The Many Roles of SUNIL DUTT

Through many personal tragedies, this favourite matinee idol finds strength and solace in helping others

- V. Gangadhar

On 29 March 1987, the 63rd day of his peace march from Bombay to Amritsar’s Golden Temple, film star Sunil Dutt woke up dizzy, nauseous and with a high fever. But there was no time to lose. Dutt and fellow marchers had to reach the shrine on 13 April, Baishaki  day. And Amritsar was still more than 300 kilometers away.

Wrapped in a shawl, walking stick in hand, Dutt forced himself to resume the march. Three hours later, however, he stopped at a clinic in Karnal for blood tests. The diagnosis was jaundice. Dutt’s physician, Satish Puri, flew in from Bombay and pleaded with the star to give up his venture. Although Dutt refused, he did agree to go on a special diet and rest more frequently. Thankfully, his fever subsided three days later, and on Baishaki, watched by a crowd of 35,000, Dutt and his 80 pilgrims entered the Golden Temple and worshiped at the holiest of Sikh shrines.

The 78-day, 2,500-km ordeal was Dutt’s attempt to focus India’s attention on Punjab’s turmoil. For years, he had agonized over the blood-letting, and when the terrorists murdered a handicapped girl, he could bear it no more. “We must arouse our people,” Dutt told family and friends. “Let’s march to the Golden Temple and show that we are one nation.”

The police warned Dutt he could be the terrorist’s target, but he refused to even wear a bulletproof vest. And as the group marched through seven states, public response was heartwarming. Motorists stopped to wish him luck. Thousands of barefoot villagers walked long distances to catch a glimpse of him. Dutt held nearly 500 roadside meetings and kept reiterating his theme: “Violence will not solve our problems.”