Wednesday, May 25 2005 16:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Actor, social activist and politician. Sunil Dutt wore many hats and excelled in a plethora of roles that came his way - both on and off screen.

Born on June 6, 1929 Sunil Dutt grew up as Balraj Dutt in a family that had survived the Partition of India. A student of Mumbai's Jai Hind college, he first started off as radio show host and celebrity interviewer, which led to his first encounter with the glamour world.

Interestingly, wife-to-be Nargis was one of the celebrities he met in the course of his work. Soon, Dutt got a chance to enter the rarefied world of celebrities when director Ramesh Saigal offered him the hero's role in his Nalini Jaywant starrer 'Railway Platform' (1955).

'Ek Hi Raasta' (1956), marked the start of a seven-film long association with B R Chopra.

Dutt's true breakthrough came with Mehboob Khan's magnum opus 'Mother India' (1957). His portrayal of Birju, Nargis' rebellious younger son, portrayed a raw, urgent energy. Dutt's association with Nargis in the movie resulted in a more serious one, when he married her after the release of the film.

Dutt's role in women-oriented films like 'Sadhna' (1958), 'Sujata' (1959) and 'Main Chup Rahungi' (1962) were well appreciated.

Noted filmmakers like Bimal Roy (Sujata, Usne Kaha Tha), Hrishikesh Mukherji (Chhaya) and B R Chopra (Sadhna) dared to defy Sunil Dutt's established 'rebelllious Birju' image and cast him as a sensitive lover.

Dutt turned producer in the early sixties with a couple of offbeat movies - 'Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke' (1963), where heroine Leela Naidu has an adulterous relationship and 'Mujhe Jeene Do' (1963) where he played a tough-as-a-nails dacoit.

In his cinematic association with B R Chopra, Dutt gave three big hits in the sixties - 'Gumraah' (1963), 'Waqt' (1965) and 'Humraaz' (1967). He also worked with South Indian filmmakers, which resulted in emotion-heavy, rural-based hits with Nutan like 'Khandaan' and 'Milan'.

In 1967, he had a hat-trick of hits with 'Milan', 'Meherban' and 'Humraaz'. His role of a buffoon in Mehmood's 'Padosan' (1968) was much appreciated.

In 1971, he produced the blood-splattered desert love story 'Reshma Aur Shera', which failed to do well at the box office.

Still, hits like 'Zakhmee' (1975), 'Nagin' (1976) and 'Jaani Dushman' (1979) ensured that Dutt was seen romancing much-younger heroines like Rekha (Nagin, Ahimsa) and Reena Roy (Paapi, Jaani Dushman).

In 1981, Dutt's world was rocked when his wife Nargis died after a protracted battle with her cancer. In the same year, his production 'Rocky' starring his son Sanjay, hit the screens. Subsequently Dutt produced a film on cancer called 'Dard Ka Rishta'(1983) and later joined politics and social work.

But the actor in Dutt continued to surface during the last decade with movies with select filmmakers like J P Dutta (Kshatriya) and Yash Chopra (Parampara). His last screen cameo was in Rajkumar Hirani's immensely popular laugh riot 'Munnabhai MBBS' where he played on-screen father to his son Sanjay.

Few know that Dutt entertained Indian Army Jawans after conflicts with China (1962) and Pakistan (1965 and 1971) by organising Ajanta Arts Welfare Troupe and visiting various sectors where Indian Army Jawans were wounded in action.

He led a cultural delegation of eminent artists to Bangladesh (1971) to entertain Indian Army and Mukti Bahini.

Having lost wife Nargis to cancer, the cause of cancer cure was close to his heart. He made the film, "Dard Ka Rishta" on cancer and its cure and donated its profit to Tata Memorial Hospital and offered the film free to Pakistan and Bangladesh for raising funds for cancer treatment.

He also brought drugs from the United States for India's first bone marrow transplant operation at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.

Dutt also helped former Pakistan cricketer Imran Khan raise over a lakh pounds for building a cancer hospital in Pakistan named after the latter's mother.

After the killer quake in Latur and Osmanabad districts in 1993, Dutt rallied around and collected and handed over to Maharashtra Chief Minister, Rs. 42 lakh for the earthquake victims of Maharashtra and personally visited and provided blankets and utensils to the quake victims.

He organised and led a relay hunger strike of Artistes and Technicians of ilm industry for peace in Mumbai after 1992-93 riots and resigned as a Member of Parliament in protest against the riots.