10 things to know about Sanjay Dutt biopic starring Ranbir Kapoor

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani is all set to unveil the first teaser of his highly anticipated biopic on Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt on Tuesday afternoon. Fans of both Dutt and the film’s lead star Ranbir Kapoor, are excited to catch the first look.

To help you cope with the not-so-long wait, here’s a list of 10 things you need to know about the mega project before the teaser comes out: 

1. The stellar star cast

Ranbir has been working hard on his physique to match how Sanjay looked in various phases of his life. The film also stars Anushka Sharma, Paresh Rawal, Dia Mirza, Manisha Koirala, Karishma Tanna, Vicky Kaushal and Jim Sarbh. While Paresh plays Sunil Dutt, Dia essays the role of Maanyata, Sanjay’s wife while Manisha plays his mother, Nargis.

2. Rumours of Sonam Kapoor playing Madhuri Dixit

Contrary to initial rumours, Sonam is not essaying the role of Madhuri in the film. She had earlier said, “I have a small but important part in the movie. It’s not what everyone is thinking. I am not playing an actress. I am not allowed to say anything about it. But it has been wonderful working with Rajkumar Hirani.”

3. Sanjay Dutt closely watched Ranbir’s efforts during the shoot

Sanjay would often drop by on the sets of the film and watch the shooting. Ranbir told a tabloid that he would complete a shot to suddenly find Sanjay behind the monitor with Hirani.

4. Amitabh Bachchan’s reaction to Sanjay Dutt biopic teaser

According to a report, Amitabh watched the teaser earlier this year and believed that director Hirani had actually convinced Sanjay to do a shot in the movie, but it was Ranbir all along. “So you guys got Sanju to do that shot?” Big-B reportedly asked after watching the teaser.

5. Will the film be sympathetic to Sanjay Dutt?

Ranbir insists the film is not a propaganda to show Sanjay as an innocent man. “He hasn’t been a hypocrite about it (his life). So it’s not a propaganda film trying to portray him as God or something. We are trying to show a very human side of Sanjay Dutt, his perils, his downfall, his will to fight, his time in jail, terrorism charges, his drug phase, how he handled his mother’s death two days before the release of his debut film, his relationship with his father. These were human conflicts in his life,” Ranbir had told PTI.

6. How Ranbir prepared for the role

Ranbir focussed more on the inner struggles of his character than his muscles. “Getting the look right is very superficial, it is easy as you have help from make-up and computer graphics. To show Sanjay Dutt as a human being, as a biopic only works when you show the human side of a person, and not the glories but the downfall as well (was not easy),” Ranbir had said.

7. Will we see a Khalnayak recreation?

Reacting to reports that Khalnayak song maybe recreated for Dutt biopic, Ranbir had said, “We have not touched upon the Khalnayak phase. This film doesn’t talk about Sanjay Dutt the hero, but Sanjay Dutt’s life. We have touched upon his few films like the first one Rocky, Munnabhai MBBSs.”

8. Why did Sanjay agree to have a film made on his life?

Sanjay has seen and gone through a lot in his life - from drug abuse to the death of first wife Richa Sharma, to imprisonment for illegal possession of weapons and much more - the actor’s life has not been easy. Why then, did he agree to have it told all over in a film for everyone to watch and judge? “I have not had an easy life. I have made way too many mistakes, and I want youngsters to really learn from it. So, if you ask me, it was definitely worth telling my story, because I want it to make a difference to the generation today,” Sanjay earlier said in an interview.

9. The release date

Presented by Fox Star Studios, the yet untitled Dutt biopic is co-produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Hirani and is slated to release on June 29.

10. When will the teaser be out?

Ranbir was earlier rumoured to launch the teaser for the biopic at an IPL match on April 24.However, he later clarified that the trailer will launch on April 24 morning but also played during an IPL ad break.

Watch out this space for the teaser and more updates on the film.

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