistent I do it.
Maanayata: I loved the promos, very intriguing, with a silhouette of the lead actor Yash, and publicised with just a one-line dialogue, “Iss duniya mein sabse bada yoddha maa hoti hai.” For me, it worked big time; I watched the film twice. Sanju couldn’t do the original because of date issues. When the sequel came along, he was contemplating. I told him he had to do it.

Sanjay, talking about mothers, Nargis ji was the centre of your existence and vice versa. I guess it’s the same for Maanayata and your children?
Sanjay: Yeah, they are alike in the way they conduct themselves. Mom was louder than Maanayata but she’s the same with our kids.

You’ve often said that Maanayata made a home out of your house…
Sanjay: I’m proud and fortunate to have a wife like her. Her focus has always been home, husband, kids and her work. I’ve never interfered in her trading, knowing she has a business acumen. After my father passed away, Maanayata has been my support system. She never let me fall, she was always there to pick me up.
Maanayata: For all those who say I am his anchor, I say, he is the sail I set up to protect myself from storms. He’s always stood strong for the kids and me. Even when he was inside, he was worried for us.

Any changes you’ve noticed in him in the last few years?
Maanayata: Earlier, he used to be disturbed, his father didn’t live to hear the court say that he was not a terrorist and acquit him from TADA charges. That had tarnished the family name and bothered him for years.
Sanjay: The dark clouds are gone, I am finally at peace. Like Chintu sir, I am happiest on a film set and now, I can do the work I want to do. Films like Bhuj, which is about the 1971 Indo-Pak war during which my tribal character and some ladies help Ajay’s (Devgn) Air Force officer by building an air-strip overnight in Bhuj. It’s a lovely story of heroism.

Kalank, came with a lot of expectations but left one disappointed over the amount of footage you got.
Sanjay: I know people were disappointed, but I only did this small role for my relationship with Yash (Johar) uncle and his production house, which goes back by several years. Even in the credits it was mentioned as a special appearance.

Another grouse was that Kalank seemed disconnected with today’s world. Did you feel that way too?
Sanjay: It was too small a role for me to feel anything. Everyone tried their best, there was a lot of hard work involved.

Is Torbaaz, about young suicide bombers, shelved?
Sanjay: No, it’s definitely happening. It has a lot of special effects and it takes time to get them right, so scenes with tanks and helicopters look authentic.

A film and two books on your life have come out. Are you still going ahead with your plans of an autobiography?
Sanjay: The two books are what’s in public domain and while Sanju is a brilliant film, how much can you show in two hours? I want to write the book because there are things that only I know. But it will require time, and right now, with so many good movies, I don’t want to get distracted. I also want to direct entertainers, but that, too, has to wait.

While in jail, you were working on a script with two inmates…
Sanjay: Four inmates and many scripts. Two are hilarious, and we are thinking of making them too.

Do your kids watch films?
Maanayata: My son likes the ones with superheroes, my daughter is into animated features. They haven’t seen Bhoomi or Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3, which Sanju made after he came out, because both films are in the 13-plus bracket.

Have they seen the Munna Bhai films?
Maanayata: Yes, they have watched both and liked Munna Bhai MBBS more.

When is Munna Bhai 3 rolling?
Sanjay: I keep telling Raju (Rajkumar Hirani) to do it. He’s still writing, I hope it happens next year.

Maanayata, is there any film of Sanjay’s that you’d like to remake or take forward?
Maanayata: Khal Nayak. It’s a great film and Sanjay’s character has so many layers. Negative characters have always worked for him, be it Khal Nayak, Vaastav or Munna Bhai, which was about a lovable rogue.

Any possibility of seeing Sanjay and you together in a home production?
Maanayata: No, my hands are full, and I am in a happy space. I just did one film and at times, I feel I was made to do it so I could meet Sanju. Things happen for a reason. Had acting been a passion, I would have pursued it. If I want something, I go for it but I don’t see myself acting again.

When you look back, what will you recall Prassthanam by?
Maanayata: It will always be special as it’s my first film with my husband. Its title means journey and not just on screen. It encapsulates Sanju’s real-life struggle and the adulation that kept him going, Manisha’s (Koirala) battle with cancer and the highs and lows in Jackie Dada’s graph. It’s my journey with them and I can only hope that our destination is success.

Manisha Koirala is back on the screen but wants to do more than just act; one of the plans on her list is a trek to the Everest base camp next year
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 23, 2018)

Last week, Manisha Koirala flew home to Nepal to spend time with her family. Born into a prominent political family (her grandfather, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, was the former Prime Minister of Nepal, and her father, Prakash Koirala, former minister of environment), you wonder, if after 27 years there are plans to turn from actress to politician? Manisha says it was never an option. “I’m an artist and come from a very big family whom I’m very attached to. So, sometimes, in the middle of a hectic schedule, I like to come here and spend time with my parents, brother and sister-in-law,” she informs from Nepal.

The actress is happy with the response to her latest release, the Sanjay Dutt biopic in which she played his late mother, actress Nargis Dutt who succumbed to cancer on May 3, 1981. Director Rajkumar Hirani had earlier (Mirror, February 8, 2017) revealed that his primary reason for casting Manisha was that she is a cancer survivor and, having been through the journey, can identify with Nargis’s fight with the Big C. The actress was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 and remained positive through the long treatment at New York’s Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre where Nargis was admitted too and is now actively involved in spreading awareness of the disease. “My doctor says that I can only say I’m cured if I remain cancer free for 10 years. I’ve just finished five to six years of it and still have a few years to go,” she points out, adding that she had never known Nargis who passed away before she joined the film industry but gave her role in Sanju her best shot.

