Filmfare – July 15, 2019

NOSTALGIA

Bujhegi (1991) damning

dowry, affirmed his

societal concerns.

Yash Chopra’s

Parampara and J.P. Dutta’s

Kshatriya were among

his last few outings in

the ‘90s. Munna Bhai

M.B.B.S. (2003) with son

Sanjay Dutt remains a

watershed moment for

the father-son and marked

their evolving bond.

SUPER HUSBAND

Dutt saw superstar Nargis

for the first time at the

premiere of Bimal Roy’s

Do Bigha Zameen (1953).

Few years later, when he

rescued her from the fire

on the set of Mehboob

Khan’s Mother India

(1957), it won him respect

from the leading lady,

which later turned into

Mother India (1957),
where he played Nargis’
rebellious son.
Dutt’s career peaked
between the late 1950s
and 1960s with hits like
Sadhna, Sujata, Khandan
and Padosan. In the ’60s,
he scored a hat-trick with
B.R.Chopra with Gumrah,
Waqt and Hamraaz. Dutt
then went on to launch
his production house,
Ajanta Arts. His first film
was the bandit drama,
Mujhe Jeene Do (1963),
which spoke of crime
and redemption. His
directorial debut, Yaadein
(1964), featured him as the
only actor. It entered the
Guinness Book of World
Records for its unique
premise. He directed
and starred in Reshma
Aur Shera (1971), which
failed commercially bu
won the National Awa d
Commercial hits like
Heera, Pran Jaye Par
Vachan Na Jaye, Nagin
and Jaani Dushman in h
’70s stoked his popula
further. If Rocky (1981)
was his launch pad fo
son Sanjay Dutt, his
directorials, Dard Ka
Rishta (1982) on canc
relief and Yeh Aag Kab

SUNIL DUTT’S

COMMITMENT TO SOC

ISSUES SUPERSED

HIS DESIRE FOR A POS

HE RESIGNED AS M

PROTEST AGAINST THE O S

IN MUMBAI IN 1993 ‘‘

CONCEPT OF SECULA S

IS TO BE A GOOD HU

BEING, WHO RESPEC S

ALL RELIGIONS,’’ HE S

QUOTED SAYING

As they were playing

her-son on screen in

M her India, the much-

l ve actors maintained

l w profile. On March

1 1958, they reportedly

g married in a secret

A a Samaj ceremony

a d didn’t make the news

p blic for a year. They

t on to have three

h ldren - Namrata, Sanjay

d Priya. Asked if he was

perturbed by Nargis’

ll ged relationship with

j Kapoor, Dutt was

ted saying, “I wasn’t

cerned about her

p ... I’m concerned

b ut the person who

mes in my life; what

tters from that day on

how true the person

is to me.”

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What endeared Nargis

to him was her caring

nature. It’s said when his

sister Rani fell ill, Nargis

took her to a doctor and

got her operated without

bothering an already

troubled Sunil.

Nargis and he formed

the Ajanta Arts Cultural

Troupe, which undertook

social initiatives including

holding shows for jawans.

Nargis suddenly fell ill

in 1979, while in Delhi for

her Rajya Sabha session.

Diagnosed with pancreatic

cancer, she was admitted

to the Sloane Kettering

Cancer Center in New

York. “Dad would feed

mom, clean her, help her

brush her teeth. He never

shared his feelings with

On the set of Reshma Aur Shera

With son

Sanjay Dutt

With Nargis