Hailing the creative and artistic geniuses of late actors Sunil Dutt and his wife Nargis Dutt, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said their life was influenced by a larger vision of India.

"It is rare to find a couple whose life of romance, love and exceptional artistic accomplishments was so deeply influenced by their larger vision of India. In fact, it became the guiding factor in the life of both Sunil and Nargis Dutt," Manmohan Singh said.

He was speaking at a function after releasing a book "Mr. & Mrs. Dutt: Memories of our Parents" by Namrata Dutt Kumar and Priya Dutt, daughters of the Dutt couple.

"To think about others and care for the underprivileged was their abiding and overriding concern," the prime minister said.

"Shri Sunil Dutt and Smt. Nargis Dutt were in every sense of the term extraordinary individuals. They were true citizens of our Republic, patriotic and secular and deeply committed to the value system inhabited by us through our freedom struggle.

"They were public-spirited artists, tremendously creative and tremendously concerned. I salute their memory," he said.

He added that both of them had played important role in our parliamentary life.

"Nargisji was an active member of the Rajya Sabha and Dutt Saheb was, till his last breath, a true soldier of the Congress Party. His historic march from Mumbai to Amritsar in 1987 to promote the cause of communal harmony and his invaluable work for riot victims brought out what he and Mrs. Dutt stood for till the very end of their lives,"