In the biopic, she motivates Ranbir Kapoor’s Sanju with the song “Kar Har Maidan Fateh” during his rehab stint. Did she have anyone motivating her while she was battling cancer? “There were lots of people. I was hungry for motivation and desperately looking for a success story. I’m grateful to Lisa Ray who was doing well and opened up about her fight with the disease. Ditto Yuvraj (Singh). I was Googling cancer, reading up on it, speaking to people but taking care to keep myself away from sad endings. It was during this time that I had realised the importance of sharing my story with others so it would offer hope to those who need it,” she says.

She admits that she was shocked to learn recently that Sonali Bendre is battling the Big C too. “I’ve seen her pictures on Twitter, she’s showing tremendous strength and looking gorgeous. Like her fans and well-wishers I am waiting for her to return home, hale and hearty,” says the 47-year-old actress fervently.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Dutt has become an integral part of her life as her next Hindi film outing, Prassthanam, is also opposite him. “I am extremely fond of Baba and his wife, Maanayata, who I got to know during the making of this film. It’s nice to work with an old colleague. I play his wife and am in the thick of the political drama. The role and the entire set-up appealed to me and collaborating with Baba was the cherry on the cake,” laughs Manisha.

Meanwhile, her Hindi-Bengali bilingual, Maulali, has been stalled but she is unperturbed, saying she now wants to do fewer projects. “At my age it’s good to enjoy other aspects of life too. I’ve worked round-the-clock and now want to take it a little slow. Having said that, if an interesting project comes up, I would take it up,” she adds.

What does she like to do in her free time? “I rest, go for walks, spend time with my family, look after my garden and the house, read, write and watch movies. I also love travelling,” informs Manisha who last year visited Mount Kailash and next year plans to go to the Everest base camp. “It’s been on my mind for a while, a 12-14 days trek,” she says, adding that she is also writing a memoir with a co-author. “It has got a little delayed, but it will happen soon.”

What about her plans to adopt? “That’s on hold for now as I have a few things to finish. It’s on my mind but the it’s not the right time,” she signs off.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; June 7, 2018)

Manisha Koirala, who plays Nargis Dutt in the Sanjay Dutt biopic, Sanju, went through many sessions to get her look just right for the part. And it seems the effort has paid off. We have got our hands on some behind-the-scenes images. Says a source, “The team tried a lot of different get-ups so that Manisha resembled Nargis ji. Director Rajkumar Hirani and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra loved what they saw during the look tests.” Those who have seen the pictures have remarked about the uncanny resemblance between Manisha and the Mother India actress.

Commenting on the same, Manisha says, “We had many discussions. Hirani sir showed me a documentary on Nargis Dutt ji, while Priya Dutt gave me the book, Mr And Mrs Dutt: Memories Of Our Parents. We used to try various wigs and hairstyles. To match her charm and the spark in her eyes, I studied her a lot. Hirani sir’s entire team was involved in helping us actors get the right look and mannerisms.” At the launch of the film’s trailer,  Manisha had reminisced how Sunil Dutt had once complimented her and compared her to the legendary actress. Manisha said, “He had called me after Bombay had released and told me that I reminded him of Nargis ji. That was special.”

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 31, 2018)

Every year, as the world gears up for the Academy Awards, at least one movie aficionado will remind you that an Indian film almost brought home the Oscar for India in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Many will immediately remember Aamir Khan’s Lagaan and sigh over the fact that the 2001 release was outpaced by No Man’s Land, a Bosnian drama. Few will recall that 44 years before Lagaan, Mehboob Khan’s epic drama Mother India lost out by a solitary vote in the third round to the Italian film, Nights Of Cabiria. However, it’s leading lady Nargis bagged not only the Filmfare Best Actress Award but was also feted at the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for perhaps the most defining performance of her career.

With make-up and the power of histrionics, the 26-year-old actress had brought to life the trials and tribulations of a blushing bride who weathers every adversity imaginable, from floods and famine to drought and desertion, starvation and alienation. Suddenly a single parent and the family’s sole breadwinner after her weak-willed husband steals out of home never to return, she metamorphoses into Mother Earth, picking up the plough to feed her children. When life gets tougher, she transforms into the Mother Goddess, moving from a virtuous Sati-Savitri to a fiery Durga- Kali who shoots dead her rebellious younger son Birju to save the honour of the daughter of the village money lender, who had once offered her food in return for her body.

With plenty of drama and melodrama, Nargis turned into the archetypal screen mother even though in real life she was still unmarried and two years away from becoming a mother to son Sanjay, born on July 29, 1959, who was not unlike Birju, given his battle with drugs and his brushes with the law. Interestingly, her son’s real father, Sunil Dutt, played Birju in reel life.

On March 11, 1958, close to midnight, Nargis became Mrs Dutt. The wedding may not have happened had the nervous groom, who had arrived on the dot of 7 pm, got tired of waiting for the bride and driven away thinking he had been stood up. Caught in a traffic jam, Nargis reportedly turned up three hours late and the first person she saw outside Mumbai’s Arya Samaj Hall was Sunil Dutt who hadn’t moved an inch from his designated spot in all the time.

It’s strange how destiny charts the course of many a journey. Had Mehboob Khan not listened to his writers and stuck to his original casting, Dilip Kumar would have played both father and son in the film or maybe Hollywood’s Elephant Boy Sabu stepped into Burju’s shoes. Had Nargis not broken an almost-exclusive contract with RK, she might not have played Radha. And had these two roads not crisscrossed, maybe the love story of Mr and Mrs Dutt may never have even been written.

Or maybe it may have been plotted, anyway. Radio announcer Balraj (Sunil) Dutt had been roped in to play the good older son, Ramu (later enacted by Rajendra Kumar) and only landed this part after Sabu’s exit and then won Nargis’s lifelong gratitude and love by saving her from a fire.

