Sanjay Dutt: While I was in jail, wife told kids I was shooting for a film

Sanjay Dutt is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars but even he was not invulnerable to the tragedies that life threw at him. From losing his mother and then his first wife to cancer, to breaking free from the ruthless claws of drug addiction, to surviving jail, this Bollywood actor has seen it all.

The actor recently spoke about his children in an interview with a leading news channel. He revealed, “Children these days are so smart. My kids would ask Maanayata (his wife) to call me. She would lie that I’m away shooting in the mountains where there is no network. Luckily the jail authorities allowed me one call every fortnight, and I would make that call to them.” When asked if his children know the truth about him he said that they’re aware but he’s waiting for them to mature. “I’m waiting for them to grow up so that I can tell them my story in detail.”

Sanjay is now all set to make his comeback with the Aditi Rao Hydari starrer ‘Bhoomi’ in which she plays the role of his daughter. Talking about the film, he said, “I want to work in the kind of films they make in Hollywood and not romance girls much younger than me. I want to do entertainment films that send a strong social message.”

When asked about his take on the nepotism debate, the actor said that his family lineage had helped him get into the industry,  “But, after the first film, it all depends on how you work and how many hits you give. It doesn’t matter whether you are (Sunil) Dutt’s son or (Amitabh) Bachchan’s,” he said. Sanjay also added, “I was sent to a boarding school for 11 years and I had a second class train pass to travel in Bombay. These things have helped me survive everything.”

When asked if he had any plans of joining politics, his answer was a firm ‘no’, however, he also stated that he had immense love for his country and that according to him all Indians should love their country. “When I was released from jail, the first thing I did was to touch the soil and salute the Tricolour. Every citizen should do that,” the actor concluded. Sanjay also revealed that he has plans to launch a Drug-Free India campaign.

Stay tuned for more updates.