Friday, June 29, 2018

Sanju - bole toh, achhi hain!



The two reasons I went to watch Sanju were Ranbir Kapoor and Rajkumar Hirani. The third reason some may go are if they are Baba fans. Sanju, as the makers too mention, is a biopic of the always-in-the-headlines-for-the-wrong-reasons Sanjay Dutt. What they do not tell though is that it is a pick-and-choose biography, where the makers have selected those portions of Sanjay Dutt’s life they felt would make a great story. Forget mention of an actress whose name rhymes with Mr. Fixit, there is no mention even of his first or second wives. With so much to fit in an almost 3-hour film, those story lines have been ignored completely. The biopic touches only three areas - his connection with drugs, his love for women and the 1993 blasts- all vices. But the presentation is such that it feels more like a story about a father and a son and about a friendship that lasts through testing times - well played Hirani.

The three main characters in the movie are Sanju himself (played by Ranbir Kapoor; and if you did not know this, you are from a different planet), Sunil Dutt (Paresh Rawal) and Kamlesh (Vicky Kaushal). It would be unfair to start the review without giving a big round of applause to the Kapoor scion – Ranbir. What an actor, par excellence he is! The way he looks, the way he emotes, bang on! Twenty minutes into the movie, you forget that the man on screen is Ranbir. Ranbir, I see you holding the black lady next year. The other actor who ranks second is Vicky Kaushal who plays Sanju’s best buddy. If you wanted a fourth reason to watch the movie, it should be Vicky. His Gujju dialect, his naivety and his will-die-for-a-friend character make him extremely loveable. Paresh Rawal as Sunil Dutt, performs with conviction to paint the picture of a committed politician and a tired but strong father. Manisha Koirala, Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Dia Mirza have small roles in bits and pieces. One performance you will hear of even though you do not see the movie is of Anjan Srivastav. He plays a top-class politician with a unique lisp that easily gives away who he is. His portrayal may not go down well with the current government and with the general public who mostly reveres him. I see a controversy being blown out of proportion by the media coming very soon.

The movie is not Hirani’s usual style – this one a lot more serious and impactful. But there are sporadic moments in between where Hirani sprinkles a little bit of laughter in his genuine magical style. The last scene where Kamlesh says to Sanju “Tera beta ekdum tere daddy jaise dikhta hain re” and the reaction that follows will make sure you leave the theater with a smile on your face.
Word of caution - avoid watching the movie to pass a judgement on Sanjay Dutt, else like the media that the movie bashes frequently, we would be no different. Leave that to the judicial system of India. I went into the theater knowing one side of the story that the media had presented. I came out hearing the other side. That’s it. Who am I to judge which side is truthful? Or to decide whether he was really guilty or not. Watch it for a story – about a man who makes a lot of bad choices and pays for it. For whatever reason each of us had, in the jam- packed theater that we sat in, the movie ended with a loud applause.

p.s: Don’t walk out and miss seeing the song “Baba bolta hain bass ho gaya” after the end credits. The lyrics of the song are so relevant and entertaining, I would give just the song an independent 5*.

Overall rating for the movie: 4*, 
For Ranbir: The galaxy isn’t enough!

4 comments:

  1. I was in two minds about why on earth should I see a biopic based on the life of a 'famous for all the wrong reasons' guy. However, it looks like the theme is more about the various relationships in his troubled times.

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    1. yes that is the main theme. but in the background you can see a lot of effort is being made to clear his image. in the end was i convinced he was innocent? not really. but again, thats not what i went to watch the movie for. i let him say his side of the story. i listened. i enjoyed. that's it.

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  2. This brings back the age old debate whether "Art" has social reresponsibility or is to be seen purely as an Art.Well I think you can not ignore social relation with it.What image you are going to project before the next generation?

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    1. yes art has responsibility. people have responsibility too - to listen to both sides of a story. the movie, even though it attempted, did not make me feel "bichhara sanju". we have watched movies on bandit queen, Talwars, even hitler. sanju asked for a chance, we gave him.

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