Sanjay Dutt on Jail Life: Theatre, Radio, and Finding Purpose Behind Bars.
Actor Sanjay Dutt opened up about his life behind bars, sharing how creativity helped him cope with prison. Speaking on The Great Indian Kapil Show with Suniel Shetty, he revealed he started a theatre group in jail, directing inmates — including murder convicts — as actors.
Sanjay was imprisoned at Yerwada Central Jail, Pune, from 2013 to 2016 after the Supreme Court upheld his 2007 conviction under TADA for illegal possession of weapons linked to the 1993 case. Reflecting on his time inside, he said, “I don’t regret anything that has happened in my life. My main regret is that my parents left me too soon. I really miss them.”
He kept himself occupied through carpentry, earning wages by making chairs and paper bags, and also launched a jail radio station, Radio YCP, which featured comedy segments and scripts written by fellow inmates. “We talked about different topics, did comedy, and ran the radio program entirely from jail,” he added.
Beyond work and creativity, Sanjay found purpose in mentoring fellow prisoners through theatre, honing his leadership and artistic skills even in confinement. After completing his sentence in 2016, Sanjay returned to Bollywood and continues to be active in films. He was most recently seen in Baaghi 4 alongside Tiger Shroff, Sonam Bajwa, and Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu.
Off-screen, he is married to Maanayata Dutt, and the couple share twins. They currently reside in Dubai, with Sanjay frequently traveling to Mumbai for work. Sanjay’s jail experiences reveal a rarely seen side of the actor — one of resilience, creativity, and determination, turning even confinement into a space for growth and expression.
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