Sanju Baba turns 62!

In the race of Badshahs and Shehenshahs, Sanjay Dutt has comfortably been the Khalnayak. But that doesn’t mean he plays the quintessential villain in Bollywood every now and then. When he first received the tag in the hit Subhash Ghai film from 1993, he ended up more as an anti-hero, a good-hearted bad boy Ballu, and received several nominations for Best Actor. Then can we agree with the title? Sanjay Dutt has in his five decades long film career, donned roles with grey shades multiple times. From Kaante’s Ajju to Vaastav’s Raghu Bhai and Prassthanam’s Baldev Pratap Singh, Dutt was the hero and antagonist, both in the same story. And all this, while also giving fans, another side to his craft, almost like an alter-ego – Munna Bhai.

To bracket Dutt as the Khalnayak would’ve been impossible if he hadn’t turned the ruthless drug-lord Kancha Cheena in Agneepath (2012), sending chills down the spines with his wicked smile and brooding eyes. This was the first time Dutt got to play an out-an-out villainous role, who was much powerful than the hero Hrithik Roshan.

Dutt got into the shoes of Danny Denzongpa from the 1990 original. But he was far more menacing with a bald head, shaved eyebrows and pierced ears. Dutt in fact ditched the prosthetics and went bald to get in the skin of his character.

Kancha Cheena was a psychopath, who took the nation by storm in no time. He portrayed everything evil in the world and his dark costume, heavily tattooed body and larger than life persona only added to the fear. Agneepath gave Bollywood its long-awaited villain who is darker than night. In a previous interview, Sanjay Dutt said, “There is a big difference between my roles in Khalnayak and Agneepath. In Khalnayak, I was more of an anti-hero who became bad because of certain circumstances whereas Kancha is a completely dark character. It’s been a challenge playing this role.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANJAY DUTT..