Bollywood veteran actor Sunil Dutt, whose love story with the beautiful superstar of the 1950s, Nargis Dutt, made many headlines and was no less than a superhit masala Bollywood movie script.
Sunil Dutt Biography
Born on June 6, 1929, in Khurd village, Jhelum district in British India (in present-day Pakistan), Sunil Dutt was a famous Bollywood actor, director, humanitarian, and politician. Due to his surname, many even today think that he was a Bengali, but Sunil Dutt was a Punjabi by birth.
He was born into a Mohiyal Brahmin family, and his parent’s names were Dewan Raghunath Dutt and Kulwantidevi. His father died when he was very young and still in school. The exact reason for his father’s death is not known, but he died after drinking sweet milk at a shop near his home.
Sunil Dutt’s real name was Balraj Dutt, but he later changed it to Sunil Dutt after joining Bollywood to avoid confusion with veteran actor Balraj Sahani. His family immigrated to India in 1947 after the partition, but Sunil was already in Lucknow as a clerk in the army.
He moved to Bombay in 1950 to complete his studies as he badly wanted his graduation certificate. He enrolled in Jai Hind College through a special quota for refugee students.
He also worked with BEST as a timekeeper for a monthly salary of 120 Rupees. During a drama in college, Sunil Dutt was the narrator or voice from the background. A radio Ceylon representative was present there who liked Dutt Saheb’s voice and offered him a job as a Radio Jockey at a salary of 300 Rupees per month.
He started his career as a radio presenter in the Hindi service of Radio Ceylon, and his famous show was “Lux Ke Sitare.” He was always interested in Bollywood and wanted to act in Hindi movies, and this job just acted as a catalyst. He got his chance to meet Bollywood stars as his show was gaining popularity, and it was one of the best mediums to promote upcoming movies in those days.
He was spotted by filmmaker Ramesh Saigal while interviewing Dilip Kumar during the shooting of “Shikast.” Impressed by his looks, Ramesh Saigal asked if he wanted to work in films, to which Sunil Dutt answered that he would only do so if he was cast in a lead role.
Sunil Dutt rose to fame with Mother India, but he played all kinds of roles, from serious to comedy. His comic role in Padosan with Kishore Kumar and Mahmood was one of the most loved.
He was a popular actor and a successful politician. He joined the Indian National Congress and even became the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, but today, we will talk about his love story with Nargis. Sunil Dutt married the beautiful Bollywood actress Nargis. From their meeting to their marriage and after marriage, the story is no less than a film script.
Sunil Dutt’s Wife or Nargis Husband
Today, we refer to Nargis as Sunil Dutt’s wife, but at that time, many people in Bollywood and even outside Bollywood referred to Sunil Dutt as Nargis’s husband. When both got married on 11 March 1958, Nargis was a superstar, while Sunil Dutt was trying to make a name for him in the industry.
Both got married according to Hindu rituals at the new House bought by Sunil Dutt in Pali Hills.
Nargis has already received the Filmfare award for her movie Mother India and was also awarded Padma Shi by the Indian government. She was the first actress in history to receive the prestigious award.
Sunil Dutt was very much in love with Nargis even before they met or worked together. So, on the occasion of his birthday, let us tell you about the love story of Nargis and Dutt Saheb.
The First Meeting
Though the Nargis and Sunil Dutt love story started in 1957 during the shooting of Mother India Dutt Saheb was already in love with Nargis when he saw her for the first time. They met for the first time during an interview on the radio.
It is said that Sunil Dutt became so nervous after seeing Nargis during the interview that he could not even ask questions. This was not the beginning of Sunil and Nargis’s love. It was their first meeting and the beginning of a never-ending love story.
The second meeting
After this, Nargis and Sunil had their second meeting on Bimal Roy’s film ‘Do Bigha Zamin.’ Sunil Dutt had reached there, and Nargis had come to meet Bimal Roy. In such a situation, they remembered their last meeting when both came face to face. Seeing Sunil Dutt, Nargis smiled, and it left Sunil Dutt awe stock.
The first movie together
More interestingly, Sunil Dutt got the role of Nargis’s son in Mehboob Khan’s film Mother India. During the shooting, Sunil used to forget the line after seeing Nargis and could not act. During this, Nargis helped him so that he could perform comfortably. Sunil Dutt was very impressed by Nargis’s behavior.
It is said that Sunil Dutt’s role was offered to Dilip Kumar earlier, but he refused the offer and said that Nargis is his heroine; how can he play the role of her son? Although Mehboob Khan offered Dilip Kumar the double role of father and son, Dilip Kumar disagreed.
