'Sanju' 2018
I´ve a lot, a lot going through in my mind which I wish to write, but sometimes a less number of words perhaps convey your emotions better. Any amount of praise on my part, any admiration won´t do this film full justice. Sometimes, some things are beyond the grasp of words and are best describe what you yourself went through: I must admit here that I found it extremely hard to control my tears, my emotions, on many places, but I went through the film quite bravely. However, an hour has passed but I still have a heavy heart and that lump-in-the-throat feeling. I think the last film to cause me such emotions was 'M.S. Dhoni - The Untold Story' (2016) - another biopic of a favourite cricketer of mine. Quite a coincidence that growing up I admired two stars, one was Dhoni and the other being Sanjay Dutt, and biopics have been made on both, and both are fantastic films! Fully managed to touch me. What better way is there than this to get to know closely the stars you admire from far?
I cannot describe how well Ranbir has impersonated Sanjay´s style, his way of speaking, walk, general behaviour, and the appearance deserves a mention too - for which tremendous amount of credit should go to the guys working behind the scene. As for Ranbir´s voice, 10 years ago, when nobody could even imagine that such a film would be made, I posted the following somewhere online......
"..... Ranbir Kapoor´s voice, and in some cases, his dialogue delivery is so similar to that of Sanjay Dutt."
Now, firstly on the man himself, my first impression of Sanjay, if the film is anything to go by, is that despite having grown up, he was lacking in maturity. The kid inside him never quite grew up it seems, but circumstances vary from person to person and it all depends what kind of a childhood you´ve had. Besides, maybe having been on drugs for so long might´ve hindered his being a normal thought process - a wild, uneducated guess! Researches do say though that drugs withdrawal does cause severe anxiety and depression, and it´s a known fact that both hinder your thought process. Secondly, I must admit and confess that I myself considered him being guilty of being involved in the bomb last, and my opinion is well documented online, but if it is as is shown in the film, then fair enough, I acquit him of that, but the other charge, of possessing arms, stays of course. Despite being a huge fan of the man, and having fully felt his suffering throughout the film, I´ve zero sympathies for him for being such a fool! What on earth and with what logics could he even think of possessing a riffle for the protection of his father? On top of all, he thinks that he should be appreciated by his father! As for his father, Mr. Sunil Dutt - what a brilliantly protective and tolerant father! I mightn´t have tolerated such a son for too long.
Actually, one reason why the film really managed to touch is that it constantly reminded me of a beloved one of mine, someone very close to my heart but yet very bitter at me since a few months now. Sanjay´s constant habit of making the wrong choices, and then in all tears complaining of not being understood by others, is one factor that reminded me of that beloved one to no end. In fact, this caused heaviness on my heart and made me emotional. Another reason why it felt very relatable was seeing Sanjay Dutt fight out drugs addiction, and the agony that he endured. I almost had tears in my eyes because I´ve been through something similar, although at a much lower level. I was put on morphine, for medical purpose obviously(!!!) during my hospital treatment back in 2010. Withdrawal from it was amongst the hardest phases of my life as I would hardly sleep two hours a night for constantly over four months! The sensation of severe cold as well as burning in the body, the heart palpitations, the shivers and his state of helplessness was so accurately depicted. A special mention goes to the feeling of being "high" that was portrayed - only those would know what it is who´ve ever been on drugs.
The most hitting scene yet of the film has to be where Sanjay is seen begging on the streets of America - just wow! I almost had a shock considering the status of the man and honour of the family in the eyes of the public. Unbelievable! Possibly the most outrageous scene that I´ve ever seen in any biopic. Hair-raising stuff! All in all, the film was worth the four to five months wait. Just plain awesome and a brilliant film! Rajkumar Hirani is a living legend and perhaps the greatest film-maker ever from Bollywood. All of the rest of the actors too did their job really well. It was good to see Manisha Koirala in a film after such a long time.
I obvious can´t say for sure whether things were indeed depicted as they had happened, but if it is so, then the film deserves praise for being quite honest with regards to Sanjay´s character. No blame is shifted, well, partially perhaps, but a very less amount is done, and none of his vices were brushed under the carpet, and he was fully blamed for everything that happened to him. The film, based on reality, based on one of the most famous personalities, serves as a lesson: don´t make bad choices again and again and again! Once or twice is alright, he did it for a lifetime. And of course, never on earth undermine the value of choosing the right kind of friends. In fact, the film itself is all about one friendship that destroyed him, the other that saved him from every hole. It all started when he took the devil for god and befriended him. Again, be careful, all young people out there!
20 out of 10 for this masterpiece of a film! This will for the ages to come serve as a tribute to the man that Sanjay Dutt was, and also to the great father that Sunil Dutt was.
) who is like the Indonesian version of Tony Jaa. All in all an OK one time watch specially if you go in with low expectations. The finale is open ended but I am not sure if there will a sequel.
) It was a good movie nonetheless. I give it a solid 8/10. The scariest movie for me is still The Conjuring, can not wait for the third one.
