‘I was dying’: Sanjay Dutt recalls shocking moment he asked father Sunil Dutt for help, went to rehab, is clean since 40 years

Sanjay Dutt’s life has always been full of highs, lows, and public attention. Fans even got to see a glimpse of it in his biopic 'Sanju', where Ranbir Kapoor brought his story to life on screen. But behind the glitz and glamour, his real journey has been far more turbulent, filled with battles with addiction, brushes with the law, and personal heartbreaks.

Recently, on The Himanshu Mehta Show, Dutt opened up about one of the darkest moments of his life, recalling the terrifying day he saw himself in the mirror and realised he was literally “dying.”

Sanjay Dutt realised he was facing death

Realising the gravity of his situation, Sanjay knew he had to ask for help. He said, “The turning point was me. One morning I woke up, went to the bathroom, and I saw myself, and I got scared. I could see I was dying. My face looked like something else. So I went to my father (Sunil Dutt) for help at that time, and he helped me and stood by me. I was one of the lucky ones who was sent, in those days, to a rehab in America. I spent two years in that rehab.” With his father’s help, Sanjay was sent to a rehabilitation programme in America, giving him a chance to truly start over.

Rehab experience transformed Sanjay Dutt’s perspective

Reflecting on his time in rehab, he shared, “In those two years, I went out with the counsellors, I went by the lake, I had barbecues. I was more interactive, more talkative. I was talking about cinema, talking about this, that, everything. And I said, ‘What the hell was I wasting all these years? Instead of looking at this beautiful lake, having a barbecue, running a marathon on the highways, taking bike rides, this was something else, something I had never experienced for so many years. And I said, ‘No matter what, this is the life I want. Not what I was living.’ That was the turning point.”

Sanjay Dutt urged youth to avoid addiction

He also took the opportunity to send a strong message to young people, emphasising the importance of self-awareness, “Never. It’s been about more than 40‑something years now. Never. Because when I look back at that life, I realise ‘that’s not me,’ and I don’t know how I did that.”

Sanjay Dutt on the work front

Today, Sanjay Dutt continues to live a clean and fulfilling life. He has remained free from drugs for over 40 years and looks back at his past as a life he no longer recognises. He will next be seen on the big screen in Aditya Dhar’s 'Dhurandhar', scheduled to release on December 5, 2025.

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