The Sanjay Dutt biopic, Sanju starring Ranbir Kapoor, from its three-minute trailer alone has gripped the audience and Bollywood buffs alike. Ranbir, who is currently busy promoting the film in the city, during a recent media interaction, spilled the beans on how Sanjay first reacted to seeing Ranbir playing him.
Ranbir said, "The first time he saw the look was when Raju sir sent a picture and he replied back saying, 'You're upstaging me in my own film.' I look forward to his reaction to the film because it's a man who is going to see his own life from the age of 20 to now and relive such emotional controversial conflicted moments of his life. I really want him to have a nice nostalgic feeling to it."
Giving tidbits on how he got into the mind space of Sanjay, Ranbir revealed that, "There was so much in his life which I had to represent in such an honest way. I remember I used to call him in the middle of the night and ask him, 'What were you going through?' Because what you look at in the script is my interpretation and to get it from the man himself is different."
Ranbir also shared how he shot for one of the crucial scenes in the film, i.e. the TADA Verdict. Sanjay, who had been sentenced to jail for five years by the Supreme Court in the 1993 Bombay blasts case, was not convicted under TADA. The actor was charged for being in possession of an AK-56 rifle.
Ranbir said, "Before the TADA verdict came out I called him and said, 'I am doing that scene right now. What was going through your head?' He said, 'When I sat there and they announced my verdict, everything became slow motioned. All I could think of was that my father died with the question mark in his head whether I was a terrorist or not? And he was never alive for this hearing.' And I think that itself is such a strong emotion. As an actor when you have that, it becomes your artillery. Then you play it with a different perspective."
The film is slated for a June 29 release.
Desk: Ramsha Akhtar
