The famous movie director Rajkumar Hirani recently opened up about his decision to make Ranbir Kapoor starrer Sanju and addressed the criticism that the film was an attempt to improve Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt’s public image.
Sanjay Dutt, who was linked to the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts and served a five-year prison sentence, has been a controversial figure. In a new interview, Rajkumar Hirani made it clear that he was neither a close friend of Sanjay Dutt nor in need of work when he decided to make the biopic. His motivation, he admitted, was purely driven by the compelling nature of Sanjay Dutt’s life story. He also reflected on his latest film “Dunki” acknowledging that it did not perform so well as he had hoped.
While speaking in the interview, Rajkumar Hirani explained how the idea for “Sanju” came to him. He recalled that Sanjay Dutt, who was out on parole at the time, had invited him over for a meeting. Since Sanjay Dutt was going through a difficult phase and did not have many visitors, Rajkumar Hirani went to see him. Despite having worked together on two films, their relationship had been strictly professional, with no deep conversations outside of work. That day, however, Sanjay Dutt opened up about his life, sharing personal stories about his struggles and his father. As he listened, Hirani found himself drawn in by the raw honesty of Sanjay Dutt’s experiences.
Over the next few days, Sanjay Dutt continued reaching out, sharing more details of his life. That was when Rajkumar Hirani realised the potential for a film. He found Sanjay Dutt’s experiences fascinating and believed that they could translate into a compelling narrative. Initially, he had not planned to work on a biopic as he was focused on writing another Munna Bhai film. But as he dug deeper, speaking to Sanjay Dutt’s family and friends, he realised that there was a strong father-son story at the heart of it all, and that convinced him to turn it into a movie.
Addressing the accusations that “Sanju” movie attempted to clean up Sanjay Dutt’s image, Rajkumar Hirani shared an experience from an interview. He recalled being questioned about whether the film was meant to portray Sanjay Dutt in a better light. In response, he pointed out that “Sanju” did not shy away from showing the actor’s troubled past. It depicted his involvement with illegal weapons, his attempt to destroy evidence, his drug addiction and even his betrayal of a close friend. According to Rajkumar Hirani, the film did not attempt to hide or downplay Sanjay Dutt’s mistakes but rather presented them as they were. He argued that much of the criticism came from people who had formed opinions based on media reports rather than firsthand knowledge of the actor’s life.
Rajkumar Hirani emphasised that his motivation for making the film was the strength of the story, not personal loyalty to Sanjay Dutt. He dismissed the idea that he was desperate enough to create a film to improve someone’s image. To ensure accuracy, he spoke not just to Sanjay Dutt but also to his close acquaintances and even law enforcement officials. He recalled directly asking the police if there was any proven link between Sanjay Dutt and the bomb blasts. The response he received was that Sanjay Dutt had no connection to the attacks but his mistake was in possessing the gun. That, Rajkumar Hirani believed, was a critical distinction, and it reassured him that the film could be made without distorting the truth.
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