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Sanju: Film Review – Ranbir Kapoor Rocks!

For generations, he was ‘Sanju Baba’, the spoilt, loved darling of the collective Indian nation. The son of iconic Nargis and the wonderful Sunil Dutt, he could do no wrong and if he could or did, nothing would stick to him. Sanjay Dutt of the fabulous dreamy, druggee eyes and the lost little boy smile. Everyone ached for him and his losses, especially for the loss of his beloved mother to pancreatic cancer when he was a susceptible, troubled youth.

Nothing stuck to him – not his drinking, not his drugs nor his womanizing – until it was terrorism charges, and these turned the tide. He had been arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) in 1993. The charges were later dropped but he was convicted of illegal possession of weapons. He was released in 2016 after serving his sentence of three years. It is a blistering tale of a raw and controversial life and Raj Kumar Hirani’s ‘Sanju’ takes you right into it.

To watch Ranbir Kapoor deliver this powerhouse performance as Sanju is to live through the rough 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, through the turbulent weather of a life awash in grief and substance abuse and to wonder whether this man could ever be salvaged.

“Sanju” is a biopic of a real man – and it would be hard to believe the crazy tale even if it were fictional. Yet we have actually witnessed this life of Sanju through newspaper reports, lurid film magazines and gossip talk – we knew it all actually happened. I would have loved to see the real Sanju play this entire role but since time and age have made that impossible, Ranbir Kapoor is the best man to do this – and with some crafty cosmetic touches and weight gain, he looks uncannily like the real Sanju, particularly in the later prison scenes. The rest is wonderful acting work by Ranbir, in one of his finest characterizations. Indeed, Ranbir Kapoor the star is effaced completely and what you get is the explosive hustling, bustling bundle of Sanju, warts and all. An ace performance.

‘Sanju’ is helped tremendously by an ensemble cast which keeps the credibility factor going – from Manisha Koirala as the lovely effervescent Nargis, the adoring mom who is the emotional and positive center of this tale to Paresh Rawal who plays Sunil Dutt, father and selfless MP, the devoted family man who tries to keep it all together after the death of Nargis. Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor and Dia Mirza play the women in Sanju’s life and each one brings glamour and emotion to the screen. This is a film with fine cameos and bit parts, enriching the film.

Perhaps the most powerful performance after Ranbir Kapoor’s  is that of Vicky Kaushal as Sanju’s rock-solid friend – and moral compass of the tale. Playing him as a genuine, wide-eyed innocent and simple Gujju boy, he helps the troubled superstar navigate the murky waters of his blistering journey, never wavering in his friendship or his ethics.

Yet one also feels that ‘Sanju’ the film is somehow compromised, and is an incomplete story because certain aspects of Sanju’s life are whitewashed or simply left out as if the filmmakers wanted us to have collective amnesia. Richa Sharma, his first wife who lived in New York and with whom he had a youthful love marriage and who died from cancer is extradited from his life, as is his second wife Rhea Pillai. Nor is his daughter Trishala ever mentioned.

So did Sanjay Dutt make any poor choices or bad decisions or was it all the fault of the press-wallahs and gossip-mongers? The lively music video added at the end of the film seems to imply the latter, tongue-in-cheek. “Sanju” wants you to believe that our hero is the lovable scamp who really can do no wrong. With the weight of the terrorist label finally removed, Sanju is regenerated and ready to be loved and adored again. Watch out for Ranbir Kapoor as Sanju at the annual film awards events with an armful of winnings for a sterling performance.

“Sanju” is a film about a complex antihero and Ranbir takes you on a frenetic yet entertaining journey about a messed up life that finally turns out right at the end.

( The drama continues in real life. The breaking news is that gangster Abu Salem, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 Bombay blasts, ,recently sent a legal notice to the makers of Sanju. News agency ANI reported that Salem, through his lawyer, has pointed to incorrect information on him depicted in the movie and has also sought an apology for the same. He has given the movie-makers 15 days to act on his notice and in case they don’t, he would file a defamation case against them.)

The Transformation of Ranbir Kapoor into Sanju 

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