Sanjay Dutt Birthday Special: From Munna Bhai MBBS, Agneepath’s Kancha Cheena to KGF 2’s Adheera – Top Iconic Characters of Sanju Baba

Sanjay Dutt, born on July 29, 1959, is one of the Bollywood superstars who has enjoyed a long career in the industry. Known fondly as 'Sanju Baba', the macho star's life is a textbook on how to survive downfalls, and be resilient for a comeback. While his personal life has seen a lot of turmoil, his professional life has been good for the most time. In 2023, fans saw Sanjay Dutt in Leo and Jawan, two of the biggest blockbusters of the year. What Sanjay Dutt brings on screen with his towering personality and acting skills is unique. This is why he has become a favourite of south Indian filmmakers as well, who find him perfect for those mass elevation moments that give fans the rush of adrenaline. Nargis Dutt Death Anniversary: Sanjay Dutt Writes ‘Miss You, Maa’ As He Shares Fond Memories of His Beloved Mother on Insta. 

Sanjay Dutt made his debut in 1981 with Rocky, which was co-directed by his father, actor Sunil Dutt and director Raj Khosla. Sanjay faced a hard time when he was in prison, and worked extensively in the movies when he was out on bail. Some of his films in that period were his biggest successes. This proves that work indeed kept him going despite the difficulties in life. On his birthday, let us revisit Sanjay Dutt's memorable characters from some of his best films. ‘Ghudchadi’ Trailer: Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon’s Rom-Com Unveils a Dual-Generation Love Story (Watch Video).

Munna Bhai in 'Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'

The 2003 movie made by Rajkumar Hirani is a timeless classic. Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi played the lovable Munna Bhai and Circuit respectively in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. It was one of the rare movies after 2000 to have a 25-week run in the theatres. Sanjay Dutt gave his fans a movie character that will last generations with this social comedy. The story about a man named Munna Bhai aka Murli Prasad Sharma who is a gangster and seeks a medical degree to pacify his angry parents, touched hearts and how. Gracy Singh played a doctor and his love interest in the film, while Boman Irani played her father and the medical college dean memorably.

Kancha Cheena in 'Agneepath'

In 2012, Karan Johar's new version of Agneepath released with Hrithik Roshan as the protagonist and Sanjay Dutt as the antagonist, Kancha Cheena. Veteran actor Danny Denzongpa played the role in the 1990 movie made by Mukul Anand. If Danny Denzongpa was brutal in the original film, Sanjay Dutt made Kancha Cheena menacing in every frame. It is one of his best villainous roles in Bollywood. Karan Malhotra was the director of the remake.

Raghu in 'Vaastav: The Reality'

While Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. is a cult movie, many of Sanju Baba's fans swear by his work in Mahesh Manjrekar's Vaastav, released in 1999. He played the role of Raghu aka Raghunath Namdev Shivalkar, the son of a mill worker who opens a pav-bhaji stall. In the course of time, he becomes a part of the Mumbai underworld and rises in its ranks. The film was inspired by the life of gangster Chhota Rajan. Sanjay Narvekar played his bestie Dedh Footiya. Sanjay Dutt picked up a number of Best Actor awards that season while Mahesh Manjrekar bagged Best Director trophies.

Ballu in 'Khal Nayak'

Subhash Ghai directed Sanjay Dutt in Khal Nayak. The 1993 movie was a craze due to his performance, and of course, the timeless chartbuster starring Madhuri Dixit, "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai". Sanjay Dutt was nominated at the awards for his performance as Ballu aka Balaram Prasad. The film also had wonderful performances by Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff.

Subhash Ghai Gave Sanjay Dutt One of His Big Hits of the '90s

Adheera in ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’

Actor Yash plays the mighty Rocky Bhai in Prashanth Neel's KGF films. When Neel was making KGF 2, he needed a baddie who looked imposing enough in front of Yash's Rocky Bhai. He got Sanjay Dutt as Adheera, a villain who is as bloodthirsty as the Viking warriors. The hair, costume and presentation of Sanjay Dutt were kickass. His fans loved Adheera.

Antony Das in ‘Leo’

In Lokesh Kanagaraj's Leo, Sanjay Dutt played the part of an illegal tobacco owner Antony Das who goes to the extent of agreeing to sacrifice his daughter for his business to take off. Leo was one of the big successes of 2023. Apart from Sanjay Dutt, Thalapathy Vijay, Trisha Krishnan, Arjun Sarja, Mysskin, Mansoor Ali Khan, Anurag Kashyap and others were part of the movie.

Sanjay Dutt Showers Love on ‘Leo’ Maker Lokesh Kanagaraj

In and as ‘Rocky’

As mentioned earlier, in 1981, Sanjay Dutt made his debut with Rocky where he played the titular role of Rakesh/Rocky D'Souza. It was an action-romance with the usual plot of vendetta, directed by Sunil Dutt and Raj Khosla. RD Burman's music stood out with songs like "Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai" and "Aa Dekhen Zara", which are popular even today.

Aman in ‘Saajan’

Sanjay Dutt ruled hearts with his performance as Aman, a differently abled poet in the love triangle Saajan that released in 1991. All the songs composed by Nadeem Shravan are superhit to date. The Lawrence D'Souza-directed movie had Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit to complete the love triangle. The movie was a blockbuster.

Jai in ‘Kaante’

Sanjay Dutt and his close friend Sanjay Gupta have made many films together. Kaante (2002) was inspired by the 1992 Quentin Tarantino movie Reservoir Dogs. The American director said Kaante is one of his favourite inspired movies from his classic work. Fans often demand a sequel to Kaante.

‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’

After the mega success of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra rolled out another critical and commercial hit with the sequel, Lage Raho Munna Bhai in 2006. 'Gandhigiri' become a catchphrase after the movie in daily life. Vidya Balan, Dilip Prabhavalkar and Dia Mirza were part of the lead cast. The movie swept all awards in categories like writing, screenplay and dialogues.

Fans will soon get to see Sanjay Dutt as Big Bull in Puri Jagannadh's Double iSmart that will release on August 15, 2024. Dutt has also shot a bit for Welcome To The Jungle with Firoz Nadiadwala. We hope that Sanju Baba stays in great shape and entertains us for many more years to come.

Happy birthday, Sanjay Dutt!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2024 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).