It sparked off in a haystack on the afternoon of March 1, 1957, in the village of Umra, trapping her in a ring of flames. As everyone watched in horror, Sunil jumped into the blazing inferno, swept Nargis up in his arms and dashed back for safety, ensuring that though bruised and slightly burnt, they both lived to see another dawn.

From that day he was a real hero in Nargis’s eyes. Yet, when news of their marriage leaked, many were convinced it wouldn’t last beyond six months. It lasted for 23 years and only ended with Nargis’s death on May 3, 1981. By then, she had mothered not just Sanjay, but two daughters, Namrata and Priya, too.

Mother India was a remake of Mehboob Khan’s 1940 black-and-white film, Aurat, with his wife Sardar Akhtar in the lead. That film had its genesis in Maxim Gorky and Pearl S Buck’s novels, Mother and The Good Earth, and over the next half a century, many actresses have aspired to mould their own Mother India but the original remains an icon. Was it just a coincidence that Nargis and Sunil Dutt were born in the same month, just days apart, she on June 1, he on June 6. And like his beloved Mrs Dutt, he too quietly said goodbye to the world in May — May 25, 2005 — and so did their mentor–director Mehboob Khan on May 28, 1964. Maybe this was another of destiny’s designs.

Sanjay Dutt, Rajkumar Hirani, and the original residence of the Dutts and (above; left) the set

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; May 26, 2018)

Rajkumar Hirani’s upcoming directorial, Sanju, starring Ranbir Kapoor is one of the most-awaited films this year. Ever since its teaser released, people have been commenting on the young actor’s striking resemblance to Sanjay Dutt, on whose life the biopic is based. In fact, Rajkumar, who is known for his detailing, has striven to portray every aspect of Sanjay’s life aptly through the film.

While prepping for the movie, the director had to recreate the actor’s house where he lived with his parents. However, the house no longer exists. But that didn’t stop Raju from replicating Sanjay’s childhood home. He reached out to the actor’s sister, Priya Dutt, who helped him with photos and videos of their Bandra residence.

A source revealed, “Rajkumar sir wanted to portray Sanju’s life right from childhood. Hence, we started recreating the set-up for the house where he originally resided with his parents, Sunil and Nargis Dutt. It took us about 25 days and once it was ready, the cast and crew including the visitors on the sets were amazed to see an exact replica of the original house.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 22, 2018)

On Nargis Dutt’s 89th birth anniversary, her actor–son Sanjay Dutt is reviving his home banner. The 58-year-old actor, who is returning as producer after seven years, will embark on his yet-untitled film on June 1 in Lucknow. In the past the actor has co-produced Zinda (2006), Shootout At Lokhandwala (2007), Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) and Rascals (2011).

The film is the Hindi remake of the Telugu hit Prasthanam, a commercial and critical success that won three Filmfare awards down south and earned a standing ovation in the Indian Panorama section at the International Film Festival of Goa. The family drama is set against a political backdrop and features Ali Fazal alongside Sanjay. The film also features Amyra Dastur and marks the Bollywood directorial debut of Deva Katta, who had helmed the original 2010 film.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 21, 2018)

On May 10, Sanjay Dutt and Nargis Fakhri moved from Kyrgyzstan’s capital city of Bishkek to the interiors of Osh and Tokmok to film the drama-thriller, Torbaaz. Last week, they were shooting in Balykchy, near Lake Issyk-Kul, the world’s 10th largest lake. In the Girish Malik directorial, Sanjay plays a retired army officer who uses cricket to rehabilitate child suicide bombers in war-torn Afghanistan. His character briefly transforms into a ‘Chapandaz’, a professional Buzkashi player. In the Central-Asian sport, players on horseback try to hit a goat or calf carcass into the goal-post. The players are usually in their forties as the game requires years of practice. The sequence was shot in three days with professional trainers and Kokboru players doubling up as the supporting cast. The actors had practiced for 12- 14 hours every day before the shoot.

Rahul Mittra who’s producing the film with Raju Chadha, makes his acting debut as Colonel Yakub, a character in the Afghan army. “Sanju and Girish who were scouting for an actor finally told me that I had to do the role,” Mittra informs from Kyrgyzstan, where they’re shooting till June 2. “It’s a tough shoot because of the unpredictable weather conditions and local logistics. In the film the Afghan army is at loggerheads with the Taliban. My character becomes closely associated with Sanju’s ex-army officer and Nargis’s NGO worker and sets out on a mission to save the fidayeens – the young suicide bombers,” Mitra adds.

Sanjay’s joined by four boys from Kashmir, Baaz, Aishan Jawaid Malik, Khosh Bakht and Hamid Shafi, who play Afghans. One of them is responsible for the death of his parents. It took three-and-a- half months to finalise the child actors who had to look like Afghans and learn Pashto. They underwent a month-long workshop in Mumbai. Mittra too had to take Pashto and horse-riding lessons.

Meena Iyer (DNA; April 24, 2018)

It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon. The only sound you hear around filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani’s suburban bungalow is the rustle of dry leaves that wither and fall, unable to bear the scorching sun. Raju is neck-deep in editing his biopic on Sanjay Dutt, which stars the dynamic Ranbir Kapoor.

We tiptoe into his room guided by a polite assistant, who points to a set of sofas away from the work table. After we have finished a cup of strong, homemade chai and bitten into a slice of cake, Raju walks across. He says he is nervous because the teaser of the film is about to launch. When I call him the Big Daddy of Bollywood who has delivered superhits like the Munnabhai franchise, 3 Idiots and PK, he sighs and says, “Please, don’t do that. All this makes me even more nervous.”

