Action Replay

Did you enjoy playing this role?
Of course. Mani had brought down the action directors of Bourne Identity. It was a mix of martial arts and parkour. It was a relief for me to do a fight sequence after such a long span of time.

Why did you stop doing out-and-out action films?
When it came to action movies,everybody had lost the plot. All the producers were too scared to try out the genre. Mushy love stories and comedies took over. It was such a wonderful change to see Dabangg. I am proud of Salman,because only somebody of his calibre had the guts to do it.

Now that you have set up your production house,do you see yourself bringing the trend back?
Definitely. Salman has started it,I will follow suit. I am happy that the action genre is not finished.

Of late,you have been doing roles which are not typical of a Bollywood hero,something that you were popular for. Why the change in approach?
Now when I act in a movie,I don’t want to play ‘Sanjay Dutt’. I would rather play an interesting character. Also,the genre of masala action films — where I could just be myself — had got lost. At this age,I cannot do mushy love stories. All those shaadi scenes are definitely not happening.

What do you look for in your character now?
I look for creative satisfaction no matter what the character is — serious,comic or stupid. Even after all these years in the industry,I feel it is important for people to appreciate my work. Economics too matter.

Are you content with the way your career is going right now?
God has been very kind to me. In spite of all the ups and downs,I have always had good work coming my way. I have No Problem releasing next. Then there is Power,Double Dhamaal,Rascals and the next Munnabhai movie.

There was a rumour that a different cast has been finalised for Munnabhai.
I don’t know about that. We will start shooting for it next year. As far as I know,I play Munnabhai.

Post-Munnabhai,you seem to be big on comedies. Do you enjoy the genre?
Comedy is a difficult genre. It is not just buffoonery. For example,in All The Best whatever my character says,he says it with a straight face,but it is funny.

How do you plan to run your production house?
We have around four to five films lined up. We will be working on one or two films at a time. But I will not be starring in all of them. I have finalised a couple of directors — Soham Shah and David Dhawan.

What was the trigger to set up the production house?
It was my father’s (Sunil Dutt) dream. When his production house Ajanta Arts shut down,he was very upset. I wanted to revive it. But then recession set in and we had to wait a bit. Finally,it is registered as SDP — Sanjay Dutt Productions.

Of late,most of your films have not done well at the box-office. Do you feel you’ve made wrong choices?
I don’t blame the movies because I heard the script and decided to do it. So I might as well take the blame for it. But I do analyse. Recently,I was telling Bunty Walia (producer,Lamhaa) that we should have sent Rambo to Kashmir to solve all problems rather than an ex-military man. Maybe people would have related to it better.

Will you join politics again?
Never. I have had enough.

With the twins coming,days will only get busier for you.
I missed my daughter Trishala’s growing up years. I would love to spend time with my kids. I just love kids. I am extremely fond of my sisters’ — Priya and Namrata — children. I spend a lot of time with them and they are very close to me.

Are you prepared to take up the responsibility?
I am 51 now,everybody should stop thinking of me as ‘Sanju Baba’.

Dutt over the years
Mahesh Bhatt,filmmaker Sanjay Dutt is a friend first,and an actor with whom I achieved great heights with Naam and Sadak.

Jackie Shroff,actor
I met Baba soon after Rocky’s release. He had the most amazing music collection. Later,whenever I was shooting out of town,I used to fly down to visit my kids. He would drop me to the airport each time.

David Dhawan,filmmaker
I first met him while editing Naam. I cast him in my first film Taaqatwar. He has done whichever film I have asked him to do. He is family to me.

Vidya Balan,actress
I am very close to Sanjay Dutt. He is warm,takes care of his colleagues and treats them like family.

Rohit Shetty, filmmaker
Sanju is a man with a golden heart. On the sets,he would often hang out after his shift was over and prepare for next day’s shoot.