Sanjay Dutt to open up on 'road to freedom' at conclave in Delhi

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, who walked a free man 23 years after his legal problems began over his possessing an assault rifle, will open up on the 'hard road to freedom' at the India Today Conclave 2016 here later this week.

"The conclave will welcome Sanjay Dutt to his first official appearance in almost three years, where he will give a hard hitting narrative on the topic 'Resurrection and Redemption - the hard road to freedom'," the organisers shared in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The "Munnabhai M.B.B.S." star was last month set free from a Pune jail where he served the remaining 42 months of his five-year rigorous imprisonment, and he was accorded a hero's welcome. On reaching Mumbai, he addressed the media and shared his sentiments on being free. However, he is likely to disclose a lot more about his ordeal at the conclave here.

Among other prominent celebrities at the two-day conclave, which begins on Thursday, will be celebrity lawyer-activist Amal Clooney, wife of Hollywood star George Clooney.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will deliver the opening keynote address, speaking on whether the economy could achieve a growth rate running into double digits; while BJP national president Amit Shah will be speaking on the issue of the politics of patriotism, in his closing keynote address.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari too will be brainstorming at the conclave, with Minister for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal highlighting the possibility of India having 24-hour uninterrupted power supply.

There will be a list of thought leaders and experts to comment on urgent issues related to politics, religion, ideologies and the future forecast for growth in the country.

The Conclave will also feature a number of famous sportspersons, including Abhinav Bindra, MC Mary Kom and Gopichand Pullela, while from the cinema world, famed poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar and his wife, renowned actor Shabana Azmi, as well as comedian-writer Varun Grover will delve on various issues.