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Sunil Dutt passes away

Mumbai, May 25
Veteran actor and Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Sunil Dutt died here today after a brief illness, sending a wave of shock and grief in the film industry and political circle.

The 75-year-old Dutt, who had been in public eye for the last five decades, including 40 years as a star actor, is survived by his son Sanjay Dutt, a popular actor himself, and two daughters.

The President, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who was in St. Petersburg today, condoled the death of the Union minister. The President sent a message of condolence to Sanjay Dutt. A wreath would be laid on the body of Sunil Dutt on behalf of President Kalam, Press Secretary to the President, Mr S. M. Khan, said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today expressed deep shock over the death of the Union minister and veteran Bollywood actor, describing him as a ''truly secular man.'' “Mr Dutt played a promising role in Indian politics and cinema,” she told reporters at her residence.

Ms Gandhi said Sunil Dutt always stood for secular principles and recalled how he stood by Indira Gandhi after she faced an electoral defeat in 1977. Ms Gandhi said Dutt was working very hard in his ministry. ''He was one of the leaders who enthused us to undertake the Dandi March recently,'' she added.

Asked if she would attend his funeral, she said she might go herself or ask her son, Rahul, to participate in it.

A popular star in the 1960s, Dutt, and his late wife, Nargis, made a name for themselves in the social and cultural circles, contributing their mite for many causes.

A five-time MP, Dutt contested his first Lok Sabha elections after joining the Congress in 1984. He was a personal choice of late Rajiv Gandhi. Winning the Mumbai North West seat in his maiden attempt, he retained it in the 1989 and 1991 elections.

He did not contest the 1996 and 1998 elections, as he was preoccupied with a case against his son, Sanjay; the case was put up by the Mumbai police. He won the 1999, 2000 and 2004 elections.

Dutt acted in scores of films, including the classic Mother India, which propelled him to stardom, Gumraah, Waqt, Humraaz, Khandaan, Milan, Reshma Aur Shera.

Actor, social activist and politician. Sunil Dutt wore many hats and excelled in a plethora of roles that came his way—both on and off screen.

Born on June 6, 1929, Sunil Dutt grew up as Balraj Dutt in a family that had survived the Partition of India. A student of Mumbai’s Jai Hind College, he first started off as radio show host and celebrity interviewer, which led to his first encounter with the glamour world. Wife-to-be, Nargis, was one of the celebrities he met in the course of his work.

Soon, Dutt got a chance to enter the world of cinema when director Ramesh Saigal offered him the hero's role in his Nalini Jaywant starrer Railway Platform (1955). Ek Hi Raasta (1956) marked the start of a seven-film long association with B R Chopra.

Dutt’s real breakthrough came with Mehboob Khan’s magnum opus, Mother India (1957). His portrayal of Birju, Nargis’ rebellious younger son, portrayed a raw, urgent energy. Dutt’s association with Nargis in the movie resulted in a more serious one, when he married her after the release of the film.

Dutt’s roles in women-oriented films like Sadhna (1958), Sujata (1959) and Main Chup Rahungi (1962) were well appreciated.

Noted filmmakers like Bimal Roy (Sujata, Usne Kaha Tha), Hrishikesh Mukherji (Chhaya) and B R Chopra (Sadhna) dared to defy Sunil Dutt's established “rebellious Birju” image and cast him as a sensitive lover.

Sunil Dutt, who died the day on which he assumed office last year, was to have held a unique meeting on Thursday with the country's top sportspersons.

Dutt, who would have turned 76 on June 6, was to meet the athletes at Vigyan Bhavan to listen to their grievances and also to give financial help to the deserving.

The Congressman was unlike a politician in every sense of the term. He acted and behaved like a true sportsman wherever he went, mingling with athletes and egging them on to work for higher goals.

The film actor-turned-politician was easily accessible to athletes and officials. He wanted to do so much for Indian sport, though bureaucratic hassles often tied him down.

Dutt was in a hurry to help sportspersons and to become a catalyst for them to gain worldwide recognition. This he made clear while distributing special awards to athletes at Vigyan Bhavan in March.

He cajoled the cream of India's sports stars gathered there to reach the top and buttressed his point by reciting a famous couplet by well-known Urdu poet Allama Iqbal: "Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain, abhi ishaq ke imtihaan aur bhi hain (there is a world beyond the stars, there are more tests ahead for the passion of love)"

That smile will now linger forever, at least in the minds of those who were present at Vigyan Bhavan on March 2. — Agencies