MUMBAI/PUNE: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt used to spend most of his time inside Pune's Yerwada jail reading 'Hanuman Chalisa'.
On a day when he read it 101 times and slept, the next morning he woke up to see a monkey on a nearby tree. The same day he heard the news of his release by the Supreme Court.
When 'Sanju baba', as he is fondly called in the film industry, saw the monkey, he narrated this to his friend and co-convict Yusuf Nullwala. In that instant, both of them agreed that ''something good was going to happen.''
Three days later, Dutt walked out of the jail after the designated TADA court issued the release orders following furnishing of sureties.
This information was revealed by sources close to Dutt and the jail staff who also said that he was inspired by English footballer David Beckham and hence his new look. ''Firstly, a barber named Bhanu did his haircut, but the actor was not satisfied.
However, while glancing through a newspaper, he came across a picture of the footballer and asked for another barber,'' said the source.
When he told Nullwala that he wanted a similar haircut, he advised him not to do that. But, sources said Dutt was apprehensive as to when he would be released and that it would grow again.
''Then barber Shiva did the needful,'' said the source.
The Bollywood star who has grown up in luxury was not given any special treatment. ''They were given the normal food stuff of rice, 13 chapatis a day (three for breakfast and five each for lunch and dinner), watery dal and 'muli' ki bhaji,'' the sources said.
Due to security reasons, he was not allowed to roam outside and at the most from the prison, they used to come to the verandah.
''The day he was taken to Yerawada, he was first kept at the anda cell. However, a day later he was shifted to opposite barracks,'' the source added.
Besides, they were not able to communicate with thefellow-convicts (all those except Yakub Memon who had been sentenced to death are lodged in anda cell) which is very near to the gallows. Where the pathway leads to gallows, inscribed are words ''aakhri raasta''.
''It is a matter of fact that when the other convicts in the blasts case wanted to speak to Sanju and vice versa, the jail officials even warned them and asked them not even to look at each other,'' said the source.
On the day of his release, the Munnabhai of Bollywood, who has popularised Gandhigiri, visited the place where the Mahatma was lodged during the Raj era.
Dutt, who generally smokes the Marlboro brand of cigarettes had to manage with the Indian-made Gold Flake inside the prison.
As regards the work is concerned, he was given the work of caning right from the day one and on the day he walked out, one of the highest paid actor of Hindi film industry was richer by Rs 25.70 paise.
