Sanjay Dutt recalls the biggest lesson he learnt in jail, calls film industry ‘cut-throat’

Explaining what he admires about the film industry in the West, he added, “Over there, everyone is very united. The actors are together, the writers are together. There are industry bodies that support everyone. Even if you look at the Oscars, there’s such a strong sense of togetherness. Whenever an actor goes up to receive an award, there’s no jealousy, you can genuinely see everyone celebrating each other. It’s beautiful.”

‘Like playing gangsters’

When asked which of his performances remains closest to his heart, he admitted with a laugh that he enjoys playing gangsters the most. However, he said the role that truly left an impact on him was Munna Bhai. “I basically like playing gangsters. But honestly, one role that was truly special for me was Munna Bhai. In fact, that role taught me so much about being a doctor, especially through Munna Bhai MBBS. What I realised while doing that film, and through my own journey with my mother and everything else, is that doctors have so many patients and are so busy that sometimes they forget the human touch.”

He continued, “And that’s so important. It only takes two minutes to hold a patient’s hand and ask, ‘How are you? I’m there for you.'” Speaking about his approach to acting, Sanjay revealed that he prefers to keep things instinctive rather than relying on elaborate preparation. With a smile, he said, “I don’t really do anything. I just listen to the script, go to the set, and the director tells me how he wants the scene done. I simply do it.”

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‘Learned forgiveness during my jail time’

Elsewhere in the conversation, the actor also shared one of the biggest lessons he took away from his time in prison. According to him, it was a constable who taught him the value of forgiveness. “Forgiveness. I learned this during my time in jail, sir. I learned to forgive. A constable taught me that so well. He told me, ‘Learn to forgive people, and you’ll grow more in life.’ You may know that someone has hurt you, but you forgive them.”

Sanjay Dutt was last seen in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, directed by Aditya Dhar.