On Thursday evening, Imperial Heights, the famous Dutt building in Pali Hill was buzzing, thanks to little Iqra and Shahran, Sanjay Dutt’s twins with his wife Manyata. Their squeals of excitements at the sight of a visitor, who they wanted to play with, took over the room. Very fit and with tattoos on practically every visible portion of his anatomy, Sanjay Dutt played the indulgent father as we chatted in an exclusive interview. “Shahran is a ditto copy of my childhood,” he laughed.

At 53, Sanjay seems a happy man. Son of Sardaar, his latest film, is releasing this Diwali, but he has lots of other things to talk about as well. Here’s what matters to him the most.

Did you ever imagine that you’d be a new father at 50?
It’s a lovely surprise for me. This is the most satisfying phase of my life! I have two lovely kids, a nice wife. My whole family is together in the same building and my career is doing fine! I was truly waiting for something like this.

That sounds great, especially since you’ve always felt that life’s been unfair to you. Is Manyata responsible for the change?
There are phases when you feel terrible, and phases like this one help balance your thoughts. I was going through a very difficult phase when I met Manyata. I felt secure and stable after she came into my life — in fact, a lot of things came into my life when she did. She brought me back on track. There were so many issues and by God’s grace, all are getting sorted out. I know I was very unstable and unhappy all through my life.

I lost my mother and then my father. Losing dad was like losing the bearings of my life. My sisters took it badly, but I took it worse. Throughout my lean phases, dad was like a solid rock, supporting me, whether it was work, or my jail term. And everything crumbled after he was gone! Today life’s become much more comfortable and beautiful. We all live in the same building; it’s a big happy family. I mean my sisters’ kids, my kids, all of them together… it’s just unbelievable. Touch wood!

Is there anything now that you feel you lack?
Yes. I want my freedom back. I have been embroiled in court cases for the last 20 years. I have lost all my youth and a lot of time! I couldn’t do many things. Now my final hearing is coming up. I just pray that I get my freedom back. I want no money, no fame, just my freedom!