Sanjay Dutt walked a familiar tightrope on Shekhar Tonite — one part reflective star, one part beloved comic character. In the Gandhi Jayanti special, the 67-year-old actor first said he no longer feels peace in India, then switched into Munna Bhai to imagine five minutes as prime minister.
What he actually said
Dutt called the people of India “lovely” and described Indians as “large-hearted” and hospitable, but the line that travelled was simpler. “I can’t feel that peace in our country any more,” he said, adding that he prays to Shivji for “those days” to come back soon.
He did not say which days he misses. That vagueness is the story. On X, viewers quickly asked whether he meant a period that was itself scarred by blasts and riots, and whether peace can be measured by nostalgia at all.
Munna Bhai takes the PM’s chair
Later, Shekhar Suman asked him to address the nation as prime minister. Dutt leaned into Munna Bhai’s cadence and warmth, joking about the energy in his body and the weight of responsibility. Then came the sharper punchlines: he promised not to fly abroad to celebrate his imagined victory, a nod to PM Narendra Modi’s foreign trips, and worked in references to Donald Trump’s tariff policies and leaders’ photographs in public spaces.
The segment’s comic engine is familiar:
- The PM role is treated as a festival of responsibility rather than a power trip.
- His promise to “stay right here, among all of you” doubles as a gentle political contrast.
- He uses Gandhigiri to pitch persuasion over confrontation, not a lecture.
Why the line drew quick scrutiny
Munna Bhai gives Dutt a softer way to land political jokes. But the peace comment arrived with personal history attached. Dutt was convicted under the Arms Act in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and sentenced to five years; he was acquitted of terrorism charges under TADA. That backdrop may explain why the phrase “those days” felt loaded to many viewers.
That dual register is also why the clip will travel: the straight news line gets debated, while the Munna Bhai moment gets shared as entertainment.
For fans, the two halves of the interview sit side by side: a star genuinely wishing for calm, and a character who makes that wish feel lighter. Dutt remains busy, with Aakhri Sawal in cinemas on May 15, a cameo in 7 Dogs on August 21, and Khalnayak Returns bringing him back as Ballu.
Source: India Today
