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Truth Behind 'Kuch Toh Log Kahenge' Author Winnie Diaz

If you have watched Sanju movie then you may be thinking about  Winnie Diaz . Many people asked  Who is Winnie diaz  ,  Winnie diaz writer  , Winnie diaz books  . If you have same question then you are at right place. Vinod Chopra Film and Rajkumar Hirani Films ' ‘ Sanju ’ was a biopic on Sanjay Dutt. It covered the important aspects of Sanjay’s ups and downs in his life. From dealing with his girlfriends to drug addiction to possessing an AK-56 rifle, the movie is a complete package of Sanjay’s trials and tribulations. Directed by Hirani, Sanju is an honest portrayal of Sanjay Dutt’s life.

Though it is a biopic, there are no rules that all the characters should be real. Paresh Rawal played Sunil Dutt’s role, Manisha Koirala has played Nargis Dutt, Dia Mirza as Sanjay’s third and current wife Maanyata Dutt and Vicky Kaushal has played his bosom friend Paresh Ghelani. But there are also some fictional characters in the movie. First is the writer Winnie Diaz played by Anushka Sharma. It is totally a fictional character. In real-life, there was no autobiographer named Winnie Diaz. Yes, you have heard it right!

Now the question is who is Winnie Diaz character? Rajkumar Hirani opened up on it. Actually, the role played by Anushka is Rajkumar Hirani and his co-writer Abhijat Joshi.

In the movie, it is shown that Anushka Sharma goes to receive Sanjay Dutt along with Maanyata and Kamlesh when he came out of Yerwada jail. In real life, it was Rajkumar Hirani who went to pick up Sanjay. Hirani has also revealed that the book Anushka Sharma writes on Sanju is totally a work of fiction. Actually, the book is the script of ‘Sanju’ movie written by Abhijat and Raju Hirani. It was gifted by Hirani to Sanjay.

This is the real story behind Anushka Sharma’s character. What are your views on it? Do let us know in the section below.

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Micro review: Sanjay Dutt - The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy

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Sanjay Dutt Biography: What Makes a Bad Boy Truly Bad

Sanjay dutt’s biographer examines why the star doesn’t give a damn about what you think.

Close your eyes and think of a Bollywood A-lister. Any A-list actor will do. Now imagine, one evening, sitting in his home, the actor, aching from a recent breakup and mind dulled by alcohol – and perhaps certain other substances – decides to take a gun and shoot mindlessly in the air. He shatters a few windows of his mansion in a posh Mumbai neighbourhood and also the windscreen of his imported car. The neighbours, alarmed by the loud gunshots, call the police. But before the police can seize the actor, he runs off, only to resurface and surrender the next day. His weapon’s licence is confiscated and his passport impounded. The police register a case against him for rash and negligent use of a firearm that could cause harm to human lives. The filmstar is arrested and then let out on a bail.

What would you imagine the next steps of said celebrity would be?

In order to deal with so enormous a public-relations disaster, the actor may express contrition. He could become an evangelist against alcohol and drug abuse, and for gun control. Or he could go the other route and find a pliant servant to pin the blame on and scrub his reputation clean. But not Sanjay Dutt. One evening in 1982, Sanju Baba went on exactly such a shooting spree after breaking up with Tina Munim, now Ambani. Though this episode has now been all but forgotten it created a media frenzy back then. Film weekly Screen India carried a story titled ‘Look, Sanjay’s Shooting’ with all the gory details. Another film magazine reported how ‘Sanju went berserk when papa was away.’ But instead of expressing regret, Sanjay doubled down. This was his badass quip: ‘How does it affect anyone if I target practice in the premises of my bungalow?’

This is what makes Sanjay a true bad boy: One, not only is he bad, he’s unashamedly bad -- he certainly doesn’t care what you think of him.

Two, he’s uncontrollably bad -- when a reporter asked his father, the noted actor and politician Sunil Dutt, about the incident, he seemed powerless and resigned. ‘He is a hunter … I don’t know what kind of a gun Sanju has. He buys what he wants. How do you expect me to know everything that he has.’ (Indeed, Sanjay’s love for guns is legendary. At one time he owned three licensed firearms: a bolt-action Bruno .270 rifle for hunting animals like the nilgai, deer, sambar and others that weigh less than 100 kilograms, a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum double-barrel rifle for larger animals such as the tiger and elephant, and a shotgun.)

