- Born
- Died
- Birth nameBalraj Dutt
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- 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 6th, 1926, 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.
Interestingly, 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
film-world, 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 true breakthrough came with Mehboob
Khan's magnum opus 'Mother India' (1957).
His portrayal of Birju, Nargi's 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 role in women-oriented films like 'Sadhna' (1958), 'Sujata'
(1959) and 'Main Chup Rahungi' (1962) were well-appreciated. Noted
filmmakers like Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherji and B R Chopra dared to
defy Sunil Dutt's established rebellious Birju image and cast him as a
sensitive lover.
Dutt turned producer in the early sixties with a couple of offbeat
movies - 'Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke' (1963), where heroine Leela Naidu
has an adulterous relationship and 'Mujhe Jeene Do' (1963) where he
played a dacoit.
In his cinematic association with B R Chopra, Dutt gave three big hits
in the sixties - 'Gumraah' (1963), 'Waqt' (1965) and 'Humraaz' (1967).
He also worked with South Indian filmmakers, which resulted in
emotion-heavy, rural-based hits with Nutan like 'Khandaan' and 'Milan'.
In 1967, he had a hat-trick of hits with 'Milan', 'Meherban' and
'Humraaz'. His role of a buffoon in Mehmood's 'Padosan' (1968) was much
appreciated.
In 1981, Dutt's world was rocked when his wife Nargis died after a
protracted battle with her cancer. He later joined politics and social
work.
But the actor in Dutt continued to surface during the last decade with
movies with select filmmakers like J P Dutta 'Kshatriya' and Yash
Chopra 'Parampara'. His last screen cameo was in Rajkumar Hirani's
immensely popular laugh riot 'Munnabhai MBBS', where he played
on-screen father to his son Sanjay.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Arun
- SpouseNargis(1959 - May 3, 1981) (her death, 3 children)
- ChildrenPriya DuttNamrata Dutt
- ParentsDiwan Raghunath DuttKulwanti Devi
- Heavy, impactful voice
- Frequently collaborated with filmmaker Baldev Raj Chopra
- Besides being a big supporter of secularism, he was totally against the
concept of dowry and it is said that he told his wife to come in the
same dress that she wore during the wedding to his house. He also made
a film "Yeh Aag Kab Bujhegi" on this topic. - Sunil Dutt's daughter, Priya, will be the Congress party candidate for
the Bombay North West Constituency, which was represented by her dad. - Survived a plane crash and a bad car accident.
- Has three children: one son, Bollywood actor, Sanjay Dutt, and two
daughters, Namrata and Priya. His daughter-in-law, Sanjay's first wife,
died of cancer. His second daughter-in-law is Rhea Pillai.
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