By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Just as a leader enjoys huge public support and their reactions for anything that is associated with him/her, so does a film star who enjoys similar love and support from fans.
As the news of the jail term for Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt by the Supreme Court of India hits the nation recently for his involvement in the arms haul case related to the 1993 Mumbai serial blast, Meghalaya is in no way out of this ‘shock wave’ as his fans here have reacted to the sentence by the court and pledged to stand by the actor who is close to their heart. Dutt, who ruled Bollywood as an undaunted superstar has given many memorable hits that, has left an indelible mark in the minds of his fans. Though, known mostly for his comedian roles in recent times, he has played every character, be it, a drug peddler, don, hero, villain and much more in the reel life.
The Shillong Times spoke to his fans here, who are perturbed by the court verdict but expressed their hope that the actor will return to the silver screen where he rightly belongs to entertain them, once again.
Chandeshwar Rawat, a higher secondary student said that the news was shocking for him like any other fans in the country. “I pray to the almighty that he may be freed by the court because I believe that he has not done anything wrong.
There are many criminals and politicians in the country who are worse than him but are enjoying the highest echelons of power and status. In comparison, this verdict is devastating,” he said, who has seen many of Dutt’s movies more than once.
Waiting for the release of Dutt’s upcoming movie, which is a comedy, Lisie Pyngrope, a degree student of a girl’s college said that she does not know much about how a court functions and pronounce its judgment.
Echoing her school counterpart Rawat’s views she said that the punishment by the court is a bit harsh and may be the five year sentence should have been much lesser.
A housewife Indu Rai is in despair when she heard the news of Dutt’s jail term. Having seen most of his blockbuster movies many a times she said, “He is the only Bollywood hero after Amitabh Bachchan who has shaken the viewers’ heart from the core. As I follow, I believe that there is repentance in him after what he had gone through post 1993 Mumbai serial blast and his repeated plea that he has not been unfaithful to the country, the judicial system should have adhered this while pronouncing the verdict.”
A state government employee said that the reel life Khalnayak though have become the Khalnayak of real life but that will never diminish the love his fans have for their Munna Bhai MBBS.
“His roles in reel life were awesome and some of them were deadly, which he could only do as there is none else outside him.
He will live on in our hearts forever,” said Phronath Nongneng, a Hindi movie buff while recalling a scene from the picture Naam where Dutt played the role of a drug peddler from which he went on to become a major drug dealer and how his brother, played by Kumar Gaurav, tried to save him and bring him back to the country.
Meanwhile, his fans have also wished well to the actor so that he serves the jail term in right spirit and join his mainstream reel life again in the near future. They have also appealed to the Indian government and Supreme Court of India to extradite the mastermind of the 1993 serial blast Tiger Memon and Dawood Ibrahim and send them behind bars since the real goons are still looming large