There is something intriguing about his big lost eyes and boyish innocence. And the way he serenades Tina Munim in a polo neck and dungarees or rides about Marine Drive on a bike in faded denims and leather jackets.
The film: Rocky. The year: 1981. The actor: Sanjay Dutt.
Rocky certainly didn't hint at the powerhouse of performances he would turn into.
In a career spanning 23 years, how things have changed!
From a good-looking star, the Leo has evolved into a rugged performer.
On July 29, Sanju's 45th birthday, Sukanya Verma celebrates the actor's best performances.
Till Mahesh Bhatt's Naam came along, Sanju was not really taken seriously.
Moviefolk dismissed him as a hellraiser, too addicted to substances and spirits he should have stayed clear of. Producers and directors were wary of signing him on because of his wayward reputation.
Bhatt took the risk. He gave Sanju the role of a rebellious guy who takes to the wrong side of law. Brother-in-law in real life Kumar Gaurav played Sanju's screen sibling with a conscience.
For the first time, people took notice of Sanju's acting abilities.
Kabzaa, again directed by Bhatt, is best remembered for Veljibhai (played superbly by Paresh Rawal). But critics overlooked Sanju's emotional performance. Ditto for J P Dutta's Hathyar. His outburst in the climax was truly impressive.
For everyone who thought Sanju was a one trick pony, a mere action star, Saajan came as a surprise. He played a crippled poet who sacrifices his love (Madhuri Dixit) for his best friend (Salman Khan).
The role demanded sensitivity and restraint. He delivered that without resorting to khadi kurtas. Saajan was a huge hit and our hero walked away with the audience's full sympathy.
In the same year, 1991, released Sadak, loosely inspired by the Robert De Niro starrer-Taxi Driver. (De Niro and Al Pacino are Sanju's favourite Hollywood actors.)
His intense body language conveyed the trauma of his disturbed past effectively. Remember the scene where he bangs his head against his cab? The rage didn't look feigned. It appeared to come from within.
Colourful, maverick, crazy are some adjectives that come to mind when you recall his Ballu-Balram in Subhash Ghai's Khalnayak.
Whether it was the flashy get-up, replete with a scruffy coat, faded golf cap, and eye patch or his consciously capricious performance, Sanju played the hood to the hilt.
The movie came at a bad time. He was arrested in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case under TADA just as Khalnayak released. The film's title track, Nayak nahi khalnayak hoon main, came to haunt Sanju who spent many harrowing months in solitary detention.
On the Rediff Chat in 1996, Sanju rated Naam, Saajan and Khalnayak among his best performances.
This assessment came a few years before Mahesh Manjrekar's Vaastav released.
Vaastav saw him in full bloom as an honest man thrust into the world of crime by force of circumstances.
What follows is his eventual deterioration and inevitable redemption.
There was a striking honesty about his portrayal of Raghu.
Vaastav brought him critical acclaim, box office success and a bunch of trophies.
While his contemporaries were content playing the lead, he had no qualms about playing Hrithik Roshan's adopted father in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Mission Kashmir (2000).
As Inayat Khan, a police officer who is tender with his loved ones, but a hawk towards terrorists, Sanju rendered an inspiring performance, which unfortunately got lost in the Hrithik hype that surrounded the film's release.
We think the on-screen confrontation between the two actors was a highlight of Mission Kashmir.
Sanju wasn't the original choice for Munnabhai MBBS. Shah Rukh Khan was. But SRK, who is acknowledged in the film's credits, could not do the role because of his back problem. Sanju, who was originally signed for Jimmy Shergill's role of a cancer patient, stepped in.
Could Munnabhai ever have worked without Sanju?
His spontaneous performance made the film a delight, surely the highlight of a year which also featured Koi... Mil Gaya and Kal Ho Na Ho. Sanju seemed to have a ball making the movie. And the viewer could feel those vibes as well.
A sequel is in the offing. That is one Sanjay Dutt film we are all waiting for.
Rediff Special
Login 
Register
FAQ
Search
