Sanjay Dutt and Maanyata Dutt's love story: From friendship to an unbreakable bond

Sanjay Dutt and his wife Maanyata Dutt were recently in the news owing to a video that featured them taking seven pheras around the holy fire. It was speculated that Sanjay Dutt at the age of 65 married for the fourth time with none other than his third wife Maanyata Dutt. Now whether it was their fourth marriage or a spiritual ritual as a puja was held at their residence, it made us recall the rock-solid love story of Sanjay Dutt and Maanyata Dutt

Sanjay Dutt and Maanyata Dutt kept their love story away from the public eye. People only came to know about their relationship after they got married in 2008. Before their wedding, they had 2 years as courtship period.

The story of Sanjay Dutt and Maanyata Dutt (a.k.a Dilnawaz Shaikh)

Reports say that when Sanjay Dutt and Maanyata Dutt (who back then was called Dilnawaz Shaikh) met, the actor was involved with a junior artist Nadia Durrani. Both the ladies were very different from each other. On the one hand, where Nadia was only interested in the materialistic pleasures that Sanjay Dutt could provide, Maanyata was more interested in taking care of the ‘Vastav’ star.

Reportedly Maanyata used to cook for Sanjay Dutt, she would often drop by on the sets with his favourite food. She also started taking a keen interest in Sanjay’s personal and professional matters. Maanyata also maintained a cordial relationship with all of Sanjay’s friends. It was her compassion and warmth that melted Sanjay Dutt.

Besides being compassionate, Maanyata was also very protective of the actor. She also spoke about her protective nature during an interaction with India Today in 2009. She explained the reason behind her nature and it appeared she was right in all ways possible. "Wherever there's power, there's bound to be a lot of conspiracy hovering around that source of power. And let's face it, Sanju is very powerful. There were too many people around him trying to use him. I came like a barricade in Sanju's life to stand between him and those who want to use him. Naturally, these fair-weather friends resent me. I spoilt their party, you see," she said.

Sanjay Dutt and Maanyta Dutt’s wedding
Sanjay Dutt and Maanyata Dutt took the leap of faith in 2008. According to the Hindu rituals, they tied the knot at the Taj Exotica in Goa on February 7, 2008. Their pictures and videos surfaced online and their contentment was too infectious to miss.

In an old interview, Maanyta expressed her happiness when she said, “I've never been happier. Sanju has stood by me through thick and thin. I've known him for nine years. We started seeing each other seriously in 2005. But he knew my past. So when 'friends' tried to provoke him he just laughed it off. He knew everything about me. When I was going through hell before my marriage, I'd pick up the phone and ask him for help. We're both very positive people and we like to live and let live. We both believe in forgiving. And we believe every saint can have a past. And every sinner can have a future."

Their wedding took another beautiful turn when the couple welcomed their twins - a baby boy and a girl - Shahraan and Iqra Dutt on October 21, 2010.

When even Sanjay Dutt’s jail time couldn’t break their bond
On the one hand, where Sanjay Dutt was in seventh heaven owing to his marital bliss, on the other hand, fate had other plans. He was sentenced to three and a half years of jail time due to his alleged connections in the 1993 blasts. When everyone left Sanju for good, Maanyta still stood by his side. Nothing was able to break their bond, not even the jail time.