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 mixed 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 , 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, an eccentric lyricist, presents a heavily romanticized biography comparing actor Sanjay "Sanju" Dutt to Mahatma Gandhi. A flabbergasted Sanjay rejects the manuscript and has Tripathi thrown out. Concurrently, the Supreme Court of India upholds his's conviction for violating the Arms Act, 1959, arising from the 1993 Bombay bombings, sentencing him to a five-year prison term. Desperate to counter his tarnished public image before his incarceration, Sanjay's wife, Manyata, persuades London-based biographer Winnie Diaz to chronicle his true life story. Though initially skeptical due to a warning from Zubin Mistry, a wealthy builder and Sanjay's former friend, Winnie is won over by Sanjay's unfiltered honesty regarding his chaotic past. She agrees to write the book, triggering a series of chronological flashbacks.
In the early 1980s, stifled by the strict professional oversight of his father, acclaimed filmmaker and politician Sunil Dutt, during the production of his debut film Rocky, Sanjay seeks escape. Zubin, an insidious drug peddler nicknamed "God," exploits his vulnerability by introducing him to severe substance abuse. He becomes profoundly addicted, a dependency that rapidly accelerates when his mother, Nargis, is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. During her treatment in New York City, Sanjay befriends Kamlesh "Kamli" Kanhaiyalal Kapasi, a loyal fan of his parents. Kamli becomes his emotional anchor, attempting to steer him toward sobriety. However, his worsening addiction causes his disillusioned girlfriend, Ruby, to permanently abandon their relationship. Following Nargis's tragic death just days before Rocky'''s premiere, a devastated Sanjay finally agrees to enter a rehabilitation center in the United States, successfully achieving sobriety with the support of Sunil and Kamli. Upon returning to India, he violently expels Zubin from his life.
In the 1990s, Sanjay achieves immense box-office success and reinvents himself as an action star. Following the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition and subsequent communal tensions, Sunil receives explicit death threats due to his secular political stance. After a localized assault on Kamli's property, a panicked Sanjay illegally acquires an AK-56 assault rifle from arms traffickers linked to the D-Company underworld solely for familial protection. Following the coordinated 1993 Bombay bombings, local police discover the weapon, arresting Sanjay under the draconian Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). Driven by sensationalist media headlines implying Sanjay's active complicity in trafficking explosives, a disillusioned Kamli severs all ties with him, believing he has betrayed the nation.
Following a lengthy interim prison stint and release in 1995, Sanjay's career suffers from a string of commercial failures. To restore his public standing and morale, Sunil persuades him to accept the lead role in Rajkumar Hirani's Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003). The film's overwhelming success rehabilitates his public image and restores Sunil's pride shortly before his death.
In 2006, the judiciary formally clears Sanjay of all terrorism-related charges under TADA but maintains his conviction under the Arms Act for illegal weapon possession. When his final appeal is rejected in 2013, Sanjay utilizes his remaining days of freedom to reconcile with Winnie and Kamli. Guided by Manyata, he presents verified evidence exposing how speculative, unverified tabloid journalism systematically distorted legal facts to brand him a terrorist. Convinced of his patriotism, a remorseful Kamli reconciles with him.
Upon his definitive release from prison in 2016, Sanjay discovers that Winnie has completed his biography, titled Kuch Toh Log Kahenge. Reunited with Manyata and Kamli, Sanju publicly embraces his flawed legacy, imploring his children to emulate the integrity of their grandfather, Sunil, rather than his own.
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’.
Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra was not a part of the project when Hirani initially approached him to produce the film. At first, Chopra was of the opinion that "it was hogwash... but when we started researching all that he’s said — from the 308 girlfriends he had to how he begged on the streets of US for the money to buy a bus ticket — we realised that everything he had told us was true!". Hirani had a pre-condition with Dutt that if the latter requested to change any lines or scenes, he "would not make it", upon which Dutt allowed Hirani to make the film in his accord. He was okay with Hirani not glorifying him in the film. Hirani showed aspects of Dutt's life that the public would not have known, such as "what was happening in the Dutt household when Sanju was accused of the crime? What was his father going through? What was happening with his sisters? How were his friends reacting? Later I met his sisters, Namrata and Priya, brother-in-law Kumar Gaurav and US-based friend Paresh Ghelani." Hirani stated, "The film is not about his romance. It has primarily two tracks, one is the gun story and the other is the drugs story and how he fought these two battles."
Speaking about Dutt's journey, Kapoor revealed in an interview with Filmfare that the biopic will reach out to the audience by teaching them something. He stated that "It will talk about human flaws, the emotional father-son story (between Sanjay and the late Sunil Dutt), his relationship with his best friend, with the women in his life. It's emotional, it's funny, it's sad, it's bittersweet. The youth have a lot to learn from his mistakes." He also confirmed that "it's not a propaganda film" intending to glorify Dutt. Kapoor also revealed that for him the hardest aspect of playing the role was to give himself the confidence to go ahead with the project. For him, Sanjay Dutt is "a flawed but a wonderful person... a pop icon" and that's why it was scary. Kapoor also stated that there are "six different phases, six different looks and six different controversies" in the film.
In an interview with Rajeev Masand, Hirani disclosed that the story-telling procedure was "challenging as it's not a story of an achiever" as most biopics are based on a heroic personality, yet Dutt is known for his tragedies and losses. He noted that "you can't really tamper" and that the main scripting challenge was fitting "a very anecdotal story in a structured format". Writer Abhijat Joshi also revealed that there was no "deliberate" attempt to make Dutt's character sympathetic to the audience. Instead the team realized having listened to all the anecdotes conveyed by Dutt that it's a "very engaging, incredibly fascinating" story based on a "conflicted person, a flawed person" who "deserved empathy". Hirani then confirmed that he has "put out the truth" which includes "good things and bad things". In another interview, Hirani also revealed that like his other films, Sanju would also deliver a social message: "there is the father-son story, a friendship and one is a question mark. For the last one, you’ll have to see the film. Hirani also revealed that he did initially get "attracted to all the anecdotes [that Dutt was conveying]" but soon "realized it was not enough – we had to be able to string it all together." which led him to come to the conclusion that "people need to know is his gun story [and his drug story], because it is important. If there is no gun story, there is no biopic" which then in turn formed the "spine" of the film."
Post the release of the film, both Hirani and Joshi reasoned that Dutt has not been "whitewashed" in the film as many critics have openly said so. Instead, Hirani questioned, "I want to know what have I whitewashed? I have shown that he had 308 girlfriends, that he was so addicted to drugs, he slept with his friend’s girlfriend. Is this whitewashing?". Joshi also commented that "What we are bashing is a certain section which sensationalizes things and uses a question mark to make things ‘chatpata’ (spicy). That has been critiqued, and I am amazed there has been no introspection on that side. No one has even said that it happens."
Casting