Sanjay Dutt declines to comment on political plans

Srinagar, Jan 9 (IANS) Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt Friday declined to comment on his reported decision to join politics as he was presently preoccupied with his shooting schedule.

'I am presently here shooting for 'Lamhaa' and would not like to comment on politics at the moment', Dutt told media persons here.

Dutt Thursday became the latest Bollywood star to join politics with the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party naming him as its candidate from the Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency in the general elections scheduled this year.

The star is here on a two-week shooting schedule for Rahul Dholakia's 'Lamhaa', the shooting for which last year was interrupted by protesters at a number of places in the Valley.

Hundreds of locals turned out to watch the filming as it started Friday on the banks of the Jhelum River in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar.

One local fan of Sanjay Dutt, Wasim Raja, 29, had reached the Hotel Grand Palace at 4 a.m. to have a glimpse of his favourite star.

He, in fact, jumped on the vehicle as Dutt left the hotel for the shoot in the morning.

Raja said he had taken Rs 50,000 from his home and gone to Mumbai in 2007 to meet Dutt, his favourite star.

'I waited outside his house for four days, but could not meet him as the watchmen there told me he had gone to Bangkok for a film shoot.

'He has promised to meet me this evening and I am looking forward to those memorable moments,' Wasim said as the crew of the film unit had a difficult time persuading him to wait till the evening.

The film unit will now proceed to the north Kashmir ski resort of Gulmarg and the south Kashmir tourist resort of Pahalgam to complete the films shooting which has already been delayed.

Last year, Bipasha Basu, who had come here to shoot for the film, had to leave suddenly in the wake of frequent interruptions during the shoot by protesters here.