Of course, when he begins to talk about Sanjay’s biopic, everything changes. You can tell he has been deeply affected by his subject. After all, the actor isn’t just a stranger whose story he will bring alive on the marquee. That his Munnabhai has laid bare his life and entrusted Raju with the task of taking it across to the world clearly shows Sanju’s respect for his craft. Over to Rajkumar Hirani...

Your biopic on Sanjay is highly anticipated. Are you excited?
Quite honestly, expectations are always there at this stage. I’m happy and excited, but nervous, too. Also, it is hard for me to be objective about my own work. You live with the movie for so long. You write it, then shoot it and edit it. There are so many internal and external processes involved.

What prompted you to make this biopic on Sanjay? Weren’t you discussing another Munnabhai film with him?
I must tell you how I got attracted to it. I was writing Munnabhai. However, much earlier when I was penning PK, Sanjay was out on parole and I happened to meet him. He just started talking about his life. He was lonely. Manyata (I think) was in hospital and he used to go there (sometimes) and then come home to an empty house. So, he was just venting, speaking straight from the heart. And, he started giving me anecdotes that were just gems for a filmmaker... ki aisi film toh hum soch hi nahin sakte, likh hi nahin sakte... Even though I had worked with him, I wasn’t close friends with him, like, say, other filmmakers such as Sanjay Gupta, Mahesh Manjrekar and others were. I knew Sanju, but there was always a distance. He had never opened up like he did on that occasion. I had gone at 5 pm, stayed with him till 3 am and then came back home.

The next day, when I was editing, he called me and asked me to come over. I think he wanted to talk. After that, I called Abhijat (writer Abhijat Joshi) and told him I’m hearing these crazy anecdotes, which even if I want to write, I don’t know how to go about it.

The following day, I took Abhijat along. For over 25 days, we sat for a crazy amount of time and recorded everything. We didn’t know if there was a film because most of the things he recounted were anecdotal. I had no idea how to string them together. But what we did feel was that here was a man who had led such a crazy life in every way. He was coping with the loss of his mother, he had been to rehab for drug addiction, then he went to jail (sighs). Besides what he told me, I also met others who knew him — journalists, cops, relatives and friends. I felt there was a movie that should be told. The first thought that came to me was we will say it like it is. I told Sanju that we won’t glorify him and he was okay with it. He was like, jo bhi hai, banao.. He had talked about drugs, women, the gun, almost everything that happened. For a filmmaker, it’s like a goldmine.

How did you think of titling it Sanju? Dutt went around for a long time...
Actually, we thought of many titles. One of them was Aisa Hi Hoon. Anything you attach with a name in a biopic is like an adjective. Even if you say Aisa Hi Hoon or Sarphira, either you are glorifying him or attacking him. One thing all of us were clear about was that we wanted a neutral title. Dutt seemed a little harsh. Then I heard a gem from him. Apparently, Nargis ji used to call him ‘Sanju’ with a lot of affection. We thought this is the most non-committal and neutral title, with no pre-conceived notions.

You are the maker of super-duper hits like the Munnabhai franchise, 3 Idiots and PK. Why should you be nervous at all?
The first films are the most fearless ones; you don’t worry about them. When your first movie releases, in my case it was Munnabhai MBBS, I was just relieved that it was out there. Just that sheer thought makes you happy. It is only later that other thoughts cross your mind. Slowly, you realise that you want your movie to be liked, then you want it to succeed and become a hit. But as I said, these are thoughts that come much later. The first thing is relief.

Oh, but all that is clearly in the past. Now, you’re the Big Daddy of cinema!
Don’t bait me. I don’t buy into such things (smiles). I’m a filmmaker first, nothing else matters.

People say that you’re the best writer in the business...
Abhijat and I work together as a team. Please don’t put pressure on me by saying things like that. Anyway, in this case, we didn’t have to write. For the last 50 years, Sanjay has been writing his life. It’s said that bad choices make good stories. And this is a classic case of that.

The teaser gets launched later today. A penny for your thoughts on this occasion?
I have a terrible reputation for being nervous. If you ask Abhijat and Boman Irani, I’m a nervous wreck before every film. I recall after seven days of 3 Idiots’ release, I asked Boman if people were liking the film or was it just Aamir’s presence. I’m a bit of a mess like that because as I pointed out earlier on, I write, shoot and edit a film for months. So being objective about the end product is so hard. Every moment, every joke stops affecting me after a point in time. However, I am fortunate to have people like Abhijat, Boman and a couple of others. So, I see it from their point of view. Their reactions are fantastic to the teaser of Sanju, so I guess it’s good.

You managed a coup when you cast Ranbir Kapoor as Sanjay. The two of them are not directly connected. How did you manage to see him as Sanju?
I had a basic draft of this biopic when I sent Ranbir a message, ‘I’ve a script, let’s meet up when you’re free.’ Ranbir is usually aware of everything that is happening in the industry. He is very sharp. I’m guessing he already knew that I was planning a biopic on Sanjay. When I sent him the message, Ranbir promptly replied, ‘I hope it’s not the Sanjay Dutt biopic.’ And I thought, ‘Oh God, maybe he has heard and he may not want to do it.’ I told him it’s the same script, but let’s meet. When I met him, I realised he knew a lot about Sanju. He had spent time with him and knew him well. He used to work out at his gym and had probably heard the stories. But when he saw the angle of the story, he was like, ‘It’s interesting, let’s do it.’

Yet, Ranbir made for an unusual choice...
Hmmm. Why Ranbir? The first reason for choosing him is that he’s a fantastic actor. And the second reason is that he is at the perfect age. I needed an actor who could be 21 (years old) because that is where the film begins. That was the age when Sanju was shooting for Rocky and his drug phase started. And then we have Sanju when he came out of prison (around 56 years). So, we needed someone who could fit that transformation.

