‘Mom died, dad was in jail’: Sanjay Dutt’s Daughter Trishala Exposes Dark Realities of Her ‘Silver Spoon’ Childhood

There is a general notion that the kids of Bollywood stars live a life of comfort and luxury and never face any real struggle in life. However, everyone’s definition of struggle is different, and in a recent interview, Sanjay Dutt’s daughter Trishala Dutt opened up about the kind of bullying and racism she went through growing up in New York. Trishala is the daughter of Sanjay and his first wife Richa Sharma, who passed away in 1996. Trishala grew up in New York with her maternal grandparents and Sanjay, who had an active film career in India, would visit her often.
Trishala Dutt faced bullying, racism as a child
In a chat with the YouTube channel Inside Thoughts Out Loud, Trishala opened up about the bullying she faced at a young age and shared that the bullying first started when she was just 5-6 years old, and it was primarily because she was Indian. “I faced a lot of hardship and a lot of taunting from children around me because I was a child at the time, and I did not have a safe space,” she said.
Trishala added that the bullying continued when she went to middle school as she “had gained a lot of weight during the time.” And finally, when she went to high school, things “blew up” as people started finding out who she was, and the family she came from. Looking back at that era in her life, Trishala said that she had “no one to lean on” and hoped that she had “someone to talk to when I was younger.”
ALSO READ | Nargis’ brother beat her up because of her relationship with Raj Kapoor; she lost money, opportunities while he set up his studio
Trishala’s mom passed away when she was 8
Trishala opened up about her mother Richa, who passed away in 1996, when Trishala was just 8 years old. Sanjay, who had substance abuse problems through the 1970s and 1980s, went to a rehabilitation center in the mid-1980s and cleaned up his life. It was then that he met Richa, who was also an actor. They got married in 1987 in New York and welcomed Trishala into their lives the next year. However, soon after, Richa was diagnosed with brain cancer.
“My mother passed away in 1996 when I was 8 years old, and she passed away from a brain tumour. She was diagnosed in 1989. When they found out, it was already grade 4. That type of brain cancer is one of the deadliest and most aggressive human cancers,” she recalled and shared that her father was splitting time between India and US at the time.
Sanjay Dutt with his first wife Richa Sharma. (Photo: Express Archives)
Trishala was a ba when her mother’s health problems started. When Richa passed away, Trishala lost a major support system, and even her father couldn’t be fully present in her life. In 1993, Sanjay was accused of aiding underworld criminals during the bomb blasts in Mumbai. The case dragged on for years, and Sanjay spent a lot of time behind bars.Story continues below this ad
Sanajy Dutt couldn’t be present for Richa’s treatment
“Dad was splitting his time between India and the US. He was back and forth because he was working, and it was hard to stay here for her entire treatment while also being an actor back home,” she said. Richa received her treatment from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where Sanjay’s mother Nargis Dutt was also treated for her cancer. She recovered in New York but fell ill as she returned to Mumbai. Nargis died days before the premiere of Sanjay’s first film in 1981.
‘I didn’t look the part of Sanjay Dutt’s daughter’
While the world around her was falling apart, Trishala found some comfort in food but that led to a “weight problem”. She shared, “When I was younger and my mother was going through cancer, I developed a weight problem because I turned to food for comfort.” Her weight became a subject for naysayers as she did not fit their ideal picture of who Sanjay Dutt’s daughter would be. “People think that if you are a celebrity’s daughter, you have to look a certain way and I just didn’t look the part of Sanjay Dutt’s daughter,” she said.
Sanjay Dutt with daughter Trishala Dutt. (Photo: Trishala Dutt/Instagram)
Trishala said that when she would visit India in her younger years, it would “make her curl up in a shell” as the paparazzi would photograph her relentlessly, and it would inadvertently lead to mean comments. “When I was a child, so many things were written about me, people would leave mean comments,” she said and added, “Nobody has thicker skin than me because I have seen it all at a very tender age.”
Why Trishala became a therap
In the same chat, when Trishala was asked about the “biggest misconception” that people have about her, she shared that people think she was born with a silver spoon, and while she acknowledges it, she added that she was also surrounded a lot of “dark clouds.”Story continues below this ad
“I have been through many storms, a lot of dark clouds. Was I born with a silver spoon in my mouth? Yes and no. I didn’t have everything handed to me as everybody thinks. I had to work a lot to get to where I am today. I have internal struggles just like everybody else. I am not perfect and I became a therap to let people know that it’s okay to struggle. You don’t always have to have it together and you are not alone in this journey,” she said.
Trishala now works as a mental health professional in New York.
Disclaimer: If you or someone you know is going through a difficult phase, experiencing emotional dress, or having thoughts of self-harm, please know that help is available and you do not have to go through this alone. Reach out to a professional or contact one of the compassionate support networks led below for free, confidential, and 24/7 assance.
HELP IS A CALL AWAYMENTAL HEALTH HELPLINE NUMBERS
AASRAContact: 9820466726Email: aasrahelpline@yahoo.comTimings: 24×7Languages: English, HindiStory continues below this ad
SnehiContact: 9582208181Email: snehi.india@gmail.comTimings: 10am – 10pm, all daysLanguages: English, Hindi, Marathi
Fortis MentalHealthContact: 8376804102Timings: 24×7; All daysLanguages: Achiku, Assamese, Bengali, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu
Connecting NGOContact: 9922004305, 9922001122Email: dressmailsconnecting@gmail.comTimings: 12pm – 8pm; All daysLanguages: English, Hindi, Marathi
Vandrevala FoundationContact: 18602662345Email: help@vandrevalafoundation.comTimings: 24×7Languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and English