However, even Sunil and Nargis would not have thought that this film would make them fall in love. A scene on the set of ‘Mother India’ was to be filmed where a fire broke out. For this, straw was spread all around. When it was set on fire, it went out of control.
Nargis got trapped inside during the scene and started screaming for help. Seeing Nargis trapped in the fire, Sunil Dutt jumped to save her. He saved Nargis but got burnt marks on his chest and face. This was the first time Nargis realized someone could love her so much that he did not care for his own life.
Nargis showed care towards Sunil Dutt
After this incident, Sunil Dutt’s sister fell ill. Sunil did not know any doctors in Mumbai. Nargis went to the hospital with her sister without informing Sunil Dutt and got treatment in such a situation. Due to this, Sunil Dutt started loving Nargis even more. He proposed to Nargis for marriage, and Nargis agreed. After that, both got married secretly as Mother India’s director Mehboob Khan did not want this news to spread as it could have hampered his movie.
Nargis and Sunil Dutt’s age difference
Many people have a misconception that Nargis and Sunil Dutt had a considerable age gap, but contrary to it, they were almost the same age. They were only divided by 5 days. Nargis was 5 days older than Dutt Saheb.
Life After Marriage
Sunil Dutt and Nargis had three children (one son and two daughters). Sanjay Dutt is the youngest of the three children, and Priya Dutt is the youngest.
Sunil Dutt carried on his acting career and appeared in many movies. He did all kinds of movies ranging from action to comedy.
His 1968 movie, ‘Padosa,’ is still regarded as one of the cult comedy movies. In it, he was paired opposite Saira Banu, who was 15 years younger than him.
However, Nargis was diagnosed with cancer before the release of Sanjay Dutt’s debut film Rocky. She was receiving treatment, but she was constantly in pain. She said she would watch her son’s first film regardless of what happened. Although Sanjay Dutt’s film was released on May 8, 1981, Nargis died on May 3. Sunil Dutt, on the other hand, kept his promise to Nargis. Sunil Dutt had left one seat empty on the day of the film’s premiere; that seat was reserved for Nargis Dutt.
Sunil and Nargis Dutt Movie
After their first movie, Mother India, Dutt Saheb and Nargis never acted together. Produced and directed by Sunil Dutt, Yaadein, released in 1964, had a Silhouette of Nargis. The movie had only one actor and also registered its name in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the fewest actors in a movie.
Sunil Dutt death
Sunil Dutt died on 25th May 2005 due to a heart attack at his Bandra residence. He was 75 years old at the time of death and was just 11 days away from completing his 76 years of life. What can be the bigger evidence of Sunil Dutt and Nargi’s love story is that both were born in June and died in May?
Some Interesting facts about Nargis and Sunil Dutt
- Sunil and Nargis Dutt addressed each other as “Pia” or “Hey There.”
- Sunil Dutt never addressed Nargis as “Nargis jee,” “Nargis,” or even as “my wife.” He always used to address her as Mrs. Dutt.
- Sunil Dutt has a younger sister and Brother. His younger brother, Som Dutt, also appeared in Hindi movies but could not make a name for himself. Later, he focused more on Punjabi movies.
- Once, Sunil Dutt and his friend had a bet on Nargis’s autograph, whose reward was a feast in a Punjabi restaurant. This was an incident when Sunil Dutt did not even enter the Hindi film industry.
- Dutt Saheb and Nargis’s elder daughter Namrata Dutt is married to Rajendra Kumar’s son Kumar Gaurav.
- Rajendra Kumar was also his roommate when he came to Bombay.