Since you managed to get up, close and personal, did you spot any similarities between them?
Both come from film families, and have that X-factor, the charm. They have lived the life of actors all through. Ranbir is not someone from outside the industry who came here to be a hero. In a sense, it was easier for me to see him as Sanju. Physically, they’re not similar. Sanju is bigger, but Ranbir is slightly taller than him. He doesn’t seem so, but it is true. Ranbir worked very hard to get the physicality right. He spent days watching tons of videos to strike the right balance and when you observe him in the film, you will notice that there is a resemblance of Sanjay Dutt, yet you know it is Ranbir Kapoor. If he did anything slightly more, it would look caricaturish and if he did a little less, it wouldn’t work. I didn’t think about anyone else. I first thought of Ranbir and went straight to him and I can tell you, we were right.

Have you shown the teaser to Sanjay?
Yes, I have shown it as well as some scenes to him. He gets overwhelmed. In fact, I told him to see the full film, but he said no, he would watch it when it’s complete. He came to the sets only twice. I think he is pretty brave. He has talked about everything in his life. I don’t think everyone will have that courage.

An excerpt from a new biography on Sanjay Dutt revisits the time when the troubled actor struggled with substance abuse, even as his mother, Nargis, lay in coma at a hospital in New York
MID-DAY (March 18, 2018)

Nargis Dutt fighting for life, Sunil Dutt shatters' screamed the headline of film weekly Screen India. "We were in a state of panic," said Sanjay [Dutt]. "We couldn't believe that this was actually happening to us. It was a crazy nightmare. Something that happened in films or in novels or to someone else... When dad signed the papers giving the doctors permission to operate [on] Mom, I dreaded the fact that it could mean he was signing her death certificate. It was horrible!"

As Nargis's severe internal bleeding continued, the doctors had to open her up to stop the haemorrhaging. But her body couldn't take it and Nargis went into a coma. The doctors suggested more surgery but feared Nargis might die on the operating table. Sunil [Dutt] felt helpless. He was all alone and didn't want to take these decisions unilaterally. He asked all three children to come to New York immediately.

Knowing how critical his mother's condition was, Sanjay had tried to drop his drug habit for a few days. But the withdrawal symptoms were too painful to bear. So while the Dutt family was going through hell, Sanjay was resorting to substance abuse every now and then. The drugs had complete control over him and made him do reckless things. When he had to go to the US with his sisters, he wondered how he would keep his supply going. He didn't want to go into withdrawal again. What Sanjay did next still makes him sick to the stomach. "When I think about it I can't believe it. I carried something like thirty grams of heroin in my shoes, and my sisters were with me," he recalled in a TV interview.

Sanjay has no memory of how he walked through immigration and customs and got out. What if he was caught? It would have been catastrophic for the Dutts at an already precarious time. The three siblings went straight to the hospital. Nargis was on life support, hooked to numerous tubes and machines. Sanjay was speechless seeing his mother like that. His eyes brimmed with tears. "The only thing left for us to do was to pray," says Sanjay. "We found a gurdwara, a masjid and a mandir in New York City. All the doctors used to laugh at us. Dr Fortner even told us that if Mom survived, he would convert himself into a Hindu."

Sunil Dutt prayed constantly. He would circle the hospital building, doing endless parikramas in prayer. Every morning Sunil Dutt and the kids used to go to the hospital from their rented apartment in the city hoping for some good news. But Nargis did not come out of coma. There was nothing the Dutts could do. Days would pass in a blur of hospital duties. If someone made a valiant attempt to rally the others, a stray tear would slip and pull everyone back down. "All of us were crying. Dad had gone berserk... At that moment I wanted nothing in the world - no money, no films, no stardom, no glamour, no guns, no friends - only my mother... How could I sit there and watch her go away? I was so helpless, I felt impotent," said Sanjay.

The trauma was too much to bear and Sanjay would try to retreat into his drug-induced cocoon. "I used to hide the heroin under the bed in the apartment in New York, and one day I couldn't find it. I came to know that dad had it. And I had the guts to go up to him and say, 'Give me my drugs back.'" Sanjay's behaviour shook Sunil to his core. Sanjay later recalled with deep regret that he was even disallowed from donating blood for his mother because of his addiction.

The family was in New York City for months, but Sanjay had to return to Mumbai to finish Rocky. "I couldn't believe I had to come back and finish Rocky, sing a song and do all that stuff when my mother was in coma. But the show has to go on," he later said. Gulshan Rai, the producer of Rocky, was jittery that the project was stuck and the dates that the actors had earmarked for the film were going to waste. Sunil had to ask his film-maker friend Raj Khosla to step in as director of the film. Patiently, over several phone calls, he explained all the scenes to Raj, shot by shot, and requested him to take on the film where he had left it.

As the months passed, Nargis underwent seven surgeries in total. The doctors would frequently tell the family to "let her go away in peace". But Sunil and the children refused to give up on Nargis. And then a miracle happened. Sunil used to lovingly hold Nargis's hand for hours on end. One day he felt her pressing his hand. Almost three months after she went into coma, Nargis opened her eyes. Everyone in the hospital started calling her "the miracle lady of Sloan Kettering".

When she came out of coma, the first thing she asked was, "Where is Sanju?" Sunil proffered an excuse and phoned Sanjay to take the first flight out of Mumbai. When Sanjay finally arrived, Sunil told Nargis he had a surprise for her. "She closed her eyes and I walked in and I just said 'Ma?'" Sanjay said. "Her face just changed. She was so happy - she was crying and she held me. Her hands were shaking. She just wanted to come back home." Nargis was desperate to catch up and wanted to know everything about what was going on in Sanjay's life and career. Most of all, she was really looking forward to finally seeing Rocky.

