You have to watch a B-grade action thriller like 'Khauff' or 'Baaghi' or 'Jung' in a seedy cinema hall, reverberating with a constant barrage of loud cheering, shrill whistling and vigorous verbal applause, to appreciate the adulation Sanjay Dutt enjoys among the front benchers. 

While the less sophisticated moviegoers have always welcomed him thus (thanks to his towering screen presence), the critics have finally brushed aside his 'macho man' image and accepted him as a genuine actor. Early this year, the deadly Dutt won his first award in 20 years, for his stunning portrayal of a man pushed into a life of crime and trapped in Mumbai's murky underbelly, in Mahesh Manjrekar's 'Vaastav' (1999).

And a lot of it surely came from his own experiences -- painful, bitter and humiliating. The droopy-eyed Dutt has been through everything ranging from a love-hate relationship with his famous father, Sunil Dutt; the untimely death of mother Nargis, whom he worshipped; a near fatal brush with the wild side of life, booze and drugs; separation from his daughter Trishala, the death of his estranged wife, Richa, and finally, a long and arduous prison sentence. 

Through it all, his screen career has also taken a roller-coaster ride with innumerable highs and lows. Today, at the ripe young age of 41, Sanjay finally seems to have attained some stability, both professionally and personally. Following the commercial success of films like 'Daag-The Fire', 'Haseena Maan Jayegi' and 'Vaastav' (all 1999), Dutt is now back in the reckoning amongst Bollywood's hottest stars. And marriage to model Rhea Pillai, who stood by him like the rock of Gibraltar when he became a nervous wreck, after being implicated in the infamous bomb blasts that rocked the city in 1993, and had to spend a year and a half in jail. By the time he stepped out in September 1995, Sanjay Dutt had virtually been written off by the film industry. 

The failure of high-profile projects like Ramgopal Varma's 'Daud' (1997) only reinforced his rejection by the fickle fraternity. It didn't take too long for the gutsy star to bounce back, though. Like he'd done several times in the past. In fact, his career was in danger of being nipped in the bud soon after a fairly ordinary debut in 'Rocky' (1981). Despite the success of films like 'Vidhaata' (1982), a doped out Sanjay couldn't quite establish himself as a steady player. 


Finally, he cleaned up his act and made his first comeback with an intense and heartfelt act in Mahesh Bhatt's 'Naam' (1986). In fact, he delivered similar, unexpected gems from time to time and broke away from his muscle-flexing action hero image. Be it the role of a lame, reclusive poet in Lawrence D'Souza's 'Saajan' (1991) or the part of a taxi driver who dares to take on the mafia in Mahesh Bhatt's 'Sadak' (1991) or then the anti-hero, who's basically good at heartbut loses his way to become a criminal in Subhash Ghai's 'Khalnayak' (1993). 


Today, Dutt's on the upswing. His newfound flair for comedy, as seen in 'Khoobsurat' (1999) and 'Haseena Maan Jayegi' has widened his horizons and looks like he's all set to take on not just the Khan trio, but also kids like Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan who're half his age! But then, having put his worse behind him, Sanjay Dutt seems determined to start living all over again…