Sanjay Dutt, a name synonymous with Bollywood stardom, controversy, and survival, has lived a life that could rival the most dramatic scripts. Known for his flamboyant image and tumultuous journey, Dutt has often been brutally honest about his dark past — from substance abuse to a series of shocking revelations that stunned fans and the film industry alike.
In an interview with India Today, filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani revealed an unsettling story that left many speechless. Hirani shared that during his younger days, Sanjay Dutt would emotionally manipulate women by taking them to a grave, claiming it was his mother’s. “He would start dating a girl and take her to this graveyard. He would say, ‘I have brought you here to meet my mother.’ After this unusual meeting, the girl would feel emotionally attached to Sanju. The reality was that the grave was not his mother’s,” said Hirani. This manipulation added to the already controversial aura surrounding the actor.
But it wasn’t just emotional manipulation that defined Sanjay Dutt’s early life. The actor openly admitted to having slept with 308 women and trying nearly every drug imaginable. At the India Today Conclave 2016, he candidly confessed, “It’s no fun actually. It’s the worst thing, because there’s nothing like getting a high from life. The adrenaline which you get from life, from your work, from the gym… there’s no drug which can be compared to that.”
Dutt’s drug addiction started in college when, according to him, it was just the ‘in’ thing to try drugs. He recalled on Simi Garewal’s chat show, “I could not recall a phase when I was really at peace. It was just the ‘in’ thing at that time. Somebody just said try it and that was it. For nine years of my life, I was lost.”
Among the numerous disturbing incidents he shared, one that stood out was when he was under the influence of LSD. He visited his father, veteran actor Sunil Dutt, and hallucinated that his father was melting like a candle. “I saw a wick come out from his head and it lit up, like a candle. I saw him melting like a candle. And I jumped on him, trying to put his face together and that wick off,” Dutt recalled. He added with a laugh, “Today, when I think about it, I imagine what he must have felt. And he told his man, ‘Isko leke jao, yeh pagal ho gaya hai.’”
The breaking point came when Sanjay took heroin and slept for two days straight. Upon waking, he found his house in panic and saw his own reflection — bloated and worn out. “I just knew I was going to die. I went and told my dad that I need help,” he said. This led to his admission at Breach Candy Hospital for three weeks, followed by rehabilitation in the US.
After two years, he returned to India quietly, without informing anyone. The first person to visit him was his drug peddler. “He said, ‘I have got some new stuff, you can keep it.’ It was that one second where I had to decide. Either I take it or I tell him to get lost. And I chose to tell him to get lost. That day I knew that I had won the battle,” he stated proudly.
Sanjay Dutt’s journey from addiction and manipulation to recovery and redemption is nothing short of remarkable. Despite the many criticisms he has faced, his willingness to admit to his past and embrace the lessons it brought have made him a figure of both controversy and resilience in Indian cinema. His life serves as a cautionary tale and a testament to the strength it takes to rise after hitting rock bottom.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
