Sanjay Dutt Says ‘Bollywood Lost Its Passion’

Veteran Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was in Hyderabad for the grand teaser launch of KD – The Devil, a pan-India action film directed by Prem and starring Dhruva Sarja. Sharing the stage with the cast and crew, Dutt took a moment to reflect on the differences he has observed between Hindi and South Indian cinema, particularly in terms of work ethic and creative passion.

Dutt, who plays the antagonist in KD, praised the commitment he experienced while working in the South. “I take back with me the passion from Telugu cinema… something Bollywood has lost,” he said. “It’s not about chasing numbers here. It’s about making good films, and that’s something I miss back home.”

When asked to elaborate on what exactly Bollywood had lost, the actor shared insights from his long-standing career. “I’ve worked with legends — Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Dilip Kumar and many more. In those days, the story and script were everything. Music mattered, and every person involved in the project had a voice in shaping the film.”

He continued, “Today, numbers are written on paper instead of scripts. That’s the shift that worries me.” Dutt emphasized the need for Bollywood to rediscover its roots, where filmmaking was driven by passion. Citing an instance from an earlier project with Mahesh Manjrekar, Dutt said he once shot for three days continuously without sleep. “It was passion. Everyone on the team felt the same energy,” he added.

KD – The Devil is being produced by KVN Productions and is designed as a large-scale action entertainer. With Sanjay Dutt’s presence and Dhruva Sarja in the lead, the film is positioned as a mass commercial outing across Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam.