Sanju

Sanju is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language biographical comedy drama film directed and edited by Rajkumar Hirani, written by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi and produced by Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra under the banners Rajkumar Hirani Films and Vinod Chopra Films. The film chronicles the life of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, notably focusing his drug addiction, arrest for his suspected association with the 1993 Bombay bombings, relationship with his father, and acting career. Ranbir Kapoor stars as the title character with an ensemble supporting cast including Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Dia Mirza, Manisha Koirala, Karishma Tanna, Jim Sarbh and Sonam Kapoor.

In a conversation with Hirani, Dutt shared anecdotes from his life, which the former found intriguing and prompted him to make a film based on Dutt's life. It was titled Sanju after the nickname Dutt's mother Nargis used to call him. Principal photography began in January 2017 and wrapped up in January 2018. The film's soundtrack was composed by Rohan-Rohan and Vikram Montrose, with A. R. Rahman as a guest composer. Fox Star Studios acquired the distribution rights of the film.

Sanju was released worldwide on 29 June 2018. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised Hirani's direction, screenplay, music, cinematography and the performances (particularly those of Kapoor, Kaushal, Rawal, and Koirala), though some criticized its supposed image-cleansing of its protagonist. It registered the highest opening for any film released in India in 2018, and on its third day had the highest single-day collection ever for a Hindi film in India. With a worldwide gross of over ₹587 crore (US$85.83 million), Sanju emerged as the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2018, highest grossing Hindi film of 2018, and the highest-grossing film of Kapoor's career until the release of Animal in 2023. It earned seven nominations at the 64th Filmfare Awards including Best Film and Best Director, winning Best Actor for Kapoor and Best Supporting Actor for Kaushal.

Plot

D. N. Tripathi, a lyricist, writes a biography on Sanjay "Sanju" Dutt, comparing him to Mahatma Gandhi. Flabbergasted, Sanju throws him out. The Supreme Court of India delivers its verdict regarding the 1993 Bombay bombings and sentences Sanju to 5 years jail term for violating the Arms Act, 1959. To get his story out to the public, his wife Manyata Dutt approaches Winnie Diaz, a London-based writer, to write his biography. Winnie is approached by Zubin Mistry, a real estate builder, who tells her not to write the biography – upon her scepticism, he asks her to float a question to Sanju regarding the number of women he has slept with, and even conjectures Sanju would be lying outright if he mentioned a number less than 200. When she returns to Sanju, he laughs out and reveals a much higher number. Realizing he is being honest, Winnie decides to interview him for the book, and the first chapter of his life, which involves Zubin, is revealed in a flashback.

Sanju's father Sunil Dutt plans to launch Sanju's film career with Rocky (1981). Sanju, upset with his father's controlling behavior on set, is encouraged by Zubin, who their friends had nicknamed "God", to try drugs for the first time. He is immediately hooked but soon discovers that his mother Nargis is suffering from pancreatic cancer and has to head to New York for treatment. This incident furthers his descent into alcoholism and drug addiction.

Sanju meets Kamlesh "Kamli" Kanhaiyalal Kapasi, a fan of Nargis and Sunil Dutt, in New York, and they quickly become friends. Kamli helps Sanju stay away from drugs and focus on his family. However, after learning that his girlfriend Ruby has been arranged to marry someone else due to his drug addiction, Sanju relapses. Kamli convinces Ruby to register for marriage with Sanju, assuring her that he is clean and ready to spend the rest of his life with her. Realising her love for Sanju, she goes to the registration office, but does not find him there. When she arrives at his house, she discovers that he is still under the influence of drugs and decides to leave him.

Nargis dies 3 days before the release of Rocky, taking an emotional toll on Sanju, who agrees to attend a rehabilitation center in the United States. Keeping his mother as his idol, Sanju recovers with the help of his father and Kamli. On returning to India, he finds Zubin at his door welcoming him home with more drugs and reveals to Zubin that he figured out how Zubin was peddling him drugs while consuming glucose himself. He beats Zubin and throws him out.

Back to the present, when Zubin on being confronted by Winnie rebuts her comments with a revelation about Sanju's best friend severing ties with him, she realizes the next chapter may have something to do with a now-estranged Kamli, currently a millionaire, who she tracks down to New York. He is reluctant at first since he feels he has wasted many years of his life on Sanju but finally agrees to speak up after he notices his own gift to Nargis in a photograph of Sanju.

In the 1990s, Sanju has turned to bodybuilding and his career in Bollywood greatly improves. He betrays Kamli by having sex with his Gujarati girlfriend Pinky but later the matter is solved when Kamli gets to know that Pinky only wanted him for his wealth.

After the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, Sunil, who had become a member of the Lok Sabha had received multiple threatening phone calls. Sanju illegally purchases a Type 56 assault rifle for his protection after a gangster pelts stones at Kamli's house. A series of bombings occur in Bombay shortly thereafter. For possession of illegal arms supplied by the D-Company supposedly to be trafficked for protection during potential communal rioting after the bombings, Sanju is arrested in 1993, convicted and sentenced for five years under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), threatening his career. Further tarnishing his public image, the media labels him a terrorist. One day, Kamli reads a newspaper headline saying "RDX Truck at Dutt House". Believing Sanju to be guilty when he walks in on Sunil asking his son to testify positively in court, Kamli severs ties with him. Winnie too, considers dropping the book due to her complicated feelings over the subject matter, until Manyata sends him an audio clip featuring Sanjay, which pushes her to realize Kamli's account may have been lopsided.

After his release in 1995, Sanju appears in a string of flops. With his popularity waning near the millennium, he is forced by his father (who is also featured as his father) to accept the title role in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003). This performance wins Sanju the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role and his image improves which makes his father proud. Shortly afterward, Sunil Dutt dies.

In 2006, while not finding Sanju to be a terrorist, the Bombay High Court does find Sanju guilty under the Arms Act. He is arrested again in 2013 by the same verdict upheld by the Supreme Court of India. With Manyata's help, Sanju convinces Winnie and Kamli of his innocence by blaming the media for falsely accusing him of terrorism.

He is subsequently released in 2016 and finds out Winnie has completed writing his biography, Kuch Toh Log Kahenge (transl. People will say something), named after one of Sunil's favorite songs from Amar Prem (1972). He reunites with Kamli and Manyata and tells his children not to be like him but like his father Sunil.

Cast

Production

Development

Director Rajkumar Hirani was first prompted to create a film based on Sanjay Dutt's life by the latter's wife Manyata Dutt in a casual conversation, an offer he refused, reasoning that "Sanju’s world is very different from my world". In an interview with Daily News & Analysis, Hirani revealed what eventually prompted him to create a film based on Sanjay Dutt's life: "He was lonely. Manyata (I think) was in the hospital and he used to go there (sometimes) and then come home to an empty house. So, he was just venting, speaking straight from the heart. And, he started giving me anecdotes that were just gems for a filmmaker". In regards to gaining resources in constructing the film, Hirani said, "...we sat for a crazy amount of time and recorded everything ... I also met others who knew him — journalists, cops, relatives and friends. I felt there was a movie that should be told." In an interview with DNA After Hrs, Hirani confirmed that the film was named Sanju after a lot of deliberation as Nargis, Sanjay's mother, used to call him ‘Sanju’.