Sunil Dutt

Famous Bollywood actor, director and parliamentarian, Sunil Dutt was born on June 6, 1930 as Balraj Dutt in the village of Khurd in present-day Pakistan. His family came over to India during the partition of the country in 1947. He did his undergraduate studies in Mumbai's Jai Hind College and started his career as an announcer in the Hindi Service of Radio Ceylon. He shifted to Bollywood and his first Bollywood movie was Railway Platform in 1955. He strode into the limelight with the 1957 film Mother India with Nargis. He married Nargis on March 11, 1958.

He starred in many successful Hindi movies thereafter, which include Sadhna, Sujata, Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke, Padosan, Gumraah, Waqt, Hamraaz and many others. He directed and starred in the movie Reshma Aur Shera which failed to set the box office on fire. Sunil Dutt set the launchpad for his son Sanjay's foray into Bollywood with the movie Rocky in 1981. When his wife Nargis Dutt died of cancer in 1981, he established the Nargis Dutt foundation in memory of his wife for treating cancer patients.

He was appointed as the Sheriff of Mumbai in 1982. He ended his movie career with Kshatriya in 1993. He returned to Bollywood with the hit movie Munna Bhai M.B.B.S in 2003. Among the awards he received include the Filmfare Best Actor Award in 1963, the Filmfare Best Actor Award in 1965 and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. The Government of India honoured him with the Padmashri.

Last Updated on: Aug 10, 2017