Sanjay was thrashed when he was caught smoking for the first time

His struggle with smoking has  been very much written about. However, Sanjay Dutt admits that he has tried hard to kick the habit. When we met him, he was holding a cigarette between his fingers. We asked him how his father Sunil Dutt reacted to him smoking his first, and the actor recalls the thrashing he got. “Bohut joothe padhe the!” he recalls, adding, “My father had caught me smoking in the bathroom. He took me inside the room, and thrashed me. I know I need to stop smoking. I will attempt it once again, soon.’

The actor reveals that since his father made sure that his sisters and Sanjay were treated equally at home, the quality is something that has stayed with him. So, while in jail, if he realised that a prisoner is a rapist, he wouldn’t talk to him. He recalls, “Women are symbols of Goddess Durga and Laxmi. When we pray to them, how on earth can anyone behave in such a manner with them? So when I got a chance to work in Bhoomi, I was more than happy to be a part of the film.”

Though Sanjay is not a strict disciplinarian as a father, he does have a grouse. He rues, “I do not like children seeking permission or wishing to spend the nights with their friends in their homes. You have the duration of the entire day to bond with your friends. Then why spend nights together? This is one thing I detest to the core.”