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.

Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 14, 2020)

In a recent conversation with Mirror (May 8), Shaan had informed that to celebrate the silver jubilee of his first television show as a host, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the makers have come up with a musical marathon. The singer will return as a host for a three-hour special, Ek Desh Ek Raag, across all Zee channels, including Zee TV. Several artistes associated with the franchise, including Himesh Reshammiya, Udit Narayan, Javed Ali and Richa Sharma, will perform in the celebration of 25 years.

Now, we have learnt that joining the list of performers are ’90s singing sensations, Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik. The two, along with Udit, have been judges on the ongoing season of L’il Champs, which started in February, but came to a halt following the Coronavirus lockdown.

Singer-composer duo Armaan Malik and Amaal Mallik, too, are on board. Incidentally, Armaan, who recently released his first international single, started his singing journey as a contestant on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs in 2006. He finished as one of the finalists in eighth place. The Malik brothers will get into a friendly face-off, with Shaan also hosting the games they will play in the show, including dumb charades and a rapid-fire round. All the artistes will be performing a medley of their popular hits from their homes, while Shaan will take the artistes on a trip down both memory and melody lane.

Shaan explains why he is MIA in Hindi playback, reveals celebrations are in order for his first show as host, which has completed 25 years
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 8, 2020)

In recent years, Shaan had been missing in action as far as Hindi film playback goes, but the singer has been a part of several fundraisers to raise money for the needy during the coronavirus pandemic. Ask him why he is not singing more songs and he retorts, “I accept every work I get. But I won’t go asking for it. I’m not singing simply because I’m not getting too many offers.”

He points out that he recently lent his voice to “Tujhe Rab Mana” in Baaghi 3 and has also sung for the upcoming John Abraham-starrer Mumbai Saga. Recently his song, “Dus Bahane”, was also recreated for Tiger Shroff’s last actioner. “Recreations, if justified, make sense, but using them just for the heck of it seems senseless. If something works, don’t go for an overkill,” Shaan cautions.

The singer rues that composers are limiting their creativity today. “A song that can be easily strummed on the guitar is what works today. Everyone is talking of the science of creating a chartbuster,” he laughs, admitting that he has dropped the plan of recreating his father’s Bengali compositions in Hindi for this very reason. “I don’t want my father to get angry up there for diminishing the value of his work by presenting it at a time when people don’t like that kind of music anymore.”

In 2002, Shaan started his career as the host of the musical talent hunt, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. “It was Sa Re Ga Ma before I joined, I added an extra note to it,” he laughs, admitting that he had never thought he’d be associated with the show for so long. “Even before my first son was born, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa adopted me. People knew me as a singer before that, but it was this Zee show that made me a TV personality and helped me improve my Hindi as there were no teleprompters or earpieces at that time. There were times when I’d wake up shouting, ‘Aap sab ka swaagat hai is pratiyogita mein jiska naam hai Sa Re Ga Ma Pa,’ leaving my wife stunned,” he reminisces fondly.

The franchise completes 25 years this year and Shaan reveals there is a big celebration in store. “Many of those associated with the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa franchise, including Himesh Reshammiya, Javed Ali, Udit Narayan and Richa Sharma, will be seen performing from their homes. In fact, 350 artistes will be a part of the 25 hour long musical marathon titled Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Live-athon which is taking place on May 23. The next day, the Ek Desh Ek Raag concert takes place and I will be returning on the show as the host and there will be lots of stories and plenty of nostalgia,” he promises, adding that the Live-a-thon would be telecast on the network’s Facebook pages and the three-hour concert will be played across all Zee channels, including Zee TV.

Any plans of returning to the show as a regular host? “In three years, I’ll be 50. My eyesight is getting weaker, so, I don’t see that happening. I just hope that people remember my smile,” he signs off and though you can’t see him, you can visualise his trademark smile.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 11, 2019)

Long-time friends and frequent co-stars Ajay Devgn and Tabu recently made an appearance on the Zee TV show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs along with Rakul Preet Singh, who shares the frame with them in their next, the romcom De De Pyar De.

And while shooting for their turn, Tabu inadvertently served as a buffer for Ajay, when the show’s judges - Amaal Mallik, Shaan and Richa Sharma - requested the actor to sing a song. Instead of obliging the trio, Ajay immediately pointed out that Tabu is a talented singer, saying, “Not many people know that the Bollywood diva sitting among us has a beautiful voice and is a fabulous singer. I think everyone would want to listen to her instead. I am such a bad singer that I don’t even sing in the bathroom. The only reason I agreed to sing in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 1999 film), was because I was portraying a character who was a terrible singer.”

Ever the sport, Tabu sang her “all-time favourite”, “O Saathi Re” from Ajay’s Omkara, followed by “Ankhiyan Jo Hanju” from Ayushmann Khurrana’s Vicky Donor. She rounded off the brief gig by jokingly requesting Amaal to give her an opportunity as a playback singer in his next, to which the composer readily agreed. 

The couple tied the knot in Sikh and Hindu ceremonies on Wednesday; Salman Khan, Bachchans, among others, on guest list for Mumbai reception on Dec 24
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 13, 2018)

Comedian-actor Kapil Sharma and his long-time girlfriend Ginni Chatrath tied the knot on Wednesday in two weddings in the latter’s hometown of Jalandhar. The Sikh ceremony took place at 11.30 pm and was followed by a Hindu ceremony at 4 am.

A source close to the groom told Mirror, “Kapil reached Amritsar on December 8, just before the pre-wedding ceremonies were to take off, as he had been busy shooting for his TV show comeback, The Kapil Sharma Show, with his first two guests – Salman Khan and family and Ranveer Singh, Sonu Sood and Sara Ali Khan.”

According to the source, director-duo Abbas-Mustan, who had helmed Kapil’s 2015 big screen debut Kis Kis Ko Pyar Karoon, were among the guests at the wedding ceremony along with singer Gurdas Maan, who also performed. On the menu were traditional Punjabi dishes, along with Chinese delicacies.

Next up, Kapil, whose comeback show premieres on December 21, will host a wedding reception in Mumbai for his friends from the film and TV industries on December 24 at a suburban five-star. Guests expected to attend the do include the Bachchan family and Salman Khan, among others. Incidentally, Kapil’s comeback show is scheduled to premiere on December 29.

“Kapil and Ginni will go on a honeymoon later as he is required to resume shooting for his show early next week,” the source added.

Kapil and Ginni’s pre-wedding celebrations had kicked off last week with Akhand Path and chooda ceremony, which took place at the bride’s residence. Mehendi and sangeet were held at a five-star in Amritsar (Kapil’s hometown) on Sunday. The next day, the bride’s family had a Mata Ki Chowki at their residence, which was followed by a cocktail and dinner party hosted by the couple for their friends and colleagues, including Bharti Singh and Harsh Limbachiyaa, Krushna Abhishek, Sumona Chakravarti, Rajiv Thakur, singer Richa Sharma and Kapil’s Firangi director Rajiv Dhingra on Tuesday. “Later in the evening, both families took part in a ceremony where jaagos (pots decorated with lights) and decorated sticks (jaago sticks) are used as part of the celebrations. Guests danced and sang during the ceremony which went on till early hours of Thursday.

A few days ago, Kapil had sent out wedding invitations in cream-and-gold-plated boxes to his guests. The couple’s initials were emblazoned on the boxes with dry fruit panjeeri, almond chana bite, herbal green tea, mysore pak and baked cashew squares inside it.

Ginni Chatrath at her Jalandhar residence; the wedding invite (below)

Countdown to actor-comedian and his ladylove’s nuptials kicks off with Akhand Path and choora ceremony; Gurdas Maan, Daler Mehndi to perform on D-Day, reception
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 4, 2018)

Over the weekend, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s 18-day wedding celebrations wrapped up with a reception party for their Bollywood friends, while Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas became man and wife with two ceremonies. While Nickyanka wedding reception is to take place in Delhi today, another showbiz couple has kicked off the countdown to their own D-Day. Actor-comedian Kapil Sharma’s long-time love Ginni Chatrath, who he will wed in Jalandhar on December 12, took part in ‘Akhand Path’ late last week, which was followed by the ‘Path ka bhog’ on Sunday, where the bride-to-be and her family distributed prasad.

“The ritual was held at Ginni’s Jalandhar residence to mark an auspicious beginning of the ceremonies that will be held in the forthcoming days,” a source close to the development informed, adding that the choora ceremony took place on Monday. “Kapil will soon leave for Punjab after wrapping up work commitments in Mumbai. Singer Richa Sharma, along with Punjabi devotional singer Master Saleem, will perform at a Jagran on December 10.”

Also joining the list of performers at the wedding is Gurdas Maan, who was a guest on Kapil’s show last year, and will wield the mic on December 12 at a five-star. According to the source, Daler Mehndi takes over entertaining duties at the couple’s reception on December 14 in Amritsar.

Mirror had earlier reported that another reception for Kapil’s industry friends is also being planned on December 24 in Mumbai. Kapil had made his relationship with Ginni official with a social media post last year. “Will not say she is my better half. She completes me. Love you Ginni. Please welcome her. I love her so much,” he had said.

The actor-comedian recently sent out wedding invites in cream-and-gold-plated boxes to his guests. The soon-to-wed couple’s initials were emblazoned on the invites. “The box has dry fruit panjeeri, almond chana bite, herbal green tea, mysore pak and baked cashew squares inside it,” the source added.

As Ramu announces a warts-and-all biopic on Sanjay, sister Namrata Dutt on why the family should not have to relive their disturbing episodes, time and again
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; July 21, 2018)

Hours after it was reported that Ram Gopal Varma has set into motion a biopic on Sanjay Dutt — one that critically appraises the actor and his run-ins with the law — sister Namrata Dutt says she doesn’t understand the need to put the spotlight on episodes that Sanjay has put behind him.

Namrata tells mid- day, “Doesn’t Varma need Sanjay’s approval to make it? If Sanjay gives a go-ahead, we are nobody to say no to him.”

Despite it being a runaway hit, Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju has been accused of glossing over the actor’s laid on his strained relationship with father Sunil Dutt. In sharp contrast, Varma’s biopic, tentatively titled Sanju: The Real Story, will focus on Sanjay’s arrest for possessing an AK-56 rifle in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.

Stating that it was “painful to watch” the Hirani-directed venture as it brought back the dark days that the family had been through, she says that another cinematic outing would only affect them further. “We have been through every phase of what Sanjay has gone through. When he became a drug addict, we at least knew that we could help him out of it by sending him to rehab. But we had no control over the other incident [going to jail]. It was painful as we helplessly watched him suffer,” she recollects, adding that Sanjay has strived to emerge stronger from his past incidents. “It was an unfortunate episode in Sanjay’s life. He has moved past it. Why is Varma bringing up the past again?”

Though Varma and Sanjay have collaborated on two films, Namrata states that she doesn’t trust the director’s gritty style of filmmaking. “His movies are dark. Why do you want to go on and on about Sanjay’s life? Why is he putting us through so much pain again?”

Rumours suggest that husband Kumar Gaurav hasn’t watched Sanju yet as he’s hurt that despite being thick friends for decades, his character didn’t find a place in the movie. “Bunty is not upset. He wasn’t well during the screening. He will watch it soon.”

She adds that she would have liked if Sanjay’s former wife Richa and daughter Trishala were depicted in the biopic. “I missed watching their characters. But I haven’t mentioned it to Sanjay.”

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

Kangana Ranaut springs a surprise while on the ghats of Varanasi
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 5, 2017)

Mirror (May 1) had recently reported that Kangana Ranaut will head to Varanasi to unveil a 20-feet poster of her upcoming period drama, Manikarnika - The Queen Of Jhansi , at the Dashashwamedh Ghat on May 4. The 30-year-old actress reached the holy city on Wednesday and performed the Ganga aarti the following evening as Richa Sharma and Shankar Mahadevan rendered a poem written by National Award-winning lyricist Prasoon Joshi, set to tune by Shankar-Ehsaan- Loy.

Speaking to Mirror from Varanasi, Kangana explained the choice of location saying Manikarnika, popularly known as Rani Lakshmibai, was born in Varanasi so they decided to kick off the film there with the announcement of the release date, April 27, 2018. “It’s a special day for me, more so because my mother is here,” she exulted.

She admitted to feeling a great sense of empathy with the Jhansi ki Rani who single-handedly took on the British and is eulogised in Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s verse, “Sinhasan hil uthe, Rajavanshon ne bhrikuti tani thi…Bundele harbolon ke mooh humne suni kahani thi, Khoob ladi mardani woh to Jhansi wali rani thi…” Pointing out that the warrior queen’s most amazing quality was her righteousness.

Kangana said, “She had a great sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair, just and unjust. That’s a quality I identify with her. The British did ask her to choose between life and death. She chose not to live without dignity and that’s pretty much my philosophy. You cannot live without your pride as a woman.”

She recalled how when K V Vijayendra Prasad had narrated the script to her, many a times she had burst into spontaneous applause or had wanted to whistle and at the end she had touched his feet and asked for his blessings. “I saw Baahubali 2 recently and thought it was an extraordinary film. He assured me Manikarnika would be no less,” she maintained.

It’s obvious that this Kamal Jain and Zee Studios’ production, which is directed by Krish, is a special film for her. “I feel whatever I have done in the last 11 years has led me to it, it completes me, I am 30 now and I don’t see myself working with another director after this. I will focus on being a filmmaker,” she asserted.

On the home front too, Kangana is prepping up for some changes. Sister Rangoli is pregnant and Kangana who will be playing mother to a young child who she straps on her back when she goes out to war in Manikarnika reasoned that the maternal instinct is a part of human growth. “We all have it, as soon as we pass teenage years we start to mother our parents. Lakshmibai was an incredible mother and I’m looking forward to portraying this aspect of hers on screen. I love babies and babies love me. Though I don’t have much patience with newborn, I know I will be trained in handling one as we are expecting a baby in our family soon,” she said.

Director Rajkumar Hirani to leave for the United States, where Sanjay Dutt's first wife hailed from, and Nargis Dutt spent her last days
MID-DAY (November 18, 2016)

The Rajkumar Hirani-directed Sanjay Dutt biopic is on track. The filmmaker is leaving for the US for location hunting. A large chunk of the film is slated to be shot in New York, since the actor spent a fair bit of time there. His first wife, late Richa Sharma, belonged to a family of Indian-Americans. Their daughter Trishala continues to be based there.

Hirani is expected to visit spots and neighbourhoods that Sanjay frequented with Richa. Sanjay’s mother, late actress Nargis Dutt, fought a battle with cancer and spent time at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Her ill-health had pushed him into the darkest phase of his life, leaving him grappling with drug addiction. Sanjay was in a New York rehab for two years to overcome the dependency. Says a source, “Hirani will also be meeting members of the Sharma [Richa] family.”

The film, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, is said to roll early next year.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; July 14, 2015)

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 14, 2015)

"Towards the end of Khamoshiyan, Mukesh Bhatt called me one day and told me it was time to move on... To another film, written by Bhattsaab (Mahesh Bhatt) and directed by Mohit (Suri). And it's important that you impress them too," reminisces singer-composer Jeet Gannguli who was then given a two-line story narration by Mohit and told to come up with a song which reflected the film's title, Hamari Adhuri Kahani, without any of the trio even describing the song situation to him. All he was told was that when people see the film, they should remember this song.

Jeet went back home and started reflecting on the title... And he soon realised that no relationship is ever complete even if you were to live with the person all your life. Being away from Kolkata for the last two decades, he yearned for his parents and the buddies he'd grown up with. And often one of Shakti Chattopadhyay's Bengali poems came to his mind which reiterated that after a man dies he returns to find out if his friends still remember him, and the day he finds himself forgotten is the day he really dies.

