Disclaimer: This post is not about Sanjay Dutt the person, it's about Rajkumar Hirani's film based on Dutt's life. Though the film is clearly biased, it worked for me.
Sanjay Dutt's life is the stuff any writer's wet dream is made of. That's also the reason for this post's headline. While watching 'Sanju' the mind oscillates in two directions:
1) What a roller-coaster of journey this man has survived, it lends to cinema so easily, and in the hands of a magician called Rajkumar Hirani, and an actor like Ranbir Kapoor what's there to not like?
2) What an assh**e this guy has been most of his life, and unapologetic too. With so much legacy and privilege to bank upon, the least he could do was act (which he did in many films - 'Naam' & 'Vaastav' being my personal favourites).
Just watch this video:
If you don't see something endearing and likeable about this guy, then 'Sanju' is not for you. I find this video very funny and for some reason I like Dutt a lot. (Sorry, not open for a debate here)
Now let's leave the cynicism aside for a while, and allow me to share some thoughts that I had while watching 'Sanju' and for that I will credit the director and RK, the leading man, who made me believe that perhaps Sanju is a nice guy after all. What surprised me the most was the fact that despite knowing almost 95% of Dutt's story that is already in public domain, I was watching the film as if it was something I have never known. Now that's storytelling at its best. Take a bow, Mr. Hirani.
As much as the director would like us all to believe that 'Sanju' is an exploration of the father-son dynamic, for me it was all about Sanju & his bonding with his best friend Kamlesh. Oh what a role played by Vicky Kaushal - in many scenes I felt Ranbir is feeding off Vicky's awesomeness. There's something about the brother bonding, which resonated inside me. Brothers are usually assh**es, but you can't stop loving them, can you? You just somehow make peace with that fact.
I have found loving brothers in a few friends, and I take this opportunity to send out random love and jhappis to Ashu, Deven & Inder. That's the magic of good films - they make you realise the importance of relationships you normally take for granted. In 'Sanju' there are many moments that bring to fore the things one should NOT do in relationships which matter to you, and you know that they'll be there till you push it to an extreme corner, after which it snaps. Life goes on...
I feel there is an entire film somewhere in RK & VK's bro-bonding, but let's save that for another day. Coming back to 'Sanju,' I felt that despite the flaws and some gimmicky scenes, there's a lot to take away from it, just as a storyteller. As someone wise had said before, everything that was unique has been written or made, now it is how uniquely you present your story. The same material of Dutt's life in the hands of Anurag Kashyap or Sanjay Gupta could have been dark and edgy, but Raju sir can make farts look like sunshine or rainbows...
My take away is the fact that in movies, it helps to look at the good, sometimes even in the bad. Not everyone can be Rajkumar Hirani, but his films make the world a better place, at least I feel so. I hope to hear from you all in the comments' section, preferably after you've watched 'Sanju' this weekend. Now eagerly looking forward to Sriram sir's next, 'Andhadhun'.
That's all for now. Have a great weekend.
Sanjay Dutt's life is the stuff any writer's wet dream is made of. That's also the reason for this post's headline. While watching 'Sanju' the mind oscillates in two directions:
1) What a roller-coaster of journey this man has survived, it lends to cinema so easily, and in the hands of a magician called Rajkumar Hirani, and an actor like Ranbir Kapoor what's there to not like?
2) What an assh**e this guy has been most of his life, and unapologetic too. With so much legacy and privilege to bank upon, the least he could do was act (which he did in many films - 'Naam' & 'Vaastav' being my personal favourites).
Just watch this video:
If you don't see something endearing and likeable about this guy, then 'Sanju' is not for you. I find this video very funny and for some reason I like Dutt a lot. (Sorry, not open for a debate here)
Now let's leave the cynicism aside for a while, and allow me to share some thoughts that I had while watching 'Sanju' and for that I will credit the director and RK, the leading man, who made me believe that perhaps Sanju is a nice guy after all. What surprised me the most was the fact that despite knowing almost 95% of Dutt's story that is already in public domain, I was watching the film as if it was something I have never known. Now that's storytelling at its best. Take a bow, Mr. Hirani.
As much as the director would like us all to believe that 'Sanju' is an exploration of the father-son dynamic, for me it was all about Sanju & his bonding with his best friend Kamlesh. Oh what a role played by Vicky Kaushal - in many scenes I felt Ranbir is feeding off Vicky's awesomeness. There's something about the brother bonding, which resonated inside me. Brothers are usually assh**es, but you can't stop loving them, can you? You just somehow make peace with that fact.
I have found loving brothers in a few friends, and I take this opportunity to send out random love and jhappis to Ashu, Deven & Inder. That's the magic of good films - they make you realise the importance of relationships you normally take for granted. In 'Sanju' there are many moments that bring to fore the things one should NOT do in relationships which matter to you, and you know that they'll be there till you push it to an extreme corner, after which it snaps. Life goes on...
I feel there is an entire film somewhere in RK & VK's bro-bonding, but let's save that for another day. Coming back to 'Sanju,' I felt that despite the flaws and some gimmicky scenes, there's a lot to take away from it, just as a storyteller. As someone wise had said before, everything that was unique has been written or made, now it is how uniquely you present your story. The same material of Dutt's life in the hands of Anurag Kashyap or Sanjay Gupta could have been dark and edgy, but Raju sir can make farts look like sunshine or rainbows...
My take away is the fact that in movies, it helps to look at the good, sometimes even in the bad. Not everyone can be Rajkumar Hirani, but his films make the world a better place, at least I feel so. I hope to hear from you all in the comments' section, preferably after you've watched 'Sanju' this weekend. Now eagerly looking forward to Sriram sir's next, 'Andhadhun'.
That's all for now. Have a great weekend.
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