Digital Desk: Filmmaker Subhash Ghai stated that he knew Sanjay Dutt was "innocent" during his arrest in 1993. Sanjay Dutt was a close acquaintance of Subhash Ghai, and he claimed that "He was trapped."
Subhash stated that taking advantage of Sanjay's difficulties was against his ethics and that he did not spend a single rupee for Khalnayak's promotion. In the film, Sanjay played a wanted criminal.
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"I have known Sanjay Dutt ever since he was a kid. I directed his second film, Vidhaata. Then after 10 years, I cast him in Khalnayak. I knew him really closely. When he was arrested I knew he was innocent but was trapped," he told Bollywood Hungama, adding, "He was not a criminal." According to him, Sanjay Dutt was "innocent."
Subhash said that he never used Sanjay's legal controversy to promote Khalnayak. "I did not spend a single rupee to promote Khalnayak. I stayed silent. There was such a furore over Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai, 32 political units were against me, there were court cases against me. But I stayed quiet. I knew what film I had made, I knew what Sanjay Dutt was, I knew what Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai was," he said.
Sanjay was detained in April 1993 under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act. He was released on bond a month later, but in 1994, his bail was revoked, and he was detained again. In October 1995, he was released from prison.
Sanjay was convicted of possessing a 9mm handgun and an AK-56 rifle under the Arms Act by a TADA court in 2006, but he was cleared of the more serious TADA charges. In 2007, he spent a few days in jail before being released on bail in less than three weeks. From 2013 until 2016, he was also incarcerated.