Excerpted with permission from Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood's Bad Boy by Yasser Usman, published by Juggernaut Books

For a man who sometimes appears lost, Sanjay Dutt is remarkably self-aware about how to succeed with the ladies: Let them mother you
Yasser Usman (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 18, 2018)

It was 1985 when Sanjay Dutt first met his future wife Richa Sharma, a desi girl who had been brought up in New York and ‘discovered’ by Dev Anand. Richa had moved to Mumbai to act in Bollywood films just the year before. “I met Richa for the first time at the muhurat of one of my films at Hotel Sea Rock,” Dutt remembers. “She was wearing jeans and a multi-coloured top. I inquired as to who she was. A few days later, I called her and asked her to go out with me.” He was hooked. “I soon realised that Richa was different from the girls I had known before,” Dutt adds. “She was not calculating, manipulative or chasing after money. She was a simple girl, a fantastic person to trust. I could no longer live without her.”

Sharma was not the only woman in Sanjay’s life. But if there was something common to all of them, it was this: They were all strong, independent women who offered his roller-coater life some sort of stability. And Dutt leaned on them. In fact, whether it was his mother Nargis, whose loss Sanjay took very hard, or various co-stars through the years, from Tina Munim to Madhuri Dixit, one could say that the women took care of him, rather than the other way around.

Indeed, there are even some women whom Dutt had flings with and somehow managed to keep those affairs out of the media. He was clearly aware of his vulnerable, lost-boy charm. Once, when asked how to impress a woman, Sanjay told his audience: “If you like a woman, make her feel like your mother … become a little boy. [If you] let her feel protective about you, you are scoring, buddy!”

Sanjay’s life, after he burst onto the Bollywood stage with his debut in Rocky, has had tremendous ups and downs. By 26, he had already lost his mother, been to rehab for substance abuse, and staged a successful comeback to films after his recovery. His love life, too, was far from settled; in the years after his rehab, there had been a Filipina flight attendant named Sha and actress Kimi Katkar of Tarzan fame in his life. In contrast, a life with Richa promised him stability, and by October 1987, they were married. Richa gave up her career in films, as Sanjay’s mother Nargis had, for the sake of his father Sunil, three decades before, and kept a comfortable home for Dutt.

But the happy story unraveled dramatically after that. A little over a year after they were married, Richa was diagnosed with cancer and was taken to the US for treatment. Sanjay returned to India, reportedly due to his film commitments, while Richa and their baby daughter Trishala stayed on in New York with her parents.

Once back in India, rumours of Sanjay’s hard-partying ways and affairs started doing the rounds. Reports of his closeness with actresses Amrita Singh, Ekta and Anu Aggarwal were widespread, and he was portrayed as a Casanova by the media.

Cancer or no cancer, the truth was that Sanjay was used to the women in his life taking care of him. It all began with his doting mother, Nargis. She pampered him endlessly as did the other women of the Dutt household — Sanjay’s sisters, and his Nani. Sanjay became so spoilt that he ultimately had to be sent away to boarding school to inculcate some discipline in him. But for his protective mother, Sanjay always came first.

Even when she was on her deathbed, it was Sanjay’s well being and his terrible addiction to drugs, that was uppermost on her mind. “She was being eaten up inside. ‘Zaheeda, woh drugs peeta hai [Zaheeda, he takes drugs]’ she would tell me,” said Nargis’ niece about her beloved aunt’s final days.

After Nargis died in 1981, Sanjay’s then-girlfriend Tina Munim, stepped in and tried to help him through his addiction, even going to Germany with him for therapy. After they broke up, Sanjay went to the US for treatment on his own. Here, too, he charmed and befriended some of the women in his de-addiction group and persuaded them to help him out with his chores. He recalled, “All my life I’ve always been dependent on someone. First it was my mother, then my girlfriends, then my sisters … I did not know how to survive without leaning against someone.” And so when Richa wasn’t around to lean on, Sanjay sought support elsewhere. Allegedly he would find comfort in Madhuri Dixit’s friendship. As one magazine cover story from 1993 put it, ‘Sanjay’s desperate need for an emotional anchor took him into the arms of the Ek Do Teen actress’.



When Madhuri reportedly cut off all contact with Sanjay after he was embroiled in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Dutt was once again at sea. According to a story in Stardust entitled ‘Madhuri Dumps Sanjay’, she refused to take his calls and told his sister, “Please tell Sanju not to call me up ever. Tell him that it’s all over”. Richa, then still married to Dutt, summed it up quite accurately when she said: “At every point in his life, he needs someone he can lean on emotionally. Like he was dependent on Madhuri. Now that she has ditched him, he is going to be a shattered man.”

And so the pattern continued. Next, it was Rhea Pillai — who would eventually marry Sanjay and become his second wife — who picked up the pieces. (They met at his lawyer, Mahesh Jethmalani’s office, while Sanjay was out on bail.) Today, Dutt is married to his third wife Manyata, and perhaps his search for an emotional anchor is finally over. Manyata understood that the secret to Sanjay’s heart was to mother him and take care of him. According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, every time Nadia [Durrani, Sanjay’s then-girlfriend] was out of town, Manyata would stay over. She implemented the adage that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and took over his kitchen. Sanjay didn’t know what to do: On the one hand he had Nadia, who used to take his credit card and go shopping, and on the other he had Manyata, who never even asked him if he had a credit card, but was, in fact, busy feeding him his favourite cuisine.

Needless to say, Manyata won. Today, she reportedly takes care of every aspect of Sanjay’s life — from his diet to the interior design of their home; from his clothes to vetting his friends and managing his career and his finances. Throughout his association with the many women in his life, Sanjay has been brutally honest, consistent and remarkably self-aware about his role in the relationships. “If you just want to call me a chauvi [chauvinist], I’m just one,” he says. That’s Dutt for you.