Read more: New book on Rekha looks at the Bollywood diva’s life with sympathy and awe

And, three, he’s an original, the template that has spawned a long lineage – from Salman Khan to countless men around the country who wear leather jackets and have Saajan-style haircuts.

Early in his career the legend of Sanjay Dutt was sealed by the crazy and improbable stories about him doing the rounds. Said his make-up man Manoj, who worked with him during his initial few films, ‘Which ordinary man cuts the neck of a monitor lizard (ghorpad) and drinks its blood and then jogs for one hour to sweat out the toxic effect only because Shakti Kapoor challenged him to do so?’ Manoj also talked about an incident when Sanjay ‘slit his entire forearm with a bottle’ because he was ‘high’. When the doctor arrived to sew him up, Sanjay tried to do it himself – without anaesthesia!

But the quality that makes Sanjay a truly rare bird in Bollywood is his unhesitating honesty and forthrightness about his badassery. He’s been very forthcoming, for instance, about his addictions: ‘Whatever drugs there are in the book, I’ve done it. But I preferred cocaine and heroin. You sniff cocaine, you smoke heroin, you can inject it.’ Indeed, his doctors at rehab in the US were surprised that Sanjay was still alive given the extent of his addictions. ‘There was a doctor there who gave me a list of drugs and told me: “Just tick the ones you have done.” Toh maine woh list dekha aur bola [I saw the list and said]: “Yaar, yeh toh sab tick karna padega! [I’m going to have to tick them all],”’ Sanjay later recalled jocularly. Sanjay was similarly open about once having smuggled heroin into the United States.

Sanjay’s recklessness worked overtime when he was in ‘love’. Like the time he rushed into a crowd of onlookers and caught a man making obscene gestures at his then girlfriend and co-star Tina Munim. Sanjay proceeded to tear away all the man’s clothes and pulled him into his van, where he tied him up in the nude for an hour. ‘I was a wild guy,’ Sanjay proudly said. ‘In fact at the slightest provocation I did things like taking out a sword. I hit a lot of people.’

Sanjay made no bones about the fact that he was a possessive, interfering partner. He once said, ‘I have never interfered in my girlfriend’s career, except in the matter of her clothes. I am very possessive about her. She is mine and I don’t like her to expose herself on screen.’ About his new wife Richa Sharma, whom he disallowed from continuing a career in films, he once said, ‘She’s waiting for me with food, so I love that. It’s a great feeling to know that someone is waiting for you at home’.

Many years later when Sanjay was asked if he was ever in two relationships at the same time, he responded provocatively, ‘I was in three relationships at one point of time.’ When asked, how did he manage this feat, he said, ‘You need to be clever... one shouldn’t know what is happening with the other.’

Which other Bollywood star can you imagine saying things like this? Whatever else you may blame Sanjay for, he’s never been politically correct or hidden his true beliefs under layers of diplomacy. Perhaps no one other than Rishi Kapoor, another old timer – though even he has never admitted things remotely as controversial as Sanjay -- is as open and honest as Sanju Baba. Indeed, today at the slightest whiff of ugliness and scandal, the PR machineries of Bollywood star’s kick in with assassin-like efficiency. Images are brushed up, photo-ops are staged, and dramatic re-brandings ensue.

Watch: Sanjay Dutt’s biography! In conversation with Yasser Usman, author of Sanjay Dutt; The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood’s Bad Boy

Take for instance the prominence of Salman Khan’s Being Human charity after his image took a beating post his numerous legal troubles, including a hit and run case. Or the images of happy domesticity starring Hrithik Roshan and his family in the immediate aftermath of his ugly public spat with Kangana Ranaut. These can’t be coincidences, can they?

Even as late as 2017, well into Bollywood’s PR age, when asked which actress he would like to marry, Sanjay Dutt said ‘I would like to marry Madhuri Dixit.’ It’s hard to think of another star who would so willingly dredge up a ghost from their past, a ghost that, according to some reports, is being whitewashed out of a film on Sanjay’s life that’s due to release later this year. In an image-obsessed Bollywood Sanjay stands out as a straight-shooter. And in a PR controlled Bollywood there simply will never be another Sanjay Dutt, a bad boy who isn’t afraid of what you think of him, of saying what he means and meaning what he says.

