This veteran actor, filmmaker, and politician worked as a bus conductor, and even a radio jockey, before becoming a Bollywood superstar
Bollywood has seen several superstars, however, Sunil Dutt was one such icon who gained stardom with his performances, and he was respected for his off-screen persona. On June 6, Sunil Dutt's 95th birth anniversary was observed, and today, we will take a look at the highs and lows of the actor, filmmaker, and politician.
Sunil Dutt's troubled childhood
Born on June 6, 1929, in a family of landlords, Sunil Dutt lost his father, Diwan Raghunath Dutt, at the age of five. After the partition of India, Sunil moved to Lucknow from Nakka Khurd (now in Pakistan). Then, in his early teens, he moved to Bombay with his mother, Kulwantidevi Dutt.
When Sunil Dutt worked as a bus conductor
After moving to Bombay, Dutt joined Jai Hind College, for higher education. To support his family and studies, Sunil started looking for a job. As an undergraduate, Sunil took up a job at the BEST Transportation Engineering division as a bus conductor. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History (Hons.) in 1954.
Sunil Dutt's journey from an actor to RJ
After graduation, Sunil Dutt got a job as a radio jockey at Radio Ceylon. Sunil used to host his show Lipton Ki Mehfil, and one day, he was recognised by director Ramesh Saigal. The filmmaker was impressed with Dutt's voice and personality, and thus he gave him a break in Railway Platform (1955). Later, Sunil rose to stardom with B.R. Chopra's family drama Ek Hi Raasta (1956) and Mehboob Khan's epic drama Mother India (1957). His other popular hits include Sadhna (1958), Gumrah (1963), Waqt (1965), and Padoson (1968)
When Sunil Dutt went bankrupt
By the late 60s, Sunil also turned producer and he was producing Reshma Aur Shera. Initially, the film was directed by Sukhdev, but Dutt was unhappy with the film, so he decided to direct and reshoot the film. The movie was released on July 23, 1971, and it was a commercial disaster. In an interview, Sunil revealed that after Reshma Aur Shera tanked, he became bankrupt, and had to sell his cars, and even mortgage his home to repay debts. He said, "I went bankrupt at that time. I had to sell my cars and started travelling by bus. I kept one car to drop my kids to school. Even my house was mortgaged." Sunil bounced back and went on to do several successful movies like Heera (1973), Nagin (1976), and Jaani Dushman (1979). From the 1980s, Sunil moved to character roles, took a sabbatical from movies in 1993, and returned to films with Munna Bhai MBBS (2003).
Sunil Dutt's political career
In 1982, Dutt was appointed as the Sheriff of Bombay, by the Maharashtra government for a year. In 2004, he was appointed as Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Union Government led by Manmohan Singh and was a Member of Parliament from North-West Mumbai, until his death. Sunil Dutt passed away on May 25, 2005, due to a heart attack.
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 "The actor who worked as bus conductor, RJ, before becoming Bollywood superstar")
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