Does Sanjay Dutt deserve a biopic?

Nonika Singh

Actor Sanjay Dutt’s life is certainly not the stuff dreams are made of… rather it has an eerie, unreal, almost nightmarish quality. As travails of Sanjay Dutt are all set to unveil in Raj Kumar Hirani’s film, the murmurs have begun. No the skeptics are not wondering whether Ranbir Kapoor can slip into Sanju Baba’s shoes or not. Ranbir is already grabbing both eyeballs and thumbs up.

Among the rash of biopics that are deluging the silver screen, the question that is raising its rather contentious head is: does Sanjay Dutt deserve a biopic in the first place? The underlying insinuation is clear: why should an actor with a criminal past find and seek immortality on screen.

Never mind that, this is not the first time a crime saga will play out on the silver screen. Producer Rahul Mittra, who has made films on gangster Arun Gawli and conman Charles Sobhraj, believes Sanjay’s story needs to be told. “For his life, many lives rolled into one, reads like a screenplay. It has immense entertainment value.”

Scriptwriter Sanjay Chauhan, who set the trend of biopics rolling with Paan Singh Tomar, dittoes similar sentiment. He says, “As storytellers, we are fascinated by the dark world and how minds in these spaces work. Precisely that is why there are movies like Godfather and GoodFellas. Currently, web series Narcos is doing exceptionally well.”

According to Rahul Dahiya, a director from Haryana, the question whose story warrants a biopic itself is problematic. So is the presumption that biopics need to be made only on achievers and heroes. Fallen heroes and bad guys, too, fit the bill. He, however, doesn’t buy the argument that Sanju is an attempt to resurrect Dutt. For one, Dutt is not an out-of-work actor nor is his case sub-judice that a film from his point of view could affect his image. He adds, “Sanjay Dutt doesn’t need an alibi or a clean chit.” The film fraternity is almost unanimous that his has been an open and shut case. He has been charged for some crimes, absolved of some and above all he has served his sentence.

Perhaps, the film would project him in a positive light, but Dahiya insists, “That can’t be the guiding factor; who would invest crores for that alone? Indeed, it could be a spillover, fall out and a residual effect and might just help people understand why Sanjay did whatever he did and earn him some empathy.”

But, first and foremost, it is a story and an intriguing one. Ultimately, cinema tells all kinds of stories from all points of view, it’s the prerogative of the maker to choose the life he wants to put out. Chauhan feels that Hirani is anyway a responsible director and is unlikely to gloss over Dutt’s misdemeanors or glorify his crimes.

As for any possible and positive takeaways from the biopic, Dutt’s personal battle with drug abuse is headlined by all. They feel this particular chapter in his life can certainly be an eye opener for many. Chauhan adds, “His dialogues on substance abuse are like a master class on how to fight drug addiction