‘Six years in jail, still no Marathi’: Sanjay Dutt’s quip goes viral amid row over language rule for auto drivers
Put on the spot to speak Marathi at a Mumbai event on Sunday, Sanjay Dutt found an unexpected escape route: His own jail sentence. Sharing the stage with Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, the actor deflected the request with a joke that had the room laughing, in visuals of the moment that have since spread widely online. Salman Khan’s emotional tribute to ‘baba’ Sanjay Dutt wins…
At a recent event in Mumbai, Sanjay Dutt was asked to speak in Marathi, but instead of complying, he cleverly referenced his own six year jail sentence. Turning to Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, Dutt quipped, "Pratap bhai. Main 6 saal jail me raha, Yervada mein. Tab bhi Marathi nahi seekh paaya. Main thoda seekha tha." (Pratap sir, I spent six years in Yervada Jail, and even there I didn't learn Marathi. I learned a little).
Dutt then embraced the minister and added warmly, "I am honored to be here at this event thanks to Pratap bhai. Our relationship goes back nearly 25 years."
The moment came about after Sarnaik's own joke about teaching everyone Marathi earlier in the event. Following Sarnaik's lighter tone, Dutt then switched the discussion to his new requirement that Mumbai autorickshaw drivers must demonstrate basic conversational Marathi to keep their licenses. Speaking in Marathi himself, Sarnaik joked, "So I thought after his entry, let us all get Sanjay Dutt to talk in Marathi. He speaks in Hindi, but all of us understand Marathi."
The rule has been a contentious point of debate across the city. Dutt's most recent on-screen role was in the Arabic film 7 Dogs (2026) alongside Salman Khan, while his last full theatrical performance was in the political drama Aakhri Sawal (2026).
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