Sanjay Dutt has spoken openly over the years about his battle with drug addiction and the difficult phase he went through early in his career. His struggle also became a central part of his biopic, ‘Sanju’. Now, writer Ranbir Pushp has recalled an incident from 1992 that offered him a glimpse into how strongly Dutt had overcome his addiction and remained committed to his work.Ranbir spoke about the time he was working with Sanjay on ‘Sahebzaade’, the 1992 action film that also starred Aditya Pancholi and Neelam Kothari. Ranbir had written the film’s story and screenplay. Recalling the outdoor shoot in Kullu-Manali, he said he and Sanjay were among the few members of the unit who did not drink and would often spend time together.During one such conversation, Ranbir asked Sanjay if he had ever felt tempted to return to drugs after giving them up.In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, he shared anecdotes. He recalled asking the actor, “Sanjay, kabhi dobara khayal nahi aaya ki jo drugs-vagrayh ka (Sanjay, were you ever tempted again)?”Sanjay told him there was only one occasion when the thought crossed his mind again — when his first wife, Richa Sharma, was undergoing treatment for cancer. Recalling what Sanjay told him, Ranbir said, “Ranbir ji, ek baar aaya tha. Jab Richa ko hospital le gaye, andar operation ke liye. Us waqt woh meri wife thi. Tab mujhe thoda sa, jaise ek aadmi hota hai na, hil jaata hai aadmi, poora body vichlit ho jaati hai ki ye kya ho raha hai life mein. Tab mujhe bole, kuch seconds ke liye laga tha (Ranbir ji, it happened once. When Richa was taken to the hospital for an operation. I was shaken then, you know, the way a person is shaken to the core, your whole body is disturbed, wondering what is happening in life. For a few seconds, I felt like that).”However, Sanjay said the thought vanished almost instantly when he thought about his father, his family and his own life. “Phir mere dimaag mein usi waqt mere father ka chehra, meri family, meri apni zindagi aayi aur fraction of a second woh thought jo hai mere mind se hatak gaya. Matlab woh andar se itna mazboot ho chuka tha us waqt ki duniya ki koi taakat ab mujhe is taraf nahi le ja sakti (At that very moment, my father’s face, my family and my own life came to my mind, and within a fraction of a second, that thought disappeared from my mind. I had become so strong from within by then that there was no force in the world that could ever take me back in that direction),” the actor said.Ranbir also remembered Sanjay’s attitude towards his work during the shoot, describing that period as one of complete dedication.“Aur woh jitne din the, woh poori purity ke din the. Aur mujhe sabse zyada pavitrata, sabse zyada achchai, sabse zyada honesty, sabse zyada decency, sabse zyada devotion towards work agar kisi ka tha, toh woh Sanjay Dutt ka tha. Us din totally dedicated to work (And those days were filled with complete purity. If there was anyone I saw who had the most purity, goodness, honesty, decency and devotion towards work, it was Sanjay Dutt. He was totally dedicated to his work during those days),” he shared.Sanjay’s first wife Richa Sharma was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died on December 10, 1996, at her parents’ home in New York. The couple had a daughter, Trishala Dutt, who was born in 1988.
