SANJAY DUTT : The Growing Up Years

I search for those familiar Dutt-during-an-interview-telltale signs. You know, the ambivalent gaze and that edgy behaviour. But the 44-year-old seems relaxed. The quiet success of Munnabhai MBBS helps in an industry which goes looking for a new king every Friday. Restlessness still visits him but Dutt says he is, finally, at peace with himself.

He is growing up, this actor who not too long ago used to get up in the middle of the night fretting about the future. But for the industry and his fans, he’s still baba. Dutt stares (all those warnings about provoking his sinewy 6’1’’ frame are buzzing about in my head), then breaks into a shy smile and replies, ‘‘I don’t know why they persist in calling me that. I guess it’s because they love me too much. Somehow they never grew out of it.’’

Good friend Suniel Shetty, or anna, says the actor is on an upswing, both on a personal and professional level. ‘‘The guy’s in the best phase of his life. He has quit drinking and is on a strict boiled-food-only diet.’’ Shetty, who has known Dutt for a decade now, can’t get over the actor’s newfound will power. ‘‘It’s virtually impossible for someone who used to drink all the time to leave it overnight. But he has handled all the withdrawal symptoms on his own,’’ he says.

Dutt tells you that his motivation to kick the bottle was simply that ‘‘things are getting better, so I want to work a little harder.’’ Life is being kind and he’s decided to set right his unprofessional ways.

So these days his producers are pleasantly surprised to see the usually tardy actor reach the sets on time, often before most. He’s also becoming more accessible. Last month saw him perform at a filmi awards’ function—a first in his 23-year-old career.

But some things never change. Dutt still puts his friends first; money and the length of the role be damned. He played what Pooja Bhatt calls ‘‘second fiddle’’ in her 1998 flick Dushman because of his close friendship with the Bhatts. ‘‘Till date, he hasn’t asked me for money,’’says Bhatt.

More recently, Shah Rukh Khan was the first choice for pal Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Munnabhai MBBS, Dutt said yes to the smaller role that eventually went to Jimmy Shergill. Even for Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ranveer, which goes on the floor shortly, Dutt is clueless about his role. ‘‘I don’t dare ask Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) for a script. He told me he wants me to do this role, so I will do it.’’ Dutt interrupts this interview on the sets of Deewar, where he plays a Muslim PoW of Indian origin, to inform you he has an important shot with Bachchan. ‘‘I can do anything except keep him waiting.’’

The man says he works with his heart and that the money has never mattered to him. ‘‘Since I work only with friends, I know they will never cheat me.’’

So what if he has a mercurial temper, is a big player with the women, is indifferent to the media and liberally peppers conversations with four-letter words. Dutt’s childlike naiveté and vulnerable streak endear him to a lot of people, and ensure that friends stand by him. Chopra tells you why he does: ‘‘Sanju is childlike and childish at the same time and that is what I think gets him into trouble. At times I think he should grow up, at other times I feel like he shouldn’t, because he is so wonderful the way he is.’’

Yet the actor has dropped anchor in an otherwise windswept life. In the last year or so, Dutt has made peace with his 15-year-old daughter Trishala, who stays with her aunt in New York.

He fondly reminisces about her recent visit to India, ‘‘She’s in high school now and is studying very hard. We had a great time together. She met her cousins after eight years.’’ Dutt says Trishala is his “biggest critic and loved Munnabhai MBBS.’’ The proud papa however insists that she loves her dadaji (Sunil Dutt) more.

Steer the conversation to the status of his married life with Rhea and he is not so forthcoming. The couple are separated but not divorced. ‘‘Let people speculate about my marriage. I know the truth and so does Rhea… that’s what matters.’’ He can’t resist a dig though, ‘‘I have been in the industry for 23 years and, if the press had their way, they would have married me off 500 times.’’

Shetty says Dutt and Rhea are still close. ‘‘Whatever happens, he will always be there for her. They are very good friends and will always remain so.’’

Friends reveal that the actor has found a new love interest. A Germany-based mystery lady called Nadia who visits India frequently. ‘‘Nadia is good for him and after a long time Sanju is happy. They are in love,’’ admits a close confidante of Dutt.

It’s all perfect now for Dutt, but only one glitch remains. He still hasn’t signed a cola commercial—the trademark of a superstar in our country. Dutt, however, is optimistic. ‘‘The day I’m out of the court case they will all run to me. These corporates want a clean image and that’s something I don’t have,’’ he chuckles. That’s the spirit.