Before Kasab in 26/11, Ujjwal Nikam prosecuted Sanjay Dutt in the 1993 arms case

Rajkummar Rao is earning a lot of praise for his performance as Ujjwal Nikam, the lawyer who prosecuted terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Now his story has come to the big screen and, as expected, the world doesn't know much about the man who played a major role as a public prosecutor representing the Maharashtra government in Kasab's case.

Hailing from a humble background, Nikam went on to become one of the most well-known public prosecutors in India, who fought several high-profile cases apart from Kasab's. And while few people know, he was the one who sent actor Sanjay Dutt behind bars.

Ujjwal Nikkam, who sent Sanjay Dutt to jail

Dutt's world came crumbling down when his indirect involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case came to the fore. He was accused of possessing arms that were part of the consignment used in the blasts that shook Mumbai on March 12, 1993, claiming the lives of 257 people.

For illegally possessing weapons in his house, Dutt was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison.

In his interviews, Nikam always said that seeing Dutt as a terrorist is not right. He did this at a time when the actor was young and out of his passion for weapons. However, when he was fighting the case, he argued that Dutt should be sentenced to seven years under the Arms Act.

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Speaking to Lallantop in an interview, Nikam said, ''My argument was that Sanjay Dutt should not get the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act. He was convicted under the Arms Act, though the court acquitted him of conspiracy charges, and we had no objection to that. However, I argued that he should be sentenced to seven years under the Arms Act.”

Nikam further said that Dutt's legal team had sought Dutt's release to the court, saying that it was his first offence and the actor should be released on bond.

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“His lawyer contended that since it was his first offence, he should be released on bond. I objected because the pistol he possessed had come from the number one shooter of Dawood Ibrahim. If he accepted a weapon from such a person, he was fully aware of his criminal background. The benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act is meant for first-time offenders who are genuinely innocent but get trapped in unfortunate circumstances. That was not the case with Sanjay Dutt,” he said.

Nikam has said that Dutt was "trembling with fear" when the judgment was being read in the court.

He shared, “When the judgment was delivered, he was trembling. He kept saying, ‘No sir, I didn’t do anything wrong, sir. I will come back.’ He was virtually shaking. I was standing nearby and told him, ‘Sanju, the media is watching, please stand straight.’ Then I asked the police to take him away. Had I not motivated him at that moment, the media would have made me the villain. Everyone was against me.”

Prahaar: Rajkummar Rai transforms himself to play prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam

Director Avinash Arun's Prahaar - The Ujjwal Nikam Story tells the story of public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and his high-stakes legal drama, who led the case and the unseen events of the 26/11 Kasab trial. The film stars Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat and Sikandar Kher in lead roles.