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‘Sanju’ Review: Bollywood Biopic About One of Its Biggest Stars Takes Dangerous Liberties With History

Anisha jhaveri.

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Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan may have the legendary careers and staggering worldwide fame, but there’s good reason why — of all the living actors that could have been the subject of a Bollywood biopic — it’s Sanjay Dutt who emerged as a viable choice, in the newly released “ Sanju .” The son of iconic Mother India actress Nargis and actor/activist/politician Sunil Dutt (whose 30-year career in films has been overshadowed by substance abuse problems, womanizing, accusations of terrorism, and prison stints), Sanjay’s life includes tragedy, drama, crime, and redemption in spades—in short, it’s the stuff movies are made of.

Given Sanjay’s highly publicized missteps, writer-director Rajkumar Hirani and co-writer Abhijat Joshi seem well aware that it would be foolish to unabashedly glorify Bollywood’s “bad boy;” in fact, in the very first scene of “Sanju,” an incensed Sanjay (played with uncanny accuracy by Ranbir Kapoor) burns a book by a biographer who likens him to Gandhi. Soon afterwards, his wife Manyata (Dia Mirza) assures him that they will find a writer to tell his story honestly. “Bad choices make good stories,” she says, “and you are the king of bad choices.” When biographer Winnie Dias (Anushka Sharma) is skeptical to come on board, she is quickly convinced of his commitment to the “truths”—warts and all—when he unflinchingly reveals, in front of Manyata, that the number of women he has bedded hovers at 350, “not counting the prostitutes.”

It’s a strategic setup, presumably intended to persuade us that despite Dutt having practically tasked Hirani and Joshi to pen this screenplay, “Sanju” isn’t meant to be a hagiography. But while the film doesn’t hide the turbulent trajectory of Sanjay’s journey, it’s eventually clear that Manyata’s words are the only fleeting sign of acknowledgment that Sanjay bears any real responsibility for it.

As he recounts the drug-laced, alcohol-soaked, crime-tainted chapters of his past to Winnie, “Sanju” plays out like a highlight reel of his mistakes, but in a way that places the blame anywhere but on Sanjay himself. As Hirani presents it, Sanjay’s rampant addiction issues were triggered by grief over his mother’s illness and a strained relationship with his father, then fueled by his duplicitous dealer (Jim Sarbh). The illegal possession of weapons in connection to terrorist activity was the unfortunate result of sketchy advice and self-protection, and his dubious public reputation was the solely the work of the ruthless media.

The justifications are especially disappointing, coming from a filmmaker known for his ability to blend side-splitting comedy and moments of tear-jerking melodrama with straight-shooting commentary; from criticizing the questionable ethics of India’s health care system in his 2003 directorial debut “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S” (which, incidentally, starred Dutt himself) to taking on the problematic practice of idol worship in 2014’s PK, Hirani has built an exceptionally successful career of exposing institutional injustices and questioning social norms through funny, family-friendly fare.

But both the humor and the critique are too frequently misplaced here. In a dangerous, almost irresponsible choice given current global conversations around sexual harrassment, Hirani often makes light of Sanjay’s philandering behavior; the actor’s admission to the 300-plus sexual partners is met with chuckles from both Manyata and Winnie, and when he casually sleeps with the girlfriend of his best friend Kamlesh (Vicky Kaushal), the boys have a laugh over the prospect of Kamlesh doing the same in the future so that they’re “even.”

And while the film has a playful, almost forgiving, “Sanju will be Sanju” attitude towards his womanizing ways, it saves its (disproportionate) criticism for the press, which, if the film is to be believed, served as the biggest villain in this story for painting Sanjay as a terrorist. There’s even the mention of “fake news” at one point, and if there’s any doubt that the film holds the media responsible for almost all of Sanjay’s woes, it’s dispelled by a concluding musical number in which Kapoor, along with the real-life Dutt, dances to lyrics that slam headline-hungry journalists. Although the critique over sensationalist reports isn’t entirely unfounded, its legitimacy is considerably dampened by the absurdity of the song—not to mention the scantily clad female backup dancers.

