Son of screen legends Sunil Dutt and Nargis, Sanjay Dutt was launched by his father in Rocky (1981) and went on to live one of Bollywood's most turbulent, storied lives — a saga of stardom, addiction, arrest and comeback compelling enough that Rajkumar Hirani filmed it as Sanju (2018). Through it all he remained a formidable screen presence, equally convincing as brooding action hero and lovable rogue.

His gangster drama Vaastav (1999) won him the Filmfare Best Actor award, while Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and its sequel revealed a gift for warm-hearted comedy that endeared him to a new generation. In recent years he has become Indian cinema's go-to villain across languages, memorably in KGF: Chapter 2, alongside Hindi outings such as Son of Sardaar 2 and Baaghi 4.

Filmography Highlights

• Rocky (1981) — Debut launched by father Sunil Dutt
• Naam (1986) — Career-reviving drama about a young man adrift in Dubai
• Saajan (1991) — Musical romance at the peak of his romantic-hero phase
• Khal Nayak (1993) — Iconic anti-hero role in Subhash Ghai's crime drama
• Vaastav: The Reality (1999) — Filmfare Best Actor-winning gangster tragedy
• Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) — Beloved comic turn as a gangster who enrols in medical school
• Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) — Sequel that popularised 'Gandhigiri' across India
• KGF: Chapter 2 (2022) — Menacing pan-India villain Adheera in the Kannada mega-blockbuster

Image: Wikimedia Commons. Part of the Top 50 Bollywood Celebrities series. Ranking inspired by popular industry listings; profiles are original editorial content.