01/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt definitely remains to be one of the most acclaimed actors of Bollywood! Sunil, who juggled acting and politics, is fondly remembered for his easy nature and kind smile. Apart from an actor and an MP, Sunil Dutt wore many hats and was a doting father to his three kids. On the occasion of the actor’s birth anniversary, here is remembering the enigma, Sunil Dutt.
02/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
Born as Balraj Dutt in the Khurd village of Jhelum District, which is now in Pakistan, his family moved to Haryana post-partition. To fulfil his dream of acting, the actor later shifted to Mumbai, where he got admission in Jai Hind College, as an undergraduate.
03/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
Before making his acting debut, Sunil Dutt worked as a supervisor with Mumbai’s BEST Transport division at a bus depot in Dadar.
04/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
During a college performance, Sunil Dutt was spotted on the stage and eventually signed on by DJ Keymer, an ad agency to present a show titled 'Lipton Ke Sitare' on Radio Ceylon.
05/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
Impressed by his charming persona and rich baritone, director Ramesh Saigal, who met the actor during the interaction for 'Shikast' immediately offered him a role.
06/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
While Sunil Dutt made his debut with 'Railway Platform' in 1955, it was with 'Mother India' that the actor catapulted to fame. Following this, the actor acted in a string of successful films like 'Sadhna', 'Sujata', 'Mujhe Jeene Do', 'Khandaan' and 'Padosan' to name a few.
07/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt fell in love and got married to his onscreen mother from 'Mother India', Nargis. Stories suggest that the two fell in love when Nargis was nursing Sunil back to health after he had saved her from a particularly horrible fire accident on the sets of 'Mother India'. The two got married on 11th March 1958, one year after the release of their film ‘Mother India’.
08/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
The happy couple was blessed with son Sanjay in 1958 and two daughters, Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt in the following years.
09/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
The actor is also fondly remembered for his ambitious project, 'Yaadein' wherein he was the only actor in the cast. In fact, the film finds a mention in Guinness Book of World Records under the category of 'Fewest actors in a narrative film'.
10/16Decoding the Enigma - Sunil Dutt
It was in the year 1981 that Sunil lost his wife, Nargis Dutt to pancreatic cancer. After the loss of his wife, Sunil Dutt set up the 'Nargis Dutt Foundation' in her memory. Sunil Dutt also sponsored the India Project, a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated organisation, which is involved in the treatment of Indian children with facial deformities.