"I missed my friends from school and college and wondered if they still recalled those fun days... I missed the music sessions at home with baba on the accordion, me strumming my guitar and singing and ma joining me... There was a sense of loneliness and emptiness in Mumbai, far away from them," he sighs.

Wife Chandrani filled some of the vacuum with her effervescent presence but Jeet admitted that the sense of loss remained. "You need to feel it to appreciate what you have got," he reasons.

All these thoughts crystallised into a two-line mukhda without words which Jeet sang to Mukesh Bhatt on the phone. He was enchanted and insisted Jeet sound out Mohit too. The young director was ebullient, "Fantastic dada, let's have a sitting tomorrow?," he said.

They met on the morrow and were joined by Mahesh Bhatt whose eyes turned moist when Jeet sighed over the words, Hamari adhuri kahani. "That was the biggest compliment I could have received. The man whose films I had grown up on, tearing up over one of my compositions," marvels Jeet admitting that since then, everyone, from his young recordist Pankaj Vora to his wife and the common man have reacted to the song with tears.

"Even my programmer Prasad, violinist Suresh Lalwani, guitarist Ankur Mukerjee and flutist Humtu were moved. And my parents who usually tell me I can do better, responded to this song with, 'Bhalo thako, continue to do such good work.' It was incredible!"

Following that sitting, Jeet got together with lyricist Rashmi Virag who gave his music words. After programming it, Jeet himself recorded the scratch. The Bhatts and Mohit insisted that he'd have to get a singer to bring the same feelings to the song. "We tried out a few singers and finally settled for Arjit Singh. He's done a really great job with it and we've retained his version. But the film will have two other versions of the song too, both crooned by me on Mohit, Mukeshji and Bhattsahab's insistence. Even Sanujeet Bhujabal of Sony Music, after hearing the scratch, called me up to say the song was apt for my voice," he smiles.

However, the most surprising reaction came from his wife who reacted to it personally, sobbing and asking him, "Why did you make this song?" Prod her on this and she says simply, "For me this relationship will never be complete. I'd want to return to Jeet in my next birth and the next."

Despite such overwhelming responses, the doubts returned when the song was up for release. "I wondered if in this era of fast-track music, people would care for something so soulful," admits Jeet.

The first call was from Richa Sharma who wondered, 'How can you make a song like this?' And after that the compliments kept flowing, the biggest being, "After a long time a song has made me cry."

For Jeet that's the magic of Hamari Adhuri Kahani. If Khamoshiyan celebrated silence then this one makes music with tears. 

Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 10, 2014)

Hospital staff had to intervene to calm down a hysterical Sanjay Dutt who had an emotional breakdown after seeing wife Manyata Dutt unconscious in bed.

Manyata who was admitted to a Parel hospital on Tuesday after fainting at the couple’s Bandra home, is being treated for a collapsed lung.

The actor, who is currently on parole from a 42-month jail sentence, broke down after seeing his wife of five years in the hospital bed with various tubes attached to her body, said a source in the hospital.

“He was wailing, saying that he cannot take this anymore. He told the hospital staff that he has suffered many losses in his life, including his mother Nargis and first wife Richa Sharma, who both succumbed to cancer. The sight of Manyata in the hospital bed, triggered all those memories,” said the source.

Sanjay’s mother Nargis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and despite the treatment she underwent in New York, her condition worsened when she returned to Mumbai. Nargis died in 1981, a few days before Sanjay made his film debut in Rocky.

Soon after his wedding to Richa Sharma in 1987, she too was diagnosed with a brain tumour and the couple separated just two years after their wedding.

Manyata had undergone an emergency surgery to remove fluids from her lung on Wednesday and Sanjay has not left the hospital ever since his wife was admitted to the hospital three days ago. As the actor was alone, hospital staff had to console him and quieten him down.

“Sanjay said that he is really scared at this point in time. Manyata’s hospitalisation reminds him of his earlier losses. As Manyata’s treatment is getting prolonged, he is panicking. And on top of it he is alone in hospital,” added the source.