21 Facts About Sunil Dutt

Sunil Dutt was the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government and a former Sheriff of Mumbai.

Sunil Dutt was born on 6 June 1929 in Nakka Khurd, Jhelum District, Punjab Province, British India into a Mohyal Brahmin family as Balraj Dutt to father Diwan Raghunath Dutt and mother Kulwantidevi Dutt.

Later he moved to Lucknow, United Provinces with his mother, Kulwantidevi Sunil Dutt, and spent a long time in the Aminabad Bazaar neighbourhood during graduation.

Sunil Dutt then moved to Bombay, Bombay State, where he joined Jai Hind College, University of Bombay in Churchgate, South Bombay as an undergraduate and took up a job at the city's BEST Transportation Engineering division.

Sunil Dutt moved to act in Hindi films and got introduced to the industry in 1955's Railway Platform.

Sunil Dutt shot to stardom in the 1957 film Mother India in which he co-starred with Nargis as her short-tempered, angry son.

Sunil Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful films which included Sadhna, Insan Jaag Utha, Sujata, Mujhe Jeene Do, Khandan, Mera Saaya and Padosan.

Sunil Dutt made his directorial debut and was the only actor to feature in the 1964 film Yaadein.

Sunil Dutt later produced the 1968 film Man Ka Meet which introduced his brother Som Dutt, Vinod Khanna and Leena Chandavarkar.

Sunil Dutt continued to star in hits that included Heera, Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye, Nagin, Jaani Dushman, Muqabla, and Shaan.

Sunil Dutt starred in a series of Punjabi religious movies in the 1970s: Man Jeete Jag Jeet, Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam, and Sat Sri Akal.

Sunil Dutt launched his son Sanjay's career with Rocky in 1981 which was a success.

Sunil Dutt founded the Nargis Dutt Foundation in her memory for the curing of cancer patients.

Sunil Dutt was a sponsor of the India Project, an organisation akin to Operation Smile for the treatment of Indian children with facial deformities.

In 1987, Sunil Dutt undertook Mahashanti Padyatra from Bombay to Amritsar to establish harmony and brotherhood when Punjab was facing heightened militancy.

Sunil Dutt reached Amritsar after walking 2000 km for 78 days from Bombay, and was accompanied by his daughter Priya Dutt and 80 other individuals in that Mahashanti Padyatra.

Sunil Dutt overcame terrible heat, a bout of jaundice and blistered feet to address more than 500 roadside meetings during the padyatra.

Sunil Dutt died of a heart attack on 25 May 2005 at his residence in Bandra, West Mumbai, two weeks before his 76th birthday, At the time of his death, he was the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Union Government led by Dr Manmohan Singh and was the Member of Parliament from North-West Mumbai.

Sunil Dutt was cremated with full state honours at Santacruz Crematorium in Mumbai.

Sunil Dutt was succeeded as Minister by Mani Shankar Aiyar.

Sunil Dutt's seat in the Parliament was contested by his daughter, Priya Dutt, who won it and was a Member of Parliament until May 2014.