Sanjay Dutt was arrested in 1993 for possessing illegal firearms, including an AK-56 rifle, and was eventually sentenced to five years in prison under the Arms Act. In a recent conversation with Shekhar Suman on ‘Shekhar Tonite’, the actor reflected on the decision that changed his life, admitting that he had ignored his gut feeling and failed to understand the consequences of his actions.Looking back at the incident, Sanjay said he should have trusted his instincts instead of convincing himself that keeping the weapons for a week would not lead to any trouble.“The mistakes were mine. If your heart tells you something, you should listen to it. If your mind tells you something, don’t accept it too quickly. When that incident happened and I saw what was involved, my heart told me not to do it. But my mind said, ‘Keep it for a week. What’s the harm in that?’”The actor admitted that he had not anticipated the severity of the legal consequences and emphasised that understanding the laws of the country one lives in is essential.“I had absolutely no idea what the consequences could be. I often say every person who lives in any country should know the laws of the land,” he said.During the interaction, Sanjay also revisited an emotionally difficult moment from the early days of the case, when the police handcuffed him in front of his father, veteran actor Sunil Dutt. Recalling his father’s reaction, the actor said he was left stunned and broke down in tears while questioning the police about their treatment of his son.“When the police came and put handcuffs on me, my dad went into shock. With tears in his eyes, he said, ‘What are you doing with my son?’ I hugged him tight and told him, ‘Why are you letting these handcuffs bother you? Don’t be like that. It is just a procedure, please don’t be upset.’ While in reality, it was killing me from the inside. But I had to be strong for him,” he said.Although he was battling his own emotions, Sanjay said he chose to put on a brave face to comfort his father and shield him from the pain he was experiencing.“That’s how I moved throughout this trial. It went on for 24 years,” he added.Sanjay further opened up about his time behind bars, recalling how some officials expected him to struggle without the comforts and privileges associated with his celebrity status. However, he said he refused to let the circumstances break his spirit.“But nothing happened to me. Because I didn’t break. They went in shock. They mocked me. One of them came to me and said, ‘You won’t get any cigarette here. Now, what will you do?’ So my reply was, ‘Sir, I can at least get a bidi here,’” he recalled.According to the actor, his ability to adapt to the changed circumstances surprised those around him, who expected him to be more affected by life in prison.“All these changes didn’t bother me, so they got tensed that how is he so grounded and unaffected,” he added.The case against Sanjay Dutt emerged during the investigation into the serial bomb blasts that rocked Mumbai on March 12, 1993. Investigators linked the actor to the illegal possession of firearms, including an AK-56 rifle, a pistol and ammunition. He was arrested in April that year.In November 2006, a special court convicted Sanjay under the Arms Act for possessing prohibited weapons. However, he was acquitted of charges under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and was not convicted of participating in the bombings.In March 2013, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction but reduced his prison sentence from six years to five years. Sanjay subsequently surrendered to serve the remaining term and was lodged at Yerawada Central Jail in Pune. He was released in February 2016 after receiving remission for good conduct.