During his recent visit to Shekhar Suman’s talk show ‘Shekhar Tonite’ on Gandhi Jayanti, actor Sanjay Dutt made several remarks that prompted him to issue a public statement seeking to clarify his position. Through a post on X, he explained: “I would like to clarify that it was never my intention to hurt, offend, or disrespect the sentiments of any individual, community, or institution. My remarks were made in the context of a scripted conversation intended to be light-hearted and humorous. The spirit behind them was similar to the humour and satire seen in films like ‘Munna Bhai’, particularly the concept of ‘Gandhigiri’, which was intended to convey a message of love, warmth, togetherness and goodwill. Unfortunately, my words were interpreted outside of that intended context.” On the show, Dutt delved into India’s current landscape and expressed his concerns about social cohesion. He stated: “The people of this country are so lovely. There should be peace here. I can’t feel that peace in our country anymore. We Indians are large-hearted people, and we are hospitable. We have given so much, and we should always remain that way. I pray to Shivji that those days come back soon.” The conversation took a lighter turn when Dutt revived his famous Munna Bhai persona, engaging in comedic political commentary by humorously envisioning himself as Prime Minister and delivering a satirical national address in character.
