Four months into his jail term, Sanjay Dutt’s first “acting job” — in a play to be performed by prison mates — was axed as the police feared security hassles. The play, scheduled to be performed on Thursday at Bal Gandharva auditorium in Pune, which was to be attended by CM Prithviraj Chavan and home minister R.R. Patil, was postponed to a later date after the police received specific inputs of “untoward” incidents during the show. According to additional DG (prisons) Meeran Borw-ankar, they received specific inputs that would have posed a threat to the tight security in and around the auditorium. “The information was specific and we could not risk the security of the CM, jail inmates and citizens who would have been attending. I cannot divulge the nature of the input. The show will be held at a later date which will be intimated to everyone at the appropriate time,” said Ms Borwankar. Police sources have, however, indicated that the event may not be held at a public venue now. Dutt, along with 51 other inmates, was to perform in Teemiratun Tejakade (From Darkness To Light) that was scheduled for 3 pm on Thursday. The play, part of a two-hour cultural programme, is directed by Pune-based director Rahul Solapurkar along with Bollywood director Rajkumar Hirani — who had also visited the jail earlier this week to oversee the rehearsals. Mr Hirani lent his assistance to the preparations following a special request by jail superintendent Yogesh Desai, prison sources said. The play was a fundraiser that aimed at raising around '5 lakh for the well-being of prison employees and their families. The donation passes, which cost '1000 each, had sold out within a matter of days after the programme was announced. The play also espoused Gandhian principles and featured a performance by Dutt on a song from Munnabhai MBBS.
