[5][6] One of the most popular actors of Hindi cinema, Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 135 films.

He later established himself as a superstar with films like Thanedaar (1990), Saajan, Sadak (both 1991), Adharm (1992), Khalnayak (1993), Aatish (1994), Daag, Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Vaastav: The Reality (all 1999) and Mission Kashmir (2000).

[10] Born to a Punjabi Hindu (Mohyal Brahmin) father and a Muslim mother of Punjabi descent, Dutt's ancestry can be traced back to the Rawalpindi Division of West Punjab (present-day Pakistan); with his paternal village being Khurd in Jhelum District.

[15] His mother died in 1981, shortly before his debut film's premiere; her death is cited as the instigator of his drug abuse.

[16] Dutt made his acting debut at an early age, playing a Qawali singer in his father's film Reshma Aur Shera (1971).

[19] His performances in both Kabzaa (1988) and J. P. Dutta's Hathyar (1989) were both well received by critics, although both films only managed average collections at the box office.

[22][23][24] In the late 1980s, he was seen in a number of multi-starrers alongside leading actors like Govinda, Mithun, Dharmendra, Jackie Shroff and Sunny Deol.

[19] His successes continued in the 1990s, with films that include Tejaa (1990), Khatarnaak (1990), Zahreelay, (1990) Thanedaar (1990), Khoon Ka Karz (1991), Yalgaar (1992), Gumrah (1993), Sahibaan (1993) and Aatish: Feel the Fire (1994).

He went on to star in some of the most era-defining Indian films of the early 1990s such as Sadak (1991), Saajan (1991) and Khalnayak (1993), earning two nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the latter two.

It was alleged that Dutt accepted delivery of weapons at his house from Abu Salem and co-accused Riyaz Siddiqui, who had also been implicated in relation to the Mumbai blasts.

[36] As the decade went on, he continued to play lead roles in critical and commercial successes such as Jodi No.1 (2001), Pitaah (2002) and Kaante (2002), which earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

[37][38] Later successes came with Musafir (2004), Plan (2004), Parineeta (2005), which earned him his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Dus (2005).

[42] Vidhu Vinod Chopra on 29 September 2016 announced that the third part of Munna Bhai series, starring Dutt in the title role, would begin soon.

His 2021 release Bhuj: The Pride of India, which featured an ensemble cast consisting of Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Nora Fatehi, also received negative reviews.

[citation needed] However, his other 2022 theatrical releases were financial flops - the period epic Shamshera, directed by Karan Malhotra and starring Ranbir Kapoor, in which he again played a key antagonist, and Samrat Prithviraj alongside Akshay Kumar.

[citation needed] In 2023, Dutt performed a cameo in Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jawan and played a key antagonist in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Leo (2023) alongside Vijay, making his debut in Tamil cinema.

In 2024, he reunited with Raveena Tandon in the digital film Ghudchadi and made his Telugu cinema debut with Puri Jagannadh's Double iSmart, which was a box office debacle.

[citation needed] Dutt is next set to appear in Housefull 5, Son of Sardaar 2, Baaghi 4, Dhurandhar, The Raja Saab, Baap, KD - The Devil, the Punjabi film Sheran di Kaum Punjabi, an untitled film with Arshad Warsi, and his production The Virgin Tree.

[55] Dutt and entrepreneur Indian Premier League cricket team owner Raj Kundra together launched India's first professionally organised mixed martial arts league—the Super Fight League—on 16 January 2012.

[56] While in jail, Dutt wrote some Hindi poetry, around 100 couplets, that he aims to release as a book in the future under the title Salaakhen (Lock Up).

Dutt married Manyata (born Dilnawaz Sheikh)[63] first registered in Goa in 2008 and then, in a Hindu ceremony in Mumbai, after two years of dating.

[68] Dutt performed pind daan, a Hindu ritual that involves paying homage to the ancestors, for his deceased parents in January 2024.

It was alleged that Dutt accepted a delivery of weapons at his house from Abu Salem and co-accused Riyaz Siddiqui, who had also been implicated in relation to the Bombay blasts.

[31] On 19 April 1993, after initial reporting by Baljeet Parmar on Dutt's possession of the AK-56, he was arrested under the provisions of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA).

[29][77] According to The Guardian, "The actor claimed he feared for his life after the notorious 'Black Friday' bombings, which were allegedly staged by Mumbai's Muslim-dominated mafia in retaliation for deadly Hindu-Muslim clashes a few months earlier.

[29][78] Dutt appealed against the sentence[79] and was granted interim bail on 20 August 2007 until such time as the TADA court provided him with a copy of its judgement.

"[83] He was persuaded by a close friend to contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections as a candidate for the Samajwadi Party, but withdrew when the court refused to suspend his conviction.

[85] In March 2013 the Supreme Court upheld Dutt's five-year sentence, 18 months of which he already spent in jail during the trial.

[87] On 10 May, the Supreme Court rejected Dutt's review petition for the reconsideration of his conviction and asked him to surrender on the stipulated date.