YASSER USMAN IS THE AUTHOR OF SANJAY DUTT: THE CRAZY, UNTOLD STORY OF BOLLYWOOD’S BAD BOY, PUBLISHED BY JUGGERNAUT BOOKS

Deepali Singh (DNA; February 16, 2018)

Ever since the shoot of the Sanjay Dutt biopic was wrapped up, there has been constant speculation and eagerness to know when the movie’s trailer will be out. Helmed by Rajkumar Hirani, the film is based on Sanjay Dutt’s life and stars Ranbir Kapoor. Now, according to sources, Sanju is keen that the film’s trailer comes out on May 8 because of emotional reasons. “Sanjay started his career with Rocky, which released on May 8, 1981. Naturally, the date is very important and memorable for him,” says a source.

Rocky is also special for Sanjay, as it was directed by his father, the late Sunil Dutt, who also starred in the film. However, they did not share screen space in the movie. Again, it was Hirani who brought the father-son duo together for the first time in Munnabhai MBBS. Now, it remains to be seen whether Raju will respect actor’s wish, and release the trailer on May 8. The film is slated to hit the big screen around June-end.

The release of Rocky came at a very trying time in Sanjay’s life. His mother Nargis lost her life to cancer on May 3, just five days before his big screen debut. A source says that they had left a seat vacant in the theatre in her memory at the premiere of the film. Both, Sunil and Sanjay Dutt, are known to have broken down when the latter appeared on the screen because the most important woman in their lives had just passed away.

Raj Kapoor's iconic Mera Naam Joker mask, and costumes worn by all R K banner heroines ­ from Nargis to Aishwarya ­ among the memorabilia lost in Saturday's fire at R K Studios, says Rishi Kapoor
Meena Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 18, 2017)

After heartbreaks, low phases and going off-track, Manisha Koirala says she has now made peace with her past
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 15, 2017)

She's back on the B- Town scene after — as she puts it — facing death and no more of taking your health for granted. When we meet Manisha Koirala at a suburban club at a little after 9.30 pm, we see no signs of exhaustion although she has been giving back-to-back interviews for the past few hours for the promotions of her upcoming film, Sunaina Bhatnagar’s Dear Maya. Manisha has two more projects lined up — Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay Dutt in which she essays the actor’s mother, Nargis Dutt, and Bombay Talkies 2 in which she features in the segment directed by Dibakar Banerjee. As she sits down for a chat, she keeps wiping her face with a wet tissue. Excerpts:

Do you find the pace of promotions hectic now?
It is indeed hectic. I am doing it after a gap and things have changed. I consider myself old-school, but I am keeping up with the times. But, I do not want to overdo things that can take a toll on my energy. I want to strike a balance. I am doing whatever I can for Dear Maya. There is so much competition now. The audience has too many choices; they could rather be watching a movie on Netflix [instead of your film in theatres]. We have to push little harder to lure the audience.

How do you look at the new phase of your life?
I am grateful for a new lease of life. My battle with cancer opened my eyes to several things. In the last five years, I had a lot of time to introspect. I consider myself in a better space now. I don’t want to look back. I have had my bad times. I have had heartbreaks, low phases and gone off track, but it has been a learning phase. I am content with life and have made peace with many things including my relationship with my parents. What matters to me is that I remain happy. I know it is not going to be easy. I don’t want a man in my life now. I don’t want to shake up my life again.

What were your apprehensions about a comeback?
I was coming back after a break, so I was keen to get it right. I was conscious about the decisions that I needed to take. The script, producer, director — everything had to be right. At the same time, I didn’t want to push myself. I want to enjoy my work and don’t want to do what I did in my 20s. I have made compartments in my life; I want to enjoy them all.

How is the shoot of Bombay Talkies 2 coming along?
I feature in one of the segments directed by Dibakar Banerjee. I play a mother of two who loves the water. I was a jury member at the Dubai Film Festival where his 2006 film Khosla Ka Ghosla was screened. Dibakar is a new-age director with new vision. I was hoping to work with him one day, and now I have got the chance.

Initially, you had reservations about playing Nargis Dutt in the Dutt biopic?
When casting agent Mukesh Chabbra called me for it, my first reaction was, ‘What? I have to play Baba’s (Sanjay Dutt) mother now?’ We have done several films (Yalgaar, 1991; Sanam, 1997; Kartoos, 1999). I was always a tomboy on the set when shooting with Baba. I had my reservations as I would end up playing mother’s roles. I know how the industry functions. I pondered over it for a while and then said yes. I thought to myself, when will I get to play Nargis Dutt again. When I told my mother, she was excited about it. She told me about Nargisji and her trademark white sarees. I am looking forward to the film.

Have you interacted with the Dutts recently?
No, I am going with Rajji’s [Hirani] vision. I had once met Priya Dutt on a flight to New York where I was headed for a medical checkup. I have always admired the work she does for Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation. Last month, she invited me for a cancer survivors event, I told her, ‘now tell me about your mom’. She handed me a book, Mr and Mrs Dutt, (co-written with sister Namrata Dutt Kumar).

Your brother Siddharth Koirala has disappeared from Bollywood.
He is back home in Nepal and into politics now. He is married and has a daughter.

Ahead of her comeback, the actor is glad that Hindi cinema has evolved from dancing around trees, even though she thoroughly enjoyed doing just that
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 14, 2017)

"I’ve been figuring out how I want to lead my life, so it has been an internal journey,” Manisha Koirala says of her last few years when we meet her at an Andheri club. The actor, who has been in remission for the last five years, makes her comeback with Dear Maya where she plays a middle-aged recluse. Koirala will also star as Nargis Dutt in Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay Dutt and in Dibakar Banerjee’s next. Returning to films following her tryst with the debilitating health condition, Koirala never had a Plan B. “I never considered changing my line of work. If at all, I thought of not working at all,” she smiles.