Hirani’s signature quirk simply doesn’t translate well here, and the film’s cartoonish syntax only make the more emotional moments that Sanjay shares with his father or Kamlesh, both of whom serve as moral anchors throughout the narrative, appear confusing at best, melodramatic at worst.

But there’s still a beating heart at “Sanju”’s core, coming from the central character himself. Mastering Sanjay’s trademark stooped gait, adopting his distinct baritone, with prosthetic hooded eyes, Ranbir Kapoor’s physical transformation is nothing short of astounding, but even more impressive his embodiment of the troubled star’s entitlement, vulnerability, desperation, and despair through the film’s decades-spanning timeline.

While the film has moments that feel farcical, Kapoor steers clear of simplistic mimicry; whether it’s his rock-bottom moments with addiction or an especially heartbreaking scene in a jail cell, he has an ability to hit certain emotional beats well.   It’s almost a shame to think about what he could have made of the role, had a stronger screenplay allowed him more of an arc.

Instead, “Sanju” is a reminder that putting a subject on a pedestal isn’t a biopic’s only potential pitfall. Here, it becomes problematic by portraying Sanjay as a victim of his circumstances rather than the master of his own decisions. It may not be gloss over his transgressions, but it makes too many excuses for them, with few lessons learned in the process.

“Sanju” is now playing in limited release in the U.S.

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Here is everything you need to know about Sanju!

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After Sanju , Sanjay Dutt's Autobiography To Launch In 2019

Sanjay dutt said that the autobiography will reveal more interesting stories about his life.

Sanjay Dutt will next be seen in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3

• "There are so many interesting stories to tell," Sanjay Dutt said
• Sanjay Dutt's biopic released on June 29
• The book will launched on Sanjay Dutt's birthday next year

After Sanjay Dutt's biopic, it's the actor's autobiography that is set to be unveiled on his birthday next year, news agency IANS reported. The autobiography, Sanjay Dutt said, will reveal more interesting stories about his life. "I have had the fortune of living a remarkable life, full of ups and downs, joys and sorrows. There are so many interesting stories to tell that I've never had the chance to tell before. I am looking forward so much to sharing my memories and emotions with readers everywhere," IANS quoted Sanjay Dutt as saying. The book will be "perhaps the biggest, most dramatic and honest star memoir to emerge out of Bollywood," Harpercollins, the publishers said in a statement. The book, which is yet to be titled, will be put on shelves on the actor's 60th birthday (July 29, 2019). The publishers said that the "readers will get to look into the soul" of Sanjay Dutt through a series of incidents, which will include some of the most important aspects of his life. Earlier this year, journalist-turned-author Yasser Usman released a biography on Sanjay Dutt, titled Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story Of Bollywood's Crazy Boy . Sanjay Dutt disassociated himself from the book after excerpts from it went viral. He tweeted: "I hope better sense will prevail and there will be no further excerpts that will hurt me or my family. My official autobiography will be out soon which will be authentic and based on facts."  

I hope better sense will prevail and there will be no further excerpts that will hurt me or my family. My official autobiography will be out soon which will be authentic and based on facts. pic.twitter.com/iOiazTRc6n — Sanjay Dutt (@duttsanjay) March 20, 2018

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A biopic based on Sanjay Dutt's life was released on June 29 . The Rajkumar Hirani-directed film did a marvelous business at the box office by collecting over Rs 265 crore and is inching towards the 300 crore mark. Ranbir Kapoor, who played the protagonist received appreciation from audience as well as the critics. In his review for NDTV, Saibal Chatterjee had given Sanju 4 out of 5 stars. "Ranbir Kapoor, slipping into the skin of the troubled Bollywood star, pulls out the stops in astonishingly effective ways, subsuming his own personality completely into that of the protagonist. The director is on the top of his game and the actor frequently soars to dizzying heights," he wrote. The film also featured Paresh Rawal Vicky Kaushal, Manisha Koirala, Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma. Meanwhile, Sanjay Dutt is currently shooting for Prassthanam , which stars Manisha Koirala and Jackie Shroff. The actor is reviving his production firm with the Hindi remake of the Telugu film, which was directed by Deva Katta. Sanjay Dutt also has Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3 , Kalank , Panipat and Torbaaz in the pipeline. (Inputs from IANS)

