'Havan' and prayers as 'Munnabhai' readies for prison

There were early morning prayers and celebrity visitors at Sanjay Dutt's Bandra home, outside which stood hordes of fans, as the Bollywood actor prepared to return to prison Thursday.

Sanjay started the day with solemn prayers and a 'havan' conducted by a priest with his family members participating in the ceremonies, according to sources.

Since Wednesday night, Sanjay, 53, has been getting calls and visits from friends, colleagues and well wishers, sources said. Prominent among them were actors Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan and director David Dhawan with whom he has always shared a special rapport.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court had declined Sanjay's plea for additional time to serve his remaining three-and-half years' sentence for his role in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

Sanjay will surrender before a special TADA court later Thursday after the apex upheld his conviction, but reduced the six-year jail term to five.

According to Bollywood circles, Bollywood's Munnabhai has resigned himself to serving the remaining tenure of his sentence and returning to jail without creating more controversies.

Sanjay had first spent 18 months in jail in 1993-95 and another 15 months in 1995-97, followed by a brief stint of seven months in 2006-07.

Though the Mumbai Police's plans to handle Sanjay's surrender are not yet known, officials indicate that he may arrive in special TADA Court post-lunch amid tight security, at his residence, en route and in the court precincts in south Mumbai.

After completing the surrender formalities, he will be whisked off to the high-security Arthur Road Central Jail - which usually houses undertrials - in congested south-central Mumbai.

Finally, he will be shifted to another regular jail either in Pune, Nashik or Nagpur. Police officials were tight-lipped about the final destination.