Hirani Pleads Sanju’s Case in Fans’ Court

QUICK SCAN

Rating: 3.25/5

First Impression: If Sanju happens to be your friend, you shouldn’t end up just by accepting his strengths and weaknesses. You should help him initiating fight against his wild self. If you are Sanju’s father, receive ridicule and praise on his name in equal measure. Yes. His closest friend and dearest father have made what Sanju now is.Rajkumar Hirani has tried to prove this view point in the bio-pic.

Plus points:

• Ranbir Kapoor could successfully get into Sanjay Dutt’s skin.
• Vicky Kaushal does his best as Sanju’s fan and friend.
• Paresh Rawal fits into Sanju’s famed father Sunil Dutt’s role
• Manisha Koirala adds grace to the movie as Nargis Dutt
• Scenes when Sanjay is in prison make an everlasting impact
• Real Sanjay Dutt’s appearance in a song at the end.

Pitfalls:

• Some actors including Paresh Rawal are found lazy and detached in a few scenes
• The film hasn’t given complete account of Sanjay Dutt’s life till date
• Media is made the only culprit in maligning Sanjay’s image. .
• Nargis Dutt’s role in Sanjay’s upbringing is not focussed.
  

  ---

   WHOS’ WHO

   Direction:  Rajkumar Hirani

  Production: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani

  Script: Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi

  Cast:  Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vicky Kaushal, Manisha Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Jim Sarbh

  Music: A. R. Rahman, Rohan Rohan, Vikram Montrose, Sanjay Wandrekar, Atul Raninga

  Cinematography: Ravi Varman

  Editing:  Rajkumar Hirani

  Production company: Rajkumar Hirani Films, Vinod Chopra Films

  Distribution:  Fox Star Studios, 20th Century Fox

  Release date: 29 June 2018

  ---

  Plot: Limited to 3 Things

Drugs, guns, RDX! People who love to hate Sanju are quick to define him this way. To tell they are wrong, Rajkumar Hirani obsessively limits the bio-pic to these three things. He convincingly narrates how Sanju was duped into drug abuse, how he needed a gun to protect his father from possible attacks and how Media concocted a story of RDX in his possession. In short, Rajkumar Hirani pleads Sanju’s case for screen.

Story: Biographer Becomes Part

Sanjay Dutt desperately feels his true story should come out in the form of a book and meets a reputed biographer (Ansushka Sharma). Having come to know about his ‘Terrorist’ image, she says no first. Sanjay’s wife Manyata Dutt (Dia Mirza) convinces her by stating ‘Sometimes bad choices make good work’. The story unfolds as Sanjay and his friend Kamlesh (Vicky Koushal) reveals. She becomes part of the story, in making his estranged friend Koushal  realise that Sanju had nothing to do with hording RDX. It generated out of Media’s imagination.

Treatment: Sanju, His Friend and His Dad

Sanjay’s life is viewed from the viewpoints of the two: his friend Kamlesh and his father. That’s how these two, after the lead role, occupies much screen space. Kamlesh proves Sanjay’ love for Ruby( Sonam Kapur) is true. Sunil Daut proves how strong his son is ultimately. That’s how  Rajkumar Hirani pleads Sanju’s case by presenting Sanju’s friend and father as prime witness in the court of audience. Perhaps this is one of the best ways in handling the bio-pic of a celebrity who has negative shades in the public.

Screen play: Making Fiction out of Fact

/>Is writing fiction without being fictional possible? One has to take up the task while making ones real life into a feature film. All the scenes are created in such a way. Sanju’s mom passes away without watching his son’s much awaited debutant  movie. After the release of his movie in a front of a theatre a seat is kept vacant between Sanju and his father, Sunil Dutt. When someone asks before occupying it, ‘Who will sit here?’, Sunil Dutt says, ‘My wife’. Sanjay’s undelivered speech on his father is revealed line by line during his father’s final rites after death. Rajkumar Hirani succeeds in giving such brilliant screen play.

Lead Role : Ranbir Gets into Sanju’s Skin

Ranbir Kapoor emulates Sanjay in body, voice and spirit. It doesn’t mean Ranbir has aped or mimicked Sanju. Ranbir’s knack lies in picking up Sanju’s signature mannerisms. While Ranbir remaining Ranbir, he gets into Sanjay’s skin. He is at his best, when Sanju  slips into the stages of  shake, disorientation and hallucination under drug abuse. It needs no special emphasis that Ranbir gives stellar performance in delivering Sanju’s mark of comedy.

Others in Cast: Jim Sarbh and Sonam Perform Well

Jim Sarbh makes his mark felt even in his limited appearances as the bad boy. It’s he(Zubin Mistry) who mischievously introduces drugs to Sanju. Sonam Kapoor(in Ruby’s role) as a helpless girl who  comes to know  the boy she is in love with, plays extremely well. Paresh Rawal has more to play but grudgingly, if not lazily, performs in a few scenes. Manisha Koirala his little to play, but performs in high spirits.

Dialogues: Establish Bond between Father and Son

Much care is taken in penning the dialogues that are exchanged between Sanju and his father, and Sanju and his friend. Sunil Dutt’s catch words ‘Sixers’ and ‘Ustads’ make strong impact. Humour ,of course, is meticulously penned.

Bottom line:

Sanju gets a clean acquittal, barring illegal possession of arms, not only from the courts of law in real life. He is relieved of every maligned image in this bio-pic. Credit goes to Rajkumar Hirani.

-Satish Chandar

Author’s personal website: https://www.satishchandar.com