Sanju

In the deft hands of Rajkumar Hirani, films, characters and situations mostly flower into fun, laughter, poignance and often introspection. Sanju, a Hirani version of a Sanjay Dutt biography, almost comes into that rarified zone of cinematic brilliance, but for a few flaws.

Had it not been coy in places, trying not to depict events and Dutt’s dalliances which have been public knowledge, and had Hirani stuck to a true-life-bang-on story instead of hiding behind the tag of cinematic liberties, this one would have been a much more impactful and happening film by a director who knows his actor through and through, both at personal and professional levels.

Having said that, what comes your way in Bollywood’s bad boy story — which incidentally is still evolving in his real life — is eventful and interesting if not entirely captivating. The highest point of the film is Ranbir Kapoor’s depiction of Sanjay Dutt. He captures Dutt’s body language, his trade mark mannerisms, his Rocky-time vulnerable looks, his droopy eyes and all else, even the incarceration look of Yeravada time, with such stunning similarity that you are compelled to be imperfect enough to call him perfect.

The story itself starts off with Sanjay Dutt’s launch days and how he was drawn into the haze and maze of drug-induced improprieties by an unscrupulous and parasitical hustler played well by Jim Sarbh. Though Hirani touches upon most of the life-altering events in Sanjay Dutt’s colourful life, he can be faulted with being as indulgent about the wayward star as Dutt’s father was in his fight to bring out his only son from the rut of illegalities he had gotten himself into.

Yes, there is an unhidden look into Sanju’s druggie days, his atrocious let-down of his first serious girlfriend (played by Sonam Kapoor) and his escape from rehab. But, there has been much more muck in his life which has not been delved into. All along, you feel you are being persuaded to justify Dutt’s misdemeanours even when you know deep down that his story is really the story of any average druggie from a rich background who got into it all because of nobody’s fault.

Much loved by both his parents — the dying Nargis Dutt and the upright Sunil Dutt — it was difficult to understand why Hirani so desperately asks the audience to understand Dutt’s young life insecurities depicted with a lot of deliberation in the film.

Dutt has openly talked about his personal fault lines, now that he crusades against narco addiction. Hirani could and should have built on that. Instead he turns hesitant in many places taking away from the reality bite. However, overall, the film carries on without too many niggles, thanks to the director’s brilliance with moulding stories and emotions. The Hirani brand of subtle humour comes visiting every once in a while when the situations turn dour. You even hear of how Munna Bhai happened after emerging as an unread script from Sanju Baba’s car boot — and also the fact that he slept with more women on count than the number of bones he correctly counted in the human body in Munna Bhai.

The characters, besides Kapoor, are equally well-fleshed out. Paresh Rawal as Sunil Dutt is believable and excellent with his under-toned histrionics. Manisha Koirala is a good choice as an ailing Nargis. Vicky Kaushal, high on acclaim from Raazi, goes a step ahead in this one as Sanjay’s Dutt’s America-based friend. Anushka Sharma as Sanju’s reticent biographer-writer looks stunning but a tad unconvincing. Dia Mirza as Manyata Dutt needed more footage.

The fall guy of the film though is not Sanju but the demonic media, fake news reports, sexed up headlines, surreptitiously sourced versions of what really was his case of bomb blasts involvement and the textual paparazzi who Sanju — and Hirani — claim actually sent him to jail on wrong charges. Maybe it was all smoke but there was a fire somewhere behind it so blaming the media entirely for Sanju being jailed was high-handed and at the same time a weak attempt to justify what he did, despite the confession of possessing an assault rifle as a big mistake.

There is so much more to Dutt’s story — his relationships with previous wives were not touched upon and his private life and marriage to Manyata is entirely ignored. Hirani, instead, focuses on Sanju’s obsession to live up to Sunil Dutt’s uprightness and the bond between the father and the son through difficult days. Even his sisters are used as an accessory to frames and nothing more. His connection with the underworld too gets a gloved touch.

Yes, what was on the plate was good and interesting. But the problem is, yeh dil maangey more of Sanju Baba’s inner most moments. If not that, than Munna Bhai 3! 

Source: Published in Sunday Pioneer,