A Career going great guns and a seemingly happy personal front, life is coming up roses for Sanjay Dutt. Kidnap, his first big film of 2008, released on Thursday and the actor has a long line-up of films like Blue, EMI and Aladin in the last quarter of the year.

Dutt has also turned a producer with the launch of his own banner, Sanjay Dutt Productions. Two films, an action adventure directed by Soham Shah and another action film directed by Milan Luthria, are scheduled to hit the floors next year.

Talks are also on with five more directors, which make it seven films in all. And Dutt will act in all of these.

The 49-year-old is also committed to a couple of film assignments for Balaji Films. In all, the actor has almost 20 films in various stages of production. “I’m very charged about life and want to do a lot of good work. Thankfully, I’m still getting it,” he says with characteristic nonchalance.

There are other things that Dutt is contemplating. Promoting boxing is one, ever since Vijender Singh got home the medal from the Beijing Olympics. And trying his hand at politics is also on his wish-list, but that when the work pressure is less.

Directing a film is also part of his future plans. “I haven’t yet thought about it seriously, but I will definitely be taking it up in the near future,” he confides.

In Kidnap, the high action drama, has him essay a multi-millionaire whose daughter is held for ransom. The role is special for Dutt. It is for the first time that the actor is playing father to a teenage girl, close to his daughter’s age. This is one of the reasons he was considered for the role.

“Sanjay Gadhvi saw me with my daughter Trishala on a show and said that he could think of no one but me to play the part.”

“There are times in a person’s life when all the money in the world can be of no use. Working for this high drama between father and daughter was a very emotional experience for me. I also enjoyed working with Imran Khan who I found to be a very confident actor and a grounded person,” Dutt says.

The actor hotly denies that relations between him and his daughter are strained because of his marriage to Manyata.

“Trishala was with us in the Bahamas when I was shooting there for Blue, and even otherwise we are on the Net every day. She also shares everything she does with me. She is studying Forensic Sciences and just the other day she called to say that there was a dead body with a bullet in its head lying in front of her. She appeared so cool about it, but it really blew my mind,” he smiles indulgently.