How Sunil Dutt's Endless Faith In Sanjay Dutt Helped Him Out Of The Darkest Phase Of His Life

Sanju, the biographical drama based on Sanjay Dutt's life, will hit the theatres this Friday. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead, Sanju explores the father-son relationship at its heart and Hirani said that the dynamic between Sanjay and his father was one of the main reasons why he wanted to make this film.

Sanjay Dutt shared a strained relationship with his father for a long time and was one of the main reasons for him falling into drug addiction. Sanjay's troubles with substance abuse and law continuously tested his relationship with his father but Sunil Dutt always supported him no matter what. Here's how Sunil Dutt's resilience and endless faith in Sanjay Dutt helped him out of the darkest phase of his life:

Early Struggles: One of the reasons for Sunil Dutt's strong resilience was that he himself had seen too many hardships in life like the Pakistan partition and coming to Mumbai to make a living. Such turbulent phases made him a strong and a wise man. This was why he kept supporting Sanjay Dutt even when everyone else had given up on him.

Good Cop, Bad Cop: As mentioned earlier, Sanjay never shared an easy relationship with his father. When he was 6 years old, he wanted to smoke a cigarette and Sunil gave him to smoke one. But after seeing how easily he was doing it he punished Sanjay and sent him to boarding school a few years later. This, according to Sanjay, was the moment when he started resenting his father and would hardly talk to him.

He thought that he wasn't even Sunil's biological son and hence they had sent him to a boarding school. 

Conversations with Nargis: While Sanjay's mother Nargis was on her deathbed, Sunil recorded conversations with her and he came to know about Sanjay's drug addiction. Rather than getting angry, he sent Sanjay to rehab and supported him throughout. He also sent those tapes to Sanjay who cried a lot after hearing his mother's voice and her messages for him. 

Trouble With The Law: When Sanjay's connections with the Underworld surfaced and he was arrested under TADA Act for illegal possession of a rife and an ammunition, he was sent to jail while the media and the nation branded him as a terrorist. During the darkest phase of Sanjay's life, Sunil Dutt continuously supported him and had full faith that his son is not a terrorist.

He stood by him and would visit him daily in prison telling him that he would soon be out. Sunil even took political help and Bal Thackery had a huge role in Sanjay securing bail.

Personal Life: Sunil Dutt was unaware of Sanjay's marriage to Richa Sharma and came to know of this from a journalist but he told him that Sanjay's personal life is none of his business. He supports his son's decisions. 

Munnabhai MBBS: According to Sanjay Dutt, while shooting for Munnabhai MBBS, the two came close and resolved all the issues between them. Sanjay Dutt said that he would always regret that his father couldn't see him a free man but during the climax of Munnabhai MBBS, just like the characters, father-son patched up for good.