Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vicky Kaushal, Dia Mirza, Anushka Sharma and Jim Sarbh
Rating: 3/5
At first, when I saw the trailer, I wondered why was it necessary to make a film - calling it a biopic – on a Bollywood actor, who has been tagged for many wrong reasons. Often I take a train back home from work, and on a random day, I overheard a group of men discussing the director’s motive behind glorifying the tarnished image of a man who has barely achieved anything beyond some good films. It soon got chaotic and the conversation was brought to an end with some points when they said “Pehle yeh celebrities kaand karte hain, phir dikhava. Jaane do. Yeh sab film walon ke paise kamane ki tarkeeb hai. Audience ko Ch****ya banao, aur apni jeb bharo. Sab ko sach pata hai. Bas Sanjay Dutt ke image ko saaf karne ka naya mauka hai. Director uska dost hai, toh karega hee. Karodon mein jo khelega phir.”
It made me think. For an actor who had lost everything post his arrest, one of the few people he could rely on after, was Rajkumar Hirani, for the latter had offered him a film which changed Sanjay Dutt’s career and gave him a new name, ‘Munnabhai.’
Prior to the release, in an interaction with the media, Hirani told us that the film was made out of pure greed, as Dutt shared his story over 25 days to the best honesty and the moments looked visually appealing to him. However, I was not convinced. The haters hated it for their own reasons and the fans loved it for theirs! There was no balance and it only added to the confusion. Despite the clarification I received, my curiosity to watch the film only increased over time, as I was keen to get my answers from the film.
Sanjay Dutt (Ranbir Kapoor) and wife Maanyata (Dia Mirza) loop Winnie Dias (Anushka Sharma) to write a book about his life, which would become a testimony and a record of the events Dutt Jr. had been through. At first, she isn’t convinced, but as soon as he starts the story, she becomes involved and intrigued to know more. He starts with an addiction to drugs which he is introduced by his dear friend aka God aka Zubin Mistry (Jim Sarbh). Mistry becomes his dealer and takes his addiction, a level up, to an extent that it starts affecting Dutt’s personal and professional career. Soon comes his new friend, Kamlesh (Vicky Kaushal) to rescue and pull him out of this habit. He joins hands with his Sunil Dutt (Paresh Rawal) to help Sanju change, and it works as per their plan. But that just brings an end to one chapter. Little did Sanju know, his image was tarnished again, this time in public and by the media (as said in the film). His personal greed to protect his own's life made him take a drastic step of having AK-56 in his house. Investigations soon brought more bad news for him, when he was labelled a terrorist, and this marked the most difficult journey of his life. The rest of the film is this event which changed his image in the country.
The two halves of the film are clearly divided by two important events of Sanju’s life, Hirani wanted to focus on. The film blatantly blames the media (rightly) for speculating events from Sanju’s life and filling the pages with stories to garner reader interest, without understanding the implications he had to face due to mere assumption or source references. But when looked thoroughly, right from the first few minutes, the motive behind Hirani’s efforts in making Sanju was clear. It is said that ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed,’ and he proves to be the best example. The greed filmmaker had here was not only to bring his tough life to the screen but also to help his friend in some way by clearing the air with ‘fictionalised’ reality.
Keeping all the personal agenda aside, if one has to analyse the work, without any bias, it would fairly prove to be an entertainer. Sanju focuses on almost everything about his life, from being a brat to a drug-addict, from fighting a legal case to his labelled controversies. This is Hirani’s fifth film as a director in the last decade and a half, and he once again proves that he is a master in storytelling. Besides few unnecessarily ‘forced comic moments’ in the first half, the story is well-balanced with emotions and drama which only builds anticipation with passing minutes.
But sadly it is the actors and not the script that will leave you impressed. Hirani’s casting is superlative, especially with Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal. Ranbir not only makes a mark with his looks but also his mannerisms as Sanjay Dutt. There are some parts of his life, where he convinces you to the best, both with the style and diction. On the other hand, Vicky Kaushal delivers his best role ever as Kalpesh. His delivery of actions, emotions and the honesty to the art, makes its way to please you from the first frame he enters. Sanju and Kalpesh share an adorable relationship as friends, and the chemistry shines on screen. The remaining cast has delivered fairly well, however, the efforts do not reap anything more than the usual.
To sum it up, Hirani’s first attempt at making a biopic-ish tribute for his friend would definitely impress many to the screens, largely because of the hype created by Ranbir Kapoor as Sanju. Despite the efforts put on the story and the script, one would largely remember ‘Sanju’ for the cast and the chemistry. If there is anything else worth remembering, it would be the motive and nothing else!
PS: This thought struck me when I was writing the review. Did Hirani cast Anushka to play his role in the film? If you look closely, the intention of both the characters is the same – to change Sanju’s perception to their best ability, be it by writing a biography (which Winne Dias aka Anushka Sharma agrees to write) or by making a film which Hirani did. Think about it! I see a similarity. Do you?
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