Koirala acknowledges that her life-threatening condition altered her outlook. Today, she is unfazed by all that life lobs at her. “There were times when I was so emotionally fragile that the smallest of things would break me. If there was a bad article about me, my day would be bad. But after going through this disease (laughs), I’ve realised, nothing is that important. It has given me courage and wisdom to accept situations as they are.”

The actor who made her debut in Subhash Ghai’s Saudagar and went on to act in blockbusters such as Bombay, Khamoshi: The Musical and 1942: A Love Story, is glad that Hindi cinema evolved from just “dancing around trees”. “While I enjoyed the fantasy and dreamy films that were made when I began acting, my personal choice was always closer to the films being made now — subtle and less melodramatic,” says Koirala, who lists Masoom, Arth and Saaransh as her childhood favourites “because they were more realistic”. “Even in school, if I really wanted to do something, I would do it right, else I was not a great student. So, this reflected in my work too.”

Accepting the role of Nargis Dutt in the Sanjay Dutt biopic also meant playing onscreen mother to an adult — a first for Koirala. “Honestly, I had my reservations and was slightly apprehensive. But then, I didn’t care because I’m getting to work with a good director and portray the legendary Nargis Dutt, so my insecurities weren’t worth entertaining,” says the actress who fell in love with Hirani’s “style of storytelling” after watching 3 Idiots.

Following mixed success in the last decade, Koirala is more open to failure today. “I just did films in gaps, some happened to be good, some weren’t, which is a part of the whole thing,” admits Koirala, who moved to France briefly during one such ‘gap’. “My mother always wanted me to be independent. When you’re a film actor, you have too many things available to you. Even at shoots, someone holds your umbrella. Since I love Paris, I rented an apartment there to experience how it felt to do things on my own. I always loved to cook but there, I’d shop for groceries and do other chores too. I couldn’t speak in French and no one spoke English so I learnt how to communicate non-verbally. I only had one or two friends there, so I had to make new friends. It opened me up and gave me the confidence that I can be Manisha Koirala without the tag of a celebrity or star and yet, be happy,” she says with the disclaimer that she’s unsure if she’d do it again.

Currently, Koirala is directing all her efforts to stay healthy. Non-negotiables include keeping the body alkaline, getting 8-9 hours of sleep, sticking to an 80 per cent vegetarian diet and most importantly, staying positive. “Scientist and biologist, Dr Bruce Lipton says that even if you have mutative genes but you are positive and healthy, they may not be expressed,” says Koirala, who blames the demands of her profession for derailing her health.

“As an actor, you’re focused on how you look, rather than being healthy. You become skinny or you’re pumping yourself with steroids. Going through the experience (ovarian cancer) made me realise that external beauty is important but I need to have vitality and energy too.” Koirala feels she paid little attention to her health during her prime. “During my younger days, I’d work for 18 hours and do three shifts a day. I never took a Sunday off or went on a holiday. Your mind is numb, your body is tired and you’re just working like a robot,” says the actor who now wants to “focus on work and disconnect too”. A spiritual sojourn to Kailash and an escape to Italy are on the cards this year. “At the age that I am in, I want to embrace life,” says the 46-year-old.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 11, 2017)

Feryna Wazheir, last seen in the Akshay Kumar-Nimrat Kaur starrer Airlift, will play the young Nargis Dutt in Nandita Das’s Manto with Nawazuddin Siddiqui headlining the cast. Feryna is expected to join the shoot in Mumbai in two-three weeks. Shabana Azmi plays Nargis’s mother, singer-filmmaker-composer Jaddanbai.

“Casting director Honey Trehan recommended me to Nandita. Many say I do look a lot like Nargisji. Manto had written a chapter on her in his book which is why Nandita wanted her in the film,” informs Feryna, whose prep includes reading up on the late actress and watching some of her films, including Humayun and Barsaat to understand the look and feel of the times. “She was young and raw in these films as compared to her later work like Shree 420 and Chori Chori. Mother India is my all- time favourite.”

Meanwhile, Freyna’s British short film, A Secret Heart, directed by Cary Sawhney will be premiering at the New York Indian Film festival on May 2. The film is a mystery-romance set in East London with her essaying the role of a young British-Jewish woman. “A young African-British guy after breaking up with his girlfriend meets this mysterious stranger and falls in love with her. It’s an interesting story and I’m happy festivals like these give platforms to such indie films. I am yet to decide if I will be going there or not,” she says.

Feryna’s last film, Khanna, with the same director, had won an award at Palm Springs festival and was given the Best Short Award at the New York Indian Film Festival.

MID-DAY (January 17, 2017)

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has opened up about the colourful life of his father, filmmaker Raj Kapoor in his soon-to-be released autobiography, saying he loved his cinema, booze, and his leading ladies. Rishi, in his book titled Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, narrates his father’s affairs with co-actors and his passion for films. It also captures the evolution of his relationship with the superstar.

Rishi begins the book talking about his father’s affair with yesteryears’ actor Nargis Dutt, who together, continue to be widely acknowledged as the most iconic pair on screen. He writes, “My father, Raj Kapoor, was twenty-eight years old and had already been hailed as the ‘showman of Hindi cinema’ four years before. He was also a man in love at the time, unfortunately, with someone other than my mother. His girlfriend was the leading lady of some of his biggest hits of the time, including Aag (1948), Barsaat (1949) and Awara (1951).”

Rishi further writes that Nargis was Raj Kapoor’s “in-house heroine” and was understandably immortalised in the RK Studios emblem. The 64-year-old actor further highlighted the relationship his father shared with co-star Vyjayanthimala, who in the past had denied having an affair with the actor. Rishi also reveals his father’s fascination for a particular brand of whisky, which he refused to share.