Jackie Shroff remembers legendary star Sunil Dutt on his 97th birth anniversary, shares heartfelt tribute

Bollywood star Jackie Shroff, on June 6, paid tribute to legendary actor and politician Sunil Dutt on his 97th birth anniversary.

Taking to his social media account on Saturday, Jackie shared a collage of black-and-white pictures of the late actor from his younger days. The pictures captured Sunil Dutt's charming screen presence.

Along with the pictures, Jackie wrote, "Remembering Sunil Dutt ji on his birth anniversary" and tagged Sunil Dutt's son and actor Sanjay Dutt.

The tribute was accompanied by the classic song 'Yeh Wadiyan Yeh Fizayen Bula Rahi Hain Tumhe', sung by Mohammed Rafi. The evergreen track is from the 1963 film 'Aaj Aur Kal', which starred Sunil Dutt and Nanda in lead roles.

Talking about Sunil Dutt, the actor was born on June 6, 1929, and went on to become one of the most respected figures in Indian cinema.

Reportedly, before entering films, he worked as a radio announcer, and made his acting debut with the 1955 film 'Railway Platform', but it was the 1957 classic 'Mother India' that transformed him into a major star.

The movie directed by Mehboob Khan, the film featured Nargis in the lead role, while Sunil Dutt portrayed her son, Birju. The film went on to become one of the greatest milestones in Indian cinema and was India's first official submission to the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The film also played a significant role in Sunil Dutt's personal life. It has often been reported that during the shooting of 'Mother India', as a part of the sequence, Sunil Dutt had to bravely rescue Nargis from the fire.

The incident reportedly brought the two closer and marked the beginning of their romance.

Sunil Dutt and Nargis tied the knot in 1958 and remained devoted to each other throughout their marriage.

Together, they had three children, Sanjay Dutt, Namrata Dutt, and Priya Dutt.

Over a career spanning several decades, Sunil Dutt delivered memorable performances in films such as 'Sujata', 'Mujhe Jeene Do', 'Waqt', 'Khandan', 'Padosan', 'Hamraaz', 'Reshma Aur Shera', 'Heera', 'Jaani Dushman', and 'Rocky', among many others.

Following Nargis' death in 1981, Sunil Dutt devoted himself to both his family and public service. He later entered politics and served as a Member of Parliament, and went onto be known for his humanitarian work and efforts toward social harmony.



Sunil Dutt's final screen appearance came in the 2003 film 'Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.', where he starred alongside his son Sanjay Dutt.

The legendary actor passed away on May 25, 2005, in Mumbai following a heart attack. He was 75 years old at the time of his passing.