Sanjay Dutt: Bade dilwala

Sanjay Dutt

On Monday evening, while sitting with his friends at his Bandra home, Sanjay Dutt was so overcome with emotion when representatives of an old age home came to meet him, that he immediately signed a cheque for a few lakhs for the home.

Ever since the special TADA court has been giving its verdict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, the Bollywood actor has been maintaining a low profile. The verdict on Dutt, who is accused No 117, is slated to be pronounced in the next few weeks.

Surprise, surprise

Says an onlooker, "There were some representatives from the Manav Asha Seva Trust who had approached him. Even though he has not been meeting anyone except his close friends, he agreed to chat with them. They were taken by complete surprise when he handed over the cheque to them on the spot."

The Manav Asha Seva Trust will set up an old age home at Khalapur, about 10 kms away from the Panvel bus depot, on the old Mumbai-Pune highway.

Adds a source, "A couple of months ago, Dutt had been approached by some people associated with the Manav Asha Seva project. At that time, they were setting up the project and had told him the details. They had requested help and he agreed. Now when things are falling in place, they wanted to meet him again."

Spiritual Sanju

Incidentally, Dutt's last release, Lage Raho Munna-bhai, also has an old age home as its backdrop. "That is a mere coincidence. It is not that because of the film and its subject that Dutt was influenced to provide a helping hand to the home."

It is learnt that Dutt, who has not been shooting for a while now, keeps himself busy watching films and catching up on cricket matches on TV. "He has also become very spiritual. It is just that now he wants to keep to himself."

And how much was the exact amount Dutt generously gave? "He would not like it to be mentioned. He only told them this is something his dad (Sunil Dutt) would have done too," adds the source.

When asked, officials from the Manav Asha Seva Trust preferred to be tightlipped about the details.