The contradictions continue in Sanjay Dutt’s life. On the one hand, there are several people, including public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and former commissioner of police M.N. Singh, along with a host of victims and some of the thinking public, who can’t help but feel that he got away too lightly for his misdeeds in 1993. Also, that with Judge Kode of the TADA court not just dropping the TADA charges against him and referring to him as Munna Bhai in court, but also pacifying him after sentencing him to six years in jail, Dutt was accorded privileges that none of the 90-odd other accused could ever hope to enjoy.

On the other hand, there are curious backers like Markandey Katju of the Press Council who has actually demanded a pardon for the actor because he revived Gandhiji’s memory! That a make-believe role should be furnished as defence for one accused of such a serious crime, and that too by a man with legal experience who holds a position of importance, is dangerously worrying. Using the same argument, should Sanjay Dutt have been in the dock merely because he played khal-nayak effectively?

Without a doubt, Munna Bhai (which one must be reminded went to Dutt out of default because Shah Rukh Khan, Raju Hirani’s original choice, dropped out of it) gave the actor a dignity that he has often tried to encash off screen. When he had made that brief foray into politics (misguided by Amar Singh), Sanju had tried to bring Munna Bhai into his speeches but got a strong reprimand from both Vinod Chopra and Raju Hirani for it. “We don’t approve of politicising Munna Bhai,” Raju had said unequivocally.

While cleansing his image, Sanjay had also once claimed that he advocated Gandhigiri in real life too. And he had then promptly contradicted himself when he supported Zinedine Zidane for head-butting Marco Materazzi at the World Cup final in 2006 by saying that one couldn’t possibly take an insult lying down, one had to hit back!

The point I’m trying to make is, by all means talk of how Sanju has reformed himself or ask for a review or pardon. But why does a film character have to be attached to an actor once the camera is off? Why should the actor milk it dry when it suits him and why should men of eminence shockingly mix the reel with the real?

Now with politicians like Rajeev Shukla (known for his glamour links) and leaders from other parties like the Shiv Sena and Samajwadi Party jumping into the fray, the “Pardon Sanju” voice has only grown stronger. The forgiving all-party mood in Dutt’s favour does not raise any eyebrows. Bal Thackeray had been the power behind Sanju’s bail, so the Shiv Sena backing Dutt today is no surprise.

What is completely understandable is the reaction of the film industry because colleagues have closed ranks like a united family and are reacting emotionally, as a family would. From Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Prada to Hrithik Roshan and Chiranjeevi, everybody’s batting for Sanjay Dutt. In fact, on Thursday it was like a mega event outside Dutt’s Bandra house when a barrage of famous names, including Rajkumar Hirani and Sujoy Ghosh with his Kahaani lady Vidya Balan, drove up to show their solidarity with the actor.

Never before has anybody got such overtly overwhelming sympathy. However, while it will take a few weeks to know how his review petition or the raucous demand for a Governor’s pardon goes, the Hindi film industry is also pragmatically having closed door meetings to see where their Sanjay Dutt starrers stand. In all probability, he will complete his guest appearance for Rajkumar Hirani’s PK while Karan Johar’s Renzil D’Silva directed film Ungli is in the clear. Since Dutt’s portions have been canned and they were shot in sync sound (which means, no dubbing required), Ungli shouldn’t really face a problem. Soham Shah’s Sher only needs dubbing dates which can be completed in the next couple of weeks. For the remake of Zanjeer, this may be just another of the many problems dogging the film.

There are some like Shilpa Shetty who are probably heaving a quiet sigh of relief. For her first production, she had needed Sanjay to do a guest appearance and he had agreed. But after a no-show by the actor, Shilpa had to sign up Sunny Deol, reportedly by paying him a bomb for stepping into Sanju’s role. Producers like her have reason to be relieved.

In what is clearly contradictory, the film folk are currently yelling for a pardon and simultaneously looking at how to save themselves should Sanjay Dutt spend the next few years of his life in jail. Of course, everything depends on how the juggernaut set off by Justice Katju gathers momentum in the days to come.

PS: One person truly worried is Salman Khan who has two legal cases pending against him and is Dutt’s close buddy. If Salman’s not been spotted driving up to Sanju’s residence, it’s because he’s in the US for a medical check-up.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is editor, The Film Street Journal