He may have been born into a star family but instead of taking the easy route to success he worked from the bottom up to earn his “Star-status.”  In case you haven’t figured out who we are talking about, this story is a tribute to today’s birthday boy, Sanjay Dutt.  Also known as Sanju baba, this actor is celebrating his 50th birthday today.    Unlike many industry folks, Sanjay Dutt has decided to keep his birthday on low key.   Being the hard worker he is Sanju is spending the day shooting for his next film, “No Problem” in Cape Town, South Africa.  While he is choosing not to celebrate publicly, today is a day where many are reminiscing about Sanjay Dutt’s contribution to Hindi Cinema.

At age 50, Sanjay Dutt is still going strong, being one of the few older actors who still plays lead roles.   We love the actor for what he has become, but how can we forget the charming young boy Sanjay played in his debut film, “Rocky”, where he won every Desi girl's heart.  We grew fonder of Sanju when we watched him caught in a love triangle in Lawrence DSouza’s “Saajan.”    Or the powerful villain he portrayed in Subhash Ghai’s “Khalnayak.”  In 1999, fans were thrilled to see Sanjay Dutt take home his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor in “Vaastav.” Most recently Sanjay Dutt brought laughs to the public with his performances in the “Munna Bhai” series.   Whether he acted as a comedian, lover or a villain Sanjay Dutt has never failed to deliver a good performance.

Aside from his profession, the media covered the mega star when he was put behind bars for illegal possession of arms and the controversies within his family.  However the joy he brought to the nation as an actor sealed his loyal fan base.  After all, everyone has their own issues, but we should focus on the good as well.  Sanjay Dutt is a strong humanitarian and he continues to fight against malnutrition and hunger in India.  Sanju is strong supporter of IIMSAM (The Intergovernmental Institution for the Use of Micro- algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition). 

It has been a great half century of watching impactful performances by Sanjay Dutt.  We want to wish Sanju baba a very happy birthday.  We hope he has many more to come and will continue to provide us with pure entertainment! Enjoy a few examples of his work from some of his legendary films below.