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Sanju is the story of every privileged man-child; Sanjay Dutt biopic has 'boys will be boys' written all over it

We suspect Sanju is for people to feel better about the irresponsible man-babies they have left at home to escape into the cozy feels of a Hirani Ever After

By Aashika Ravi

When I first watched the trailer    of Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic Sanju , I was struck by a scene that probably was not meant to stand out as much as it did. A hysterical Ruby, a composite of Sanjay Dutt girlfriends (played by Sonam Kapoor), makes an appearance. She yells at Sanju, “Where’s the bloody mangalsutra ?” while he dances around in his bathroom half-dressed and fully zonked out on some drug. Sanju had not showed up to his own wedding at the Registrar’s Office. He quickly puts a toilet seat around Ruby’s neck to placate her as one normally does in these situations.

In the film, the scene displays a lot more depth than just its sheer absurdity and we see Ruby break down in despair, a very appropriate reaction considering she has recently dumped her fiance in pursuit of a half-naked, toilet-seat-loving Sanju.

Although Ruby has every right to hate Sanju, she makes sure to tell his Jai-Veeru style best friend Kamli (Vicky Kaushal) before she leaves, “Don’t tell him what he did today. He’ll be very hurt.” And honestly, that sums up every character’s reaction to the train wreck that Sanju proudly calls his life. They coddle him and pick up after him in a sickeningly dutiful way.      

When Sanju wants alcohol and wants it now, he knows he cannot depend on his father. This gives birth to the line that should appear on every Father’s Day Whatsapp forward, “ Aur b hi daddy log hain duniya mein .” And he really proceeds to live that out with conviction, finding ‘daddys’ or high friends in high places (pun intended) to take care of his varying needs at every juncture. Despite this, while the caricatured Delhi Boy motto is “ Jaanta nahi mera baap kaun hai ?”, Sanju’s is “Dad ko mat batana ,” famously uttered when he is snorting lines of cocaine at a strip club.

His journey from Pomeranian to Alsation, as he describes it, is hardly a journey, but rather an exercise in how to be a Bad Boy™ while deflecting the blame entirely onto the media. There is even a song during the end credits where the real Sanjay and Ranbir Kapoor tear up newspapers and complain about tabloids.

So why do we hate the bad boy trope? Let us recap.

The OG of Bollywood bad boys, based on consistency and impact alone, has to be Sallu bhai. (Notice how all the bad ‘boys’ acquire diminutive nicknames that remind us of sons and brothers?)    From the infamous black buck case in 1998 to domestic violence and manslaughter, he really has done it all. In her essay,    The Toxic Masculinity of Salman Khan , Nishita Jha deconstructs his life in the public sphere and remarks on how everyone in his life has had to be a Sallu apologist at some point, from his father Salim Khan to his biographer Jasim Khan. Sounds familiar?

Jha lists out the poor justifications for the blackbuck case, each weaker than the next, offered by Jasim, the author of Being Salman Khan . “ Jasim Khan investigates the incident in some detail but finally decides the only thing bhai is really guilty of is his own bad boy image. Khan, the writer, offers up several theories to bolster Khan, the actor’s, innocence – Salman has Pashtun ancestors and hunting game is in his blood. The authorities wanted to make an example out of Salman and went after him with more enthusiasm than they had for an average poacher. The press blew up the story only because three of the five celebrities in the car were Muslim. Salman was actually “tricked” into poaching animals by a racket of wily tour guides and locals. ” Everyone is to blame but Sallu.

The same boy-led-astray trope powers the Hirani movie. Sanjay’s history of drug abuse, violence and underworld connections lend themselves perfectly to this biopic whose sole intention is to evoke sympathy for what are really only the consequences of his own teenage rebellion that continues well into adulthood.  To jog your memory, he was arrested in 1993 under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act in connection with the 1993 Bombay blasts for illegal possession of a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle.

