Munnabhai's trail of losses on way to jail

At least Rs 250 cr riding on Dutt, in films underway and ads for some brands

It was a verdict awaited by many across the country and when it came at noon on Thursday, there was sorrow rather than joy. Mainly because the man at the centre of it - 53-year-old actor Sanjay Dutt - would be heading back to jail, and for quite a while.

Dutt's absence from the movie scene means big losses for many. At least Rs 250 crore in movies now stuck rides on the man who is the first-born of actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, both considered legends in Bollywood.

These include Policigiri, Zanjeer, Ungli, Peekay and Ghanchakkar. Dutt was also part of the third instalment in the Munnabhai movie series called Munnabhai Chale Dilli, which was to go on the floors in the middle of this year. "Certainly, the impact will be significant," said trade analyst Suniel Wadhwa. "Sanjay contributed to two major hits last year, Agneepath and Son of Sardar, and had a few releases this year and next year. All these films will suffer with his absence."

Besides, there were brands he had been endorsing, with his third wife, Manyata, mostly for the Mumbai-based Gitanjali Group. This included Sangini diamond jewellery and Rotary watches. Dutt and Manyata had also done ads for Gitanjali's jewellery retail store, JewelSouk, besides some ramp walks for the flagship brand in Mumbai.

Mehul Choksi, managing director, Gitanjali Group, said he had no plans to discontinue the ads that had been filmed with Dutt and Manyata. "Sanjay is very popular with the masses and if you recall, when he was sent to jail for 18 months earlier, there was a huge sympathy wave that he rode," he said. "This helped him bounce back. This episode will not tarnish his image."

While not in the A-list of brand endorsers, Dutt's work with Manyata was still important, say experts, because it enhanced his visibility and projected him as a family man. In many ways, say experts, the Dutts were emerging as a power couple, thanks to the work they'd been doing together. With Dutt's future now in jeopardy, advertisers said to be contemplating featuring the couple in their campaigns might now reconsider, say experts.

Harish Bijoor, chief executive officer, Harish Bijoor Consults, says: "Brand endorsements are about free souls, not those that have some issues bothering them. Sending Dutt back to jail will not only mean his film career will be derailed but also his brand endorsements, especially future ones."

Dutt's asking price for appearing with Manyata in ads was said to be in the region of Rs 1-1.2 crore a brand. Had the Supreme Court ruled in his favour, he was likely to have raised his endorsement price, thanks to his pipeline of movie releases.