He’s truly a rockstar and we truly adore him. In a throwback interview, Sanjay Dutt tells Sumita Chakraborty why he’s no more the wild Sanju Baba of the past anymore, his experiences in life and why his wife Maanyata is definitely his better half.

We had met up with him a few years ago and at that time, he was in a rather philosophic mood. So he spoke about his past mistakes, what he learnt from them, how instead of making him bitter they’ve made him a better person and more. Read on…

Sanjay you’re said to be one of the finest actors in Bollywood. Do you think you’ve got your due?

I do my work and I don’t like to harp on it, so people feel that I haven’t got my dues. As long as the audience is happy and people are talking about my performance and films, I’m happy. What other people think does not matter to me.

You have had a very checkered life, is there anything you regret when you look back?

I regret nothing. I love my life the way it is. Yes I know it hasn’t been an easy life for me and it hasn’t been a bed of roses and stuff like that. But I’ve learnt from my mistakes. I have taken things in a positive way. I have learned from my experience and tried to inspire others not to commit the same mistakes. But whatever has happened, I leave it to the past and I have learnt from my mistakes and moved on.

Has it traumatised you or made you bitter?

On the contrary, it has made me calmer and more loving. it has made me forgiving and a better person. I’m not saying people should go to jail to become a better person but my experiences have changed me for the better

But is the old wild loveable badass Sanju Baba a thing of the past?

Every guy who is growing up is wild. I was Mr Dutt and Nargisji’s son so I was more in the limelight. Every boy while growing up is naughty, brash and wild. I mean I was just like one of the boys. However, I’m older now. I can’t be brash any more. I have three kids. I have a lovely wife. I’m warm and contented. So all the wildness is a thing of the past. But no, I’ve never been badass.

Your wife Maanayata has been fabulous support. Has she calmed you down?

She has never calmed me down. She is the best part of my life. An anchor, she is a beautiful wife and mother. There were so many things for her to handle especially when I was in jail. To take care of two kids, home, visit me in jail, it must have been difficult. But she did it and she did it with her head held high. She was always there for me. She never missed a single visit. I remember once during one of the mulakaat, she wasn’t looking very good. I asked her what happened and she collapsed right in front of me. My lawyer told me she had 103 fever was really unwell but she insisted on coming to see me. You see what happens is that if you miss the mulakaat, you get a date after a month, and these things matter.