Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has courted controversy after appearing on Shekhar Tonite on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, where he spoke about the current state of the country and said that he no longer feels "peace" in the nation.
During the conversation, Sanjay also brought his iconic Munna Bhai character into a political satire. He humorously imagined himself as the Prime Minister of India for five minutes and delivered a fictional address to the nation in his signature Munna Bhai style.
He said, "The people of this country are so lovely. There should be peace here. I can't feel that peace in our country anymore. We Indians are large-hearted people, and we are hospitable. We have given so much, and we should always remain that way. I pray to Shivji that those days come back soon."
He said, "Bole toh itna bada desh hai, itne saare log hain aur ab hum sabki zimmedari apun ke upar. Par aap log ekdum tension nahi lene ka. Apun is khushi ko celebrate karne videsh nahi jaane wala hai. Apun idharich rahega, aap sab logon ke beech. Nahi to PM aur janta mein connection kaise banega. Lekin aap log ekdum tension nahi lene ka. Apun is khushi ko celebrate karne videsh nahi jaane wala hai. Apun idharich rahega, aap sab logon ke beech. Nahi to PM aur janta mein connection kaise banega." ("This is such a huge country, there are so many people, and now the responsibility of all of them is on me. But you people don't have to worry at all. I am not going abroad to celebrate this happiness. I will stay right here, among all of you. Otherwise, how will there be a connection between the PM and the people? But you people don't have to worry at all. I am not going abroad to celebrate this happiness. I will stay right here, among all of you. Otherwise, how will there be a connection between the PM and the people?"
("This is such a huge country, there are so many people, and now the responsibility of all of them is on me. But you people don't have to worry at all. I am not going abroad to celebrate this happiness. I will stay right here, among all of you. Otherwise, how will there be a connection between the PM and the people? But you people don't have to worry at all. I am not going abroad to celebrate this happiness. I will stay right here, among all of you. Otherwise, how will there be a connection between the PM and the people?")
Sanjay Dutt calls Trump mamu
Sanjay Dutt then extended his imaginary foreign policy to Donald Trump, whom he referred to as "Trump mamu".
"Aur agar desh ko frame mein laana hai to thoda duniya ko bhi frame mein laana padega na. Bole to apun dekh raha hai ki Trump mamu puri duniya ko out of frame karne mein laga hai. (And if we want to bring the country into the frame, then we will have to bring the world into the frame too. I can see that Trump mamu is trying to push the whole world out of the frame)."
Sanjay Dutt clarifies statement
Following the controversy, Sanjay took to social media to clarify his comments. He said it was never his intention to hurt, offend or disrespect the sentiments of any individual, community or institution.
He explained that the spirit behind his comments was similar to the humour and satire seen in the Munna Bhai films, particularly the concept of "Gandhigiri", which promotes love, warmth, togetherness and goodwill.
Sanjay said his words were unfortunately interpreted outside the context in which they were intended.
Sanjay Dutt's past controversies
Sanjay Dutt has faced several controversies over the years, including his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case. He was among those accused and faced charges under TADA and other laws.
In 2006, a designated court convicted him under the Arms Act for possessing unauthorised weapons and sentenced him to six years in prison. He was acquitted of the other charges, including those under TADA.
In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld his Arms Act conviction but reduced his sentence to five years.
Sanjay Dutt was last seen in the political drama Aakhri Sawal, which was released in May. He is also set to return as Ballu Balram in Khalnayak Returns.
