Sanjay Dutt has issued a clarification after remarks made during an appearance as his Munna Bhai character drew attention and were interpreted as offensive. Dutt said it was never his intention to hurt, offend or disrespect the sentiments of any individual, community or institution. He explained that the remarks were part of a conversation designed to be light-hearted and humorous, drawing on the satire and warmth associated with Munna Bhai.
Dutt Clarifies Remarks
Dutt said it was never his intention to hurt, offend or disrespect the sentiments of any individual, community or institution.
He referred to “Gandhigiri”, which became associated with the Munna Bhai franchise. Dutt said the concept was intended to convey “love, warmth, togetherness, and goodwill”. He added that his words had been interpreted outside their context.
Munna Bhai Context
The clarification follows Dutt’s appearance during a Gandhi Jayanti special of Shekhar Suman’s Shekhar Tonite, where he revived his Munna Bhai persona as a prime minister. The segment used humour, political satire and references to Mahatma Gandhi.
During the appearance, Dutt spoke about peace in India, saying he could not feel the sense of peace he believed the country should have. He joked, while portraying the fictional prime minister, about not travelling abroad to celebrate taking office, a remark presented as an indirect reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dutt also invoked Gandhi’s three monkeys, questioning whether people should ignore wrongdoing. He suggested that a “fourth monkey” was needed to address what was wrong rather than see, hear or speak no evil.