Filmography
| Year | Movie Title | Director | Producer | Budget (INR, Approx.) | Box Office Collection (INR, Approx.) | Opposite Actress | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Railway Platform | Ramesh Saigal | Ramesh Saigal | 3 lakh (est.) | 15 lakh (moderate) | Nalini Jaywant | Debut film; radio host turned actor |
| 1956 | Ek Hi Raasta | B.R. Chopra | B.R. Chopra | 40 lakh (est.) | 1 crore (superhit) | Meena Kumari | First hit with Chopra |
| 1957 | Mother India | Mehboob Khan | Mehboob Khan | 60 lakh (est.) | 8 crore (all-time blockbuster) | Nargis | Oscar nominee; married Nargis 1958 |
| 1958 | Sadhna | B.R. Chopra | B.R. Chopra | 50 lakh (est.) | 1.5 crore (superhit) | Vyjayanthimala | Social reform drama |
| 1959 | Sujata | Bimal Roy | Bimal Roy | 50 lakh (est.) | 2 crore (superhit) | Nutan | National Award-winning film |
| 1960 | Hum Hindustani | Ram Mukherjee | Sashadhar Mukherjee | 40 lakh (est.) | 1 crore (hit) | Asha Parekh | Ensemble patriotic film |
| 1962 | Main Chup Rahungi | A. Bhimsingh | A.V. Meiyappan | 50 lakh (est.) | 1.5 crore (hit) | Meena Kumari | Emotional drama |
| 1963 | Gumrah | B.R. Chopra | B.R. Chopra | 60 lakh (est.) | 2 crore (superhit) | Mala Sinha | Romantic thriller |
| 1963 | Mujhe Jeene Do | Moni Bhattacharjee | Sunil Dutt (Jagruti Pictures) | 50 lakh (est.) | 1.5 crore (hit) | Waheeda Rehman | Filmfare Best Actor; dacoit role |
| 1964 | Yaadein | Sunil Dutt | Sunil Dutt | 40 lakh (est.) | 50 lakh (average) | None (solo) | Experimental one-actor film |
| 1965 | Waqt | Yash Chopra | B.R. Chopra | 1 crore (est.) | 6 crore (blockbuster) | Sadhana | Multi-starrer; top grosser of 1965 |
| 1965 | Khandan | A. Bhimsingh | Vasu Menon | 60 lakh (est.) | 2.5 crore (superhit) | Nutan | Family drama |
| 1966 | Mera Saaya | Raj Khosla | Premji | 70 lakh (est.) | 3 crore (superhit) | Sadhana | Mystery drama |
| 1967 | Hamraaz | B.R. Chopra | B.R. Chopra | 80 lakh (est.) | 4 crore (blockbuster) | Vimi | Suspense thriller |
| 1967 | Milan | Adurthi Subba Rao | L.V. Prasad | 60 lakh (est.) | 2 crore (hit) | Nutan | Remake of Telugu film |
| 1968 | Padosan | Jyoti Swaroop | Mehmood, N.C. Sippy | 70 lakh (est.) | 3 crore (superhit) | Saira Banu | Comedy classic |
| 1970 | Bhai-Bhai | Raja Nawathe | Raja Nawathe | 60 lakh (est.) | 1 crore (average) | Asha Parekh | Lesser-known drama |
| 1971 | Reshma Aur Shera | Sunil Dutt | Sunil Dutt | 1 crore (est.) | 50 lakh (flop) | Waheeda Rehman | Directorial debut; box office failure |
| 1972 | Zindagi Zindagi | Tapan Sinha | Narsingh Narain | 80 lakh (est.) | 1 crore (average) | Waheeda Rehman | Emotional drama |
| 1974 | Geeta Mera Naam | Sadhana | R.K. Nayyar | 1 crore (est.) | 2 crore (hit) | Sadhana | Action drama; Sadhana’s directorial |
| 1976 | Nagin | Rajkumar Kohli | Shankar Movies | 1.5 crore (est.) | 5 crore (blockbuster) | Rekha | Horror hit; multi-starrer |
| 1978 | Daaku Aur Jawan | Sunil Dutt | Sunil Dutt | 1 crore (est.) | 2 crore (superhit) | Reena Roy | Directed and starred |
| 1979 | Jaani Dushman | Rajkumar Kohli | Rajkumar Kohli | 1.5 crore (est.) | 6 crore (blockbuster) | Rekha | Horror blockbuster |
| 1981 | Rocky | Sunil Dutt | Amarjeet | 2 crore (est.) | 5 crore (superhit) | Tina Munim | Sanjay Dutt’s debut; Sunil directed |
| 1986 | Kala Dhanda Goray Log | Sanjay Khan | Sanjay Khan | 2 crore (est.) | 3 crore (hit) | Anita Raj | Crime drama |
| 1993 | Parampara | Yash Chopra | Firoz A. Nadiadwala | 5 crore (est.) | 4 crore (average) | Aamir Khan (co-star) | Multi-starrer |
| 1993 | Kshatriya | J.P. Dutta | J.P. Dutta | 6 crore (est.) | 5 crore (average) | Meenakshi Seshadri | Epic multi-starrer |
| 2003 | Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. | Rajkumar Hirani | Vidhu Vinod Chopra | 10 crore | 81 crore (blockbuster) | Gracy Singh | Last film; with Sanjay Dutt |
FAQs
Saira Banu and Sunil Dutt age in 1968?
Saira Banu was 24 years while Sunil Dutt was 39 years old.