No character in this film, least of all Sunil Dutt, has any idea of the concept of tough love. They just ‘take care’ of this muscly man-child who flounders in the face of the consequences of his actions, even as he makes mistake after mistake. Sanju gets high when he is supposed to watch his mom dying of cancer at the hospital, befriends gangsters and hoards rifles, but when the consequences so much as threaten to appear, he blubbers incoherently while his father runs from pillar to post, trying to bail his son out.  No matter what trouble Sanju gets himself into, Kamli and Daddy calmly devise strategies to save him and resume singing old Hindi songs like nothing untoward has happened.

What Jasim’s biography of Salman and Sanju have in common is that they are both litanies of excuses for the bad behaviour of these entitled superstars, which seems to extend to all the bratty sons of MLAs and VIPs who run over police personnel, and think they are protagonists in a Vijay movie.

This lack of accountability and ‘boys will be boys’ mentality is what allows movies like Sanju to be lapped up by audiences as a sob story when it could just as well be the diary of a privileged brat from South Delhi.

Dutt’s two ex-wives are notably absent and two children inexplicably appear in the last scene. His sisters have no screen time or presence. Third and current wife, Manyata Dutt (Dia Mirza) , says at one point in the movie as if he needs any more encouragement, “Bad decisions make for good stories.” Bumper sticker as narrative.

So Bollywood loves bad boys but what about the bad girls? Forget the fact that no female celebrities (that we know of) have ever dabbled in organised crime or domestic abuse but even the ‘notorious’ ones like Rakhi Sawant or Radhe Maa , the guru who was named in a dowry harassment case,  are never likely to be the subject matter of a touching biopic that celebrates both their chutzpah and their struggles. Would anyone, forget India’s answer to Walt Disney, Raju Hirani, make a biopic about a 60-year-old female actor with a questionable redemption arc?

As long as men are the primary players in the film industry, the assumption is that only violence and guns translate well onto screen. Female celebrities fall spectacularly short in that area. We must call out people who dedicate their time to documenting bad boys’ behaviour in the wild because of the trivialisation of violence and crime.

Recently, food writer Helen Rosner wrote about re-reading now-disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali’s profile by Bill Buford.  “ Heat a touchstone for food writers of my generation — is packed with other anecdotes that now seem troubling. Revisiting the book this week, I was appalled that my earlier self, reading Heat a decade ago, hadn’t even registered them as reason for concern. Batali says to a waitress at the same meal, “It’s not fair I have this view all to myself when you bend over. For dessert, would you take off your blouse for the others?”’ This among other anecdotes that the author and readers never lingered on before the multiple sexual harassment charges of 2017 .

At large, Hirani does for Sanjay Dutt what Bill Buford did for Batali. Like Sanju in his drug induced haze, the film drifts in and out of coherence, glancing off issues of deeper significance and spending an insane amount of time on others that serve no other purpose but to stir our hearts aka manipulate our emotions. Two-thirds of the way through the film, you realise the extent of emotional manipulation you have succumbed to. Hirani has picked out the incidents in Dutt’s life that elicit the strongest emotional responses and highlights them in all their glory.

For instance, when the toilet of Sanju’s matchbox-sized jail floods and no one can hear his cries for help. Or when Sunil Dutt tells Sanju to hold his head high and wave goodbye to his gangster friends, he does so in what is set up to be a show of great defiance and filial love. But no one ever explains why he has multiple gangster friends in the first place and what he does for them.

In an interview with Reuters, Hirani said that Sanju had a hidden social message. We hope against hope that it was one advising society to not baby men who are perfectly capable of making sound decisions but choose not to, and to start holding them accountable to their mistakes instead. Instead we suspect it is for people to feel better about the irresponsible man-babies they have left at home to escape into the cozy feels of a Hirani Ever After.

The Ladies Finger    (TLF) is a leading online women’s magazine.

All images from YouTube.

(Also read — Sanju box office collection: Ranbir Kapoor, Rajkumar Hirani film rakes in Rs 73.35 cr in two days)

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Sanju is the 'true' story that Sanjay Dutt wanted to tell the world

Some Bollywood films are more eagerly awaited than the rest, and there is a reason for that — Rajkumar Hirani.

A phenomenal 95 per cent occupancy at the first day, first show that I attended in Mumbai and the whistles and cheers that followed after the CBFC certificate to  Sanju flashed on screen, proved that fact about Hirani beyond doubt.

Sanju fits the Hirani template: there are laughs, plenty of tear-jerking scenes and limited songs and romance. Those who anticipated that the film will "absolve" Sanjay Dutt of his mistakes passed off as “bad choices” won’t be disappointed. Here are a few thoughts on the film. 

Blame it on bad journalism 

If you are hoping to see a "realistic" portrayal of Sanjay Dutt, then Hirani and his co-writer Abhijat Joshi have other plans for you. The film devotes some time to lament the role media played in vilifying its hero. So much so that there is even a rap on it towards the end, shot against the backdrop of black-and-white broadsheets. Yes, the newspaper, and not Dutt’s wrongdoings, is single-handedly to be blamed for why he is misunderstood and branded a terrorist.

Use of sensational headlines, fake news, rumours and gossips and the use of question marks and “according to sources” and “alleged” has been criticised severely. Who’d have thought that after asking people to be more considerate towards patients ( Munna Bhai MBBS ) and students ( 3 Idiots ) and beware of bogus babas ( PK ), Hirani’s message from Sanju would be to not take everything that newspapers write at face value. That’s a bit of stale news if you ask us.

The diatribe comes as a surprise and only goes on to prove that the fourth estate is always an easy target.

Papa and pal to the rescue

The two Fs — father and friendship — are integral to Hirani’s film, with the latter being the lifeline of the story. If Sanju, the bad boy of Bollywood, is likeable in the film it’s because he is surrounded by two good souls in Sunil Dutt (Paresh Rawal) and Kamlesh (Vicky Kaushal). And because he is played adeptly on screen by Ranbir Kapoor. 

Hirani and Joshi’s feel-good quotient is most evident in the storyline between Sanjay and his New York-based Gujarati friend who stands by his side when the actor is in dire straits. The film’s best and most joyous bits belong to the duo with Sanju often having a laugh at his friend’s behest and Kamlesh encouraging him during the lows. Kamlesh also knows Sanju the best when he describes him as a man with no “philosophy” and “maksad (purpose)”. 

The father-son story is trickier and Hirani and Joshi use it to highlight the burden of legacy. Sanju, audiences are told, is in a constant quest to earn his praise. But given his tendency to court trouble, he struggles to match his father’s repute or live up to his expectations. Their bond grows gradually, with Sunil Dutt playing a more active role in his puttar’s life after Sanjay is made an accused in the Bombay blasts case. The big poignant moments, one that audiences love Hirani’s films for, involve the two. 

By the end of it if there is one man you feel sympathy for in this entire saga, it is Sunil Dutt.   

Gentlemen first, ladies second

The 308 women that the actor boasts of having slept with barely factor in Sanju lest they taint the hero’s image. Only Hirani and Joshi can turn even Sanjay’s philandering and insensitive behaviour into material for laughs. 

Manyata (Dia Mirza) here is the dutiful wife by her husband’s side. The Nargis Dutt (the charming Manisha Koirala) chapter is limited to motivating her troubled son. Ruby (Sonam Kapoor) is symbolic of the many women Sanju wronged, and sticking to script she too forgives Dutt. The less said about Anushka Sharma’s "acclaimed" and prolific biographer Winnie Dias the better. She backtracks from writing Dutt’s story whenever somebody casts an aspersion on him which given his life is least bit surprising. She is the audience, the writer and listener, albeit one who doesn’t question or cross-check information. She is the least convincing character in Sanju . 

More reel, less of a biopic

That Rajkumar Hirani selects bits from Dutt’s life is hardly surprising. But this is Dutt’s story being told by Dutt himself. It’s his autobiography — "My Experiments with Drugs and List of Crazy Adventures". It’s Hirani and Joshi taking the funniest experiences and most troubling chapters from his life and putting them together.

The narrative device works for most part, but it leaves you wanting at least one outside perspective. As a result, we get a portrait of a man who has an excuse for all his actions, however problematic they may be, with the others offering him good advice that goes mostly unheard. In Hirani’s defence, he doesn’t create a halo around his leading man’s head. But then again, the film also doesn’t delve deeper into how he became the black sheep of the illustrious family.

Instead we are left with his many lows and a few occasional highs.

Passion for cinema

Sanju may not be Hirani’s finest film, but it does have a few strokes of his genius. There are two memorable sequences both centred on two of Dutt’s most beloved films in Vaastav and Munna Bhai MBBS . In the first, he revisits one of Dutt’s most classic scenes in the most refreshing manner, and in the other he delights the audience with a joke on Dutt himself.

Also read: How BJP is repeating the same mistakes that eroded Congress' vote bank

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Sanju: Who’s playing who in the Sanjay Dutt biopic

Sanju: sanjay dutt's biopic titled sanju, starring ranbir kapoor in the titular role, is going to hit the big screen on june 29. the film stars ranbir kapoor, dia mirza, vicky kaushal, anushka sharma and manisha koirala in pivotal roles..

Sanju movie: Biopics are in season, as far as Bollywood is concerned. After the success of movies like Neerja, The Dirty Picture, and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, it is not surprising that the Hindi film industry wants to milk the biopic formula until the audience gets bored. Sanjay Dutt’s biopic titled Sanju, starring Ranbir Kapoor in the titular role, is going to hit the big screen on June 29. And since the movie is about the ultimate bad boy of Bollywood, it is hardly a shock that the viewers are eagerly awaiting the film’s release.

Helmed by Rajkumar Hirani and written by the director and Abhijat Joshi (who has also penned the screenplays of films like Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots), the movie boasts of a star cast with names like Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Anushka Sharma, Boman Irani, Jim Sarbh, Sonam Kapoor and Dia Mirza.

Dia Mirza as Maanyata Dutt in Sanju movie

While Ranbir will be essaying the role of Sanjay Dutt , Dutt’s wife Maanyata Dutt’s character will be portrayed by Dia Mirza in the film. Dia has acted with Sanjay Dutt in quite a few films previously such as Lage Raho Munnabhai, Parineeta, and Shootout at Lokhandwala. On playing the role of Maanyata in Sanju, Dia said in an interaction with Indianexpress.com , “It’s an amazing circle, from sharing screen space with Sanju sir to playing his wife in a film, it’s been surreal. And he has always been wonderful to me.”

Anushka Sharma, Vicky Kausal and Sonam Kapoor in Sanju

Anushka Sharma is essaying the role of a journalist and her character is said to be an amalgamation of Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi. Vicky Kaushal will be playing the role of Sanjay Dutt’s close friend in the film. Sonam Kapoor, on the other hand, is playing someone Dutt had dated in the late 80s, early 90s, according to reports.

And here is my dear friend Anushka. It’s a special appearance….but she worked on every nuance of the role for days together. Can anyone guess who she plays?….Will reveal tomorrow at the trailer launch. @AnushkaSharma #RanbirKapoor #RajkumarHiraniFilms @VVCFilms @foxstarhindi pic.twitter.com/NsWXhf3EmZ — Rajkumar Hirani (@RajkumarHirani) May 29, 2018

Paresh Rawal and Manisha Koirala play Sunil and Nargis Dutt in Sanju, respectively

The role of Sanjay Dutt’s father, the late actor-politician Sunil Dutt, is being played by another actor-politician. Yes, we are talking about Paresh Rawal. Manisha Koirala will be seen bringing to life the role of Sanjay Dutt’s mother, Nargis Dutt. Interestingly, Koirala and Dutt have shared screen space in films such as Kartoos, Khauff, and Yalgaar.

Also Read | Sanju: Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt’s mother Soni Razdan and others watch Ranbir Kapoor starrer

Karishma Tanna as Madhuri Dixit in Sanju movie?

Naagin star and popular television personality Karishma Tanna is reportedly playing the role of Madhuri Dixit in Sanju. But the news has not been confirmed yet. “All I can say is that it’s a very important role but I really can’t talk about it,” the actor had said in a recent interview with Indianexpress.com.

It has also been reported that Jim Sarbh has been cast as Salman Khan in Sanju, whereas Boman Irani is apparently playing the role of Kaante director Sanjay Gupta.

Also Read | Sanju: Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt’s song in Sanju showcases their camaraderie, see photo

Also Read | Paresh Rawal on playing Sunil Dutt in Sanju: It was challenging yet satisfying

Sanju will release in theatres on June 29, 2018.

Click for more updates and latest Bollywood news along with Entertainment updates . Also get latest news and top headlines from India and around the world at The Indian Express .

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