Unlike many other enterprising people I don’t rush in for first day shows preferring to wait for reviews to educate or pre-warn of the impending three-hour experience ! For ‘Sanju’ we made an exception simply because somewhere there’s always been a soft spot for that marvelous and maverick actor who made the ‘Munnabhai’ character a cult with his bohemian ways and cavalier style !
It’s also easy to understand the complexities and risks in constructing the biopic (albeit with shortcomings and omissions) of three hours, spanning four decades of the turbulent life and times of actor Sanjay Dutt (Sanju) – wayward, errant and junkie star-son, turned sought after superstar turned law-breaker and jailbird – the only son of such respected and celebrity parents as veteran actors, political luminaries like Sunil and Nargis Dutt !
The film is not a classic in the league of ‘Munnabhai’ franchise or “Three Idiots’ which made director, Raj Kumar Hirani, a master-teller with his finger on people’s pulse. Yet it comes with it’s own strengths of a pulsating screenplay, sardonic doses of humor and moving intensity of human relationships.
‘Sanju’ is the resurgence of Ranbir Kapoor as an outstanding actor who lives the role of a helplessly weak, self-destructive, impetuous youth who wittingly or otherwise constantly got on the wrong side of law but later came to terms with his many misdemeanors, finally incarcerating himself with serving a jail sentence but not before getting his name cleared from the TADA accused list.
The other side of this remarkable story is the highly principled and upright etching of great moral stature of Sunil Dutt’s character, brilliantly portrayed by Paresh Rawal – in fact the film can also be a tribute to the fine qualities that Sunil Dutt possessed as a man and a father, the relentless battles that he fought for his son on various fronts till the end. There’s a moving fictional speech which Sanju prepares for his father for he can’t thank him enough for drawing him out of abyss of failure to a life of meaning ! Paresh Rawal’s superlative act is supported by a superb power performance by Vicky Kaushal and a sweet cameo by Manisha Koirala as Nargis Dutt.
Finally the misses, which are quite a few. Understandably to keep everyone appeased, nothing is spoken of his various affairs with his co-stars but why have no mention even of his first wife and daughter from her. In a film dominated by larger than life figures and lots of bromance between Sanju and his life-long friend, the female characters are low key including Sanju’s sisters and stars Sonam Kapoor and Anushka Sharma seem quite inconsequential in their roles.
Despite its omissions and indulgence, ‘Sanju’ is a moving experience that’s all about frustrations, hope, endearment and lasting relationships. In the last scene, Sanju himself tells his son “Try to become like my Father, don’t try to be like your Father !”.
I specially felt happy when my wife said after the movie ‘Thank you, Sanju ’ – you see my nickname too is Sanju !
Working on Living 