Sunil Dutt or Balraj Dutt (6 June 1929 – 25 May 2005) was an Indian film actor, producer, director and politician.
He was the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government (2004–2005).
His son is actor Sanjay Dutt and his daughters are Priya Dutt who is a former Member of Parliament and Namrata Dutt.
MAKING OF A LEGEND:
Sunil Dutt was born on 6 June 1929,in Punjab. When he was five years old, Dutt’s father, Diwan Raghunath Dutt, died.
When he was 18, the Partition of India began inciting Hindu-Muslim violence across the country.
A Muslim named Yakub, who had been friends with Dutt’s father, saved their entire family.
The family resettled in the small village of Mandauli on the bank of the river Yamuna located in Yamuna Nagar, Punjab, which is now a district of Haryana.
Later he moved to Lucknow with his mother, Kulwantidevi Dutt, and spent a long time in Aminabad Galli during graduation.
He then moved to Bombay, where he joined Jai Hind College as an undergraduate and took up a job at the city’s BEST Transportation Engineering division.
CAREER:
After starting his career as a radio jockey with Radio Ceylon, Sunil Dutt decided to take up acting as a career.
Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful films which included Sadhna (1958), Sujata (1959), Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Khandan (1965) and Padosan (1967).
Dutt created a record of sorts by directing and starring in the unique film Yaadein (1964) in which he was the only actor in the cast.
He later turned producer of the 1968 film Man Ka Meet which introduced his brother Som Dutt who was unsuccessful in films.
In 1971, he produced, directed and starred in Reshma Aur Shera (1971) which was a huge failure at the box office.
He continued to star in hits that included Heera (1973), Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974), Nagin (1976), Jaani Dushman (1979), Muqabla (1979), and Shaan (1980).
He also starred in a series of Punjabi religious movies in the 1970s: Man Jeete Jag Jeet (1973), Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam (1974), and Sat Sri Akal (1977).
Even in 1980s he starred in a both leading and supporting role in several successful movies such as Dard Ka Rishta (1982), Badle Ki Aag (1982), Raaj Tilak (1984), Mangal Dada (1986), Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987) and Dharamyudh(1988).
He launched his son Sanjay’s career with Rocky in 1981 which was a success. Shortly before the film’s release, Nargis died of pancreatic cancer.
In 1995, he won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the film industry for four decades.
He returned to acting shortly before his death in 2003’s Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. in which he shared the screen with son Sanjay for the first time although they had appeared earlier in Rocky and Kshatriya but not in the same scenes together.
Sanjay Dutt And Sunil Dutt’s Exclusive Interview | Munna Bhai MBBS | Flashback Video
Industry lost the legend:
Dutt died of a heart attack on 25 May 2005 at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai.
At the time of his death, he was the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Union Government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh and was the Member of Parliament from North-west Mumbai.
He was cremated with full state honours at Santacruz Crematorium in Mumbai.
He was succeeded as Minister by Mani Shankar Aiyar. His seat in the Parliament was contested by his daughter, Priya Dutt, who won it and was a Member of Parliament until May 2014.
Dutt’s Achievements:
1963 – Filmfare Best Actor Award for Mujhe Jeene Do
1964 – National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for Yaadein
1965 – Filmfare Best Actor Award for Khandan
1967 – BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) for Milan[14]
1968 – Padma Shri
1982 – Sheriff of Bombay
1995 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
1999 – Screen Lifetime Achievement Award[15]
1998 – Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award[16]
2000 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Anandalok Awards
2001 – Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement
For upcoming birthdays keep visiting Aware earth – Birthday Today.