Sunil Dutt(a tribute) - Page 4

DUTT'S THE WAY: Veteran actor Sunil Dutt shares a light moment with Shruti, host of The Mid Day Show, at the GO92.5FM studios

Shruti: Sir, you first began your career on radio. Tell us all about that.
Sunil Dutt: After Partition my family had to come to India to start a new life.

So we bought some land in Haryana, and then I asked my mother if I could come to Mumbai to study. I joined Jai Hind College and the first job I ever did was as the shop recorder in a bus depot.

Every evening I would wait for the buses to arrive so we could fill diesel, and then the conductors would come and tell me about broken bells and other problems that I would have to record.

In college I was also very fond of writing plays and so they made me the secretary of the dramatics society. Later, we did a very famous dance ballet and it was while I was performing in that play that someone from an ad agency heard me and offered me a job at a radio station.

We have heard all about your love story, yours and Nargisji's. Could you tell us all about how you met and fell in love?
I always knew that the woman who would become my wife had to be someone who would be able to take care of my younger brother and sister and keep my mother happy. I always knew that the day I found someone who would look after my family and me, I'd marry her instantly.

One day I was sitting at the studio quite depressed when Nargisji looked at me and asked me why I looked so tense. I told her I was worried because my sister had developed a swollen gland on her neck that the doctors diagnosed it as a TB gland. TB may be curable now, but it was a deadly disease in those days.

Later that night, after I reached home, I was very surprised to discover that Nargisji had not only come home and taken my sister to the hospital, but she had also scheduled the operation for the next day. I was really touched by her thoughtfulness. It was then that I realised that anyone who was so considerate towards other human beings could only be more so towards her own family.

FAMILY VALUES: Sunil Dutt with son Sanjay and Nargis

You directed your son Sanjay for the first time in Rocky. What was that like?
That was quite an experience. I don't think any father could possibly have worked his son so hard. I made him learn how to ride a motorcycle. I made him learn Hindi and Urdu because it was important for him to have proper diction for the movie. I even made him learn karate and dancing.

You have seen a lot of things change in the city of Mumbai. What is your message for today's youth?
The youth should always have one ambition and one goal in sight. No matter what they do, they should always strive to be number one. The youth must remember to create their own style and believe in themselves so that their ambitions and dreams are fulfilled.