The son of iconic Indian actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt, Sanjay Dutt is known for the variety of roles he has played in movies like Khalnayak (1993), Vaastav: The Reality (1999), Munna Bhai MBBS (2003), Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), and Agneepath (2012). His first on-screen appearance was as a child artist in his father`s film, Reshma Aur Shera (1972), after which, he made his Bollywood debut as the lead in Rocky (1981). The movie proved to be a good stepping stone for Dutt, faring considerably well at the box-office. Popularly referred to as Sanju Baba, he has won several awards in his career span of nearly four decades and has enjoyed great success in the industry. In 2012, he launched India`s first professionally organized martial arts league, The Super Fight League, along with entrepreneur Raj Kundra.

In an unfortunate incident in April 1993, Dutt was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act. He was convicted of illegal possession of armaments. In March, the Supreme Court upheld Dutt`s five-year sentence, 18 months of which he already spent in jail during the trial. He was released in early 2016.

EARLY LIFE
The actor grew up very close to the film industry, being born to parents who were such an important part of Bollywood. He attended The Lawrence School, which is a private boarding school in Himachal Pradesh. Sanjay lost his mother, Nargis Dutt, just before the premiere of his debut film and this irreplaceable loss is often cited as the reason for his drug addiction.

PERSONAL LIFE
Sanjay Dutt married actress Richa Sharma in the year 1987, who he met while he was in a rehab in the United States. Sanjay and Richa gave birth to a daughter Trishala in the year 1988. Shortly after her birth, Richa was diagnosed with brain tumor, she lost her fight against the tumor and died in the year 1996. After fighting for Trishala`s custody, Sanjay lost the battle and Trishala grew up with her grandparents in the US. In 1998, Sanjay got married to model Rhea Pillai. The nuptial lasted for over 7 years before they divorced in the year 2005. In the year 2008, Sanjay married Manyata in a private ceremony in Goa. Sanjay and Manyata are parents to twins Shahraan and Iqra.

TELEVISION CAREER
He co-hosted the fifth season of the Indian reality show Bigg Boss along with Salman Khan. The show aired on Colors television from 2 October 2011 to 7 January 2012. Dutt later said it was Khan who persuaded him to co-host the show.

MOVIE CAREER
As an Actor
Dutt made his career debut with Rocky, opposite Tina Munim (1981). Following the good response his maiden movie got, he starred in Vidhaata (1982), which was a huge success, and one of the highest-grossing films of that year. He was then seen playing the role of a salesman in Inaam Dus Hazaar (1987), while his next film Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1988) was the third highest grossing film that year. In the same year, he appeared in Mardon Wali Baat (1988), and IIaaka (1988), which weren`t as popular at the box office. He also starred in Kabzaa (1988) and Hathyar (1989), both the movies were well received by the audiences.

Since then, Dutt has dabbled with different themes and genres, ranging from comedy to romance. His most noteworthy performances have been in the movies Sadak (1991), Saajan (1992), Khalnayak (1993), and Dushman (1998). After his fateful imprisonment, he returned to the movies with Daud (1997) which was labeled a flop by the critics. In 1999, Sanjay Dutt bounced back and gave a heart-wrenching performance in Mahesh Manjrekar`s crime drama film Vaastav: The Reality. He bagged his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor, for his portrayal of Raghu.

The beginning of the 2000s saw Sanjay venture into the genre of comedy, alongside Govinda. Together, they did successful comedy movies like Haseena Maan Jaayegi (2000), Jodi No.1 (2001), Ek Aur Ek Gyarah (2003). His 2004 film Munna Bhai M. B. B. S. took his career to greater heights. The movie ended up winning the National Film Award for Best Popular Film, with Sanjay Dutt winning a Filmfare for Best Comedian. The sequel, Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), won four National Film Awards as well. Amidst this, he featured alongside Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan in Pradeep Sarkar`s romantic drama Parineeta, which earned him a Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His portrayal of Kancha Cheena in Agneepath (2012) also won him many accolades. In 2014, Sanjay Dutt appeared in a supporting role in Rajkumar Hirani`s PK, which starred Aamir Khan in the lead role. He also appeared in the Omung Kumar action film Bhoomi (2017), before he starred in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (2018). His projects include Prassthanam (2019), Panipat (2019), Sadak 2 (2020), and Torbaaz(2020).

In 2021, Sanjay Dutt starred in movie Bhuj: The Pride of India. His filmography also includes his acting roles in Shamshera, Samrat Prithviraj, K.G.F: Chapter 2, and Toolsidas Junior (2022); Leo (2023); Double iSmart (2024); and Baaghi 4 and Housefull 5 (2025). His other movies include The Good Maharaja, Welcome To The Jungle, The Raja Saab, Dhurandhar, and Dhurandhar The Revenge.

As a Producer
In the year 2001, Sanjay Dutt along with his friend and filmmaker Sanjay Gupta launched a production house White Feather Films, which has given many critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies like Kaante, Musafir, Plan, Zinda, Shootout At Lokhandwala and Dus Kahaniyan.