When Madhuri Dixit Called Sanjay Dutt Her "Favourite Partner" And He Said "I Love You" To Her Ignoring Others Around

Sanjay Dutt's life unfolded like a saga of highs and lows few could imagine. Born to screen legends Sunil Dutt and Nargis, his childhood was marked by hardship, followed by his mother's long battle with cancer and his own long struggle with addiction. By the late 1980s, as his career finally gained momentum, tragedy struck again. His wife, Richa Sharma, was diagnosed with cancer.

After a series of surgeries, Richa went into remission. But during this fragile period, Sanjay and Richa's marriage was also unravelling. Enter Madhuri Dixit.

Sanjay's '90s resurgence began with Thanedaar (1990), where Madhuri starred as his leading lady. The film is best remembered for the chartbuster Tamma Tamma, featuring Dutt, a non-dancer, trying to keep pace with the dancing diva.

Apart from Thanedaar, Sanjay had previously worked with Madhuri Dixit in Khatron Ke Khiladi and Kanoon Apna Apna. Both had signed more films together, such as Sahibaan and Mahaanta, and were spending a fair bit of time together. Soon rumours of a romance between them started doing the rounds in Mumbai. When Saajan became a blockbuster, their chemistry was widely credited for its success.

This was when Sanjay's love life is said to have taken a very interesting, scandalous turn. Madhuri was signed as his leading lady in Khalnayak. While the stories about his association with Madhuri may not have been good for his already floundering marriage, their on-screen partnership would give Sanjay the best phase of his career.

In 2023, during a special screening celebrating 30 years of Khalnayak, Subhash Ghai turned towards Sanjay Dutt and playfully teased him, "Yeh bolta tha, yeh picture bohot door tak jaayegi par dekhta tha Madhuri ki taraf". Taken aback, Sanjay laughed quietly, choosing silence over a reply.

More than Saajan's success or Sanjay's rising stardom, it was the Sanjay-Madhuri story that dominated film magazine pages. Despite their denials, tabloids brimmed with innuendo and speculation. The media even hinted that Sanjay planned to divorce Richa.

By 1992, while shooting Khalnayak, the film press openly labelled them a couple. Their fondness was clear, and Madhuri, at least, made no effort to hide it. She once told an interviewer, "My favourite partner is Sanjay Dutt, he's a real joker... And his stories make me laugh all the time, but he is also a gentleman".

To another interviewer, she said, "Sanju is a fantastic person. He has a loving heart and, in contrast to the widely held view, a good sense of humour. He is the only guy who makes me laugh all the time. He does not play games. He is open and uncomplicated."

But Madhuri didn't say much more than this to the press. Insiders believed their relationship was serious, with whispers of a wedding. Filmfare did a cover story titled "Madhuri to Marry?", which hinted that Madhuri was planning to get married in 1994 - it didn't say to whom - and that she would leave the film business after her wedding.

In the same story, it was reported that Sanjay and Madhuri had grown close during the Mysore (now Mysuru) schedule of Sahibaan (1993) and that "Sanjay played Prince Charming to the hilt". Midway through the schedule the location was shifted to the picturesque hills in Manali. According to Sahibaan's director Ramesh Talwar, "He [Sanjay] was always following Madhuri around and whispering 'I love you', totally ignoring the fact that there were others around."

Though Richa seemed to want to work things out, Sanjay filed for divorce in early 1993.

Sanjay and Madhuri's last film together in the 1990s was Mahaanta (1997). The two shared the screen 22 years later in 2019's Kalank.