By Subhash K Jha

It was a somber Wednesday evening at Sanjay Dutt's Pali Hill residence when the actor's incarceration was just hours away. Sanjay Dutt decided to spend the evening with his wife Maanyata and his twins.

And contrary to reports on Thursday morning there were no dramatic outbursts from Dutt. According to his friends Dutt was remarkably calm and controlled on the evening before his impending incarceration

`In fact Baba was providing comfort to Maanyata Bhabha who was acutely tense and inconsolable. `

Close friends dropped in to wish Dutt goodbye promising to be there for his family.

Among the actors who stayed with Dutt for a major part of the evening were Ajay Devgn. Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who had just returned to Mumbai were seen at the Dutts' residence for some time.


Says a source, `There was not much conversation. No one seemed in the mood to talk. And Baba's appointment with the prison the next morning was not mentioned at all.

It was almost as if the impending catastrophe would somehow go away. Baba had dreaded going back in for 20 years now. He lived with that dread every single day. And now it was finally happening. `

Says a close friend of the troubled star, `Baba's main concern is Maanyata and the twins. Each time a close friend would drop in his brows would crease and his eyes would well up. He would look heavenwards helplessly. `

Apparently both Ajay and Abhishek have promised to look after Dutt's family in his absence. And Abhishek, we hear, has agreed to make a guest appearance in Sanjay Dutt Productions' Hasmukh Pighal Gaya.


Other close friends like Apoorva Lakhia and Bunty Walia decided to stay away from Dutt on his last day of freedom, so he could have some private time with his family.

And for those who are wondering where Dutt's devoted pal Suniel Shetty, known to stand by his friends through thick and thin, had disappeared, the sad truth is Dutt and Shetty had fall-out some time ago over a guest appearance that Shetty wanted Dutt to make in a film produced by Shetty.

Sad, because at this time in his life Sanjay Dutt needs all the friends he can get.

As the gathered media and fans looked on, Sanjay Dutt bids adieu to his family and friends to serve his jail term


After keeping the media on its toes for around two months, Sanjay Dutt finally left his Bandra residence to surrender to the TADA court and commence his three and a half year jail term.

There was a frenzy that ensued as everyone -- media persons and common man alike -- gathered wanted to catch a last glimpse of the actor being driven away to the court.


Dutt left his Pali Hill house around 1. 30 pm and reached the court in the presence of the waiting media. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, his sister Priya Dutt and his wife Maanayata accompanied the 53-year-old actor.

As Dutt's car screeched to a halt, Bhatt disembarked first, requesting the media with folded hands to make way for Dutt to make his exit. And as the actor reached the court, the formalities began for his surrender.

B-Town bids farewell


Earlier in the day, his close friends from the industry including Bunty Walia, Apoorva Lakhia, Kiran Kumar, Soham Shah and Rahul Aggarwal visited Dutt.

Before he left his Imperial Heights residence, the actor chose to spend some precious time with his kids Shahraan and Iqra and his weeping wife. Earlier in the week, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan also came in to visit Dutt.

Time travel


The Supreme Court in its March 21 verdict awarded five years' imprisonment to the actor for illegal possession of arms. The apex court on May 14 refused to grant him more time to surrender. On May 10, the Supreme Court had dismissed Dutt's plea seeking review of its judgment on his conviction and the five-year jail term.