On the Hindi screen, the kind, charitable and god-fearing Sunil Dutt was perhaps the first anti-hero ever.

Dutt played the angry young man in Mehboob Khan's "Mother India" long before Amitabh Bachchan came on the scene. The role and performance became synonymous with the image of the actor-turned-politician, who died suddenly Wednesday.

He went on to do several memorable anti-hero roles, specially that of the dacoit in "Mujhe Jeene Do", "Reshma Aur Shera", "Heera", "Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye", "36 Ghante", "Geeta Mera Naam", "Zakhmi", "Aakhri Goli" and "Paapi".

These films, released between the late 1960s and the end of the 1970s were successful in their own right and gave Dutt the image of the rebellious anti-establishment hero who fought for what was right.

And yet Dutt also did roles that could be considered anti-macho by Hindi film standards. In the all-time comedy hit "Padosan", Dutt was happily cast as a lovelorn buffoon. In yet another hit, "Khandaan" in the 1960s, he dared to play a physically challenged man.

His most successful co-star was Nutan. Together they did a number of hits in the 1960s from Bimal Roy's trend-setting "Sujata" to A. Subba Rao's "Milan" where Dutt played the besotted boatman to memorable advantage.

He wasn't to be trifled man. Simi Garewal described him as "the perfect gentleman...he isn't a man to be fooled around with. Very straight very principled."

Daring was Dutt's middle name. Both as an actor and a human being he lived by the principles that he set for himself.

During "Mother India", he fell in love with his screen-mother Nargis, who was several years older. Their marriage is the stuff that legendary love stories are made of.

Whether it was Nargis in "Mother India", Mala Sinha in the boldly unconventional tale of adultery "Gumrah", or Nutan in Bimal Roy's classic "Sujata", Dutt had no qualms about playing second fiddle to the leading lady.

Asha Parekh recalls Sunil Dutt with much fondness. "I did one of my best films, 'Chirag', with Dutt saab. Many years later we also did 'Zakhmi' together. He was always a gentleman, always helpful, kind and focused. I used to play a lot of pranks on him."

Born in 1929, Dutt's real name was Balraj. He changed his name "because there was already a Balraj (Sahni) in the industry". Dutt started as a radio announcer on then Radio Ceylon. He made his debut in 1955 in Ramesh Saigal's "Railway Platform" and remained active as an actor until the 1990s when politics and his son Sanjay Dutt's tumultuous life and career put a brake on his acting career.

In 2003 he resurfaced on screen as his son's father in the hit "Munnabhai M.B.B.S." Known for his experimental, adventurous and unconventional approach, Dutt directed a number of well-received films, including "Yaadein" in 1964 in which there was only one character played by Dutt.

The angry young man from "Mother India" perhaps died an angry man. Sunil Dutt's loud protests against the induction of former Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam into his Congress party was the last time the public heard this amazing personality's voice.

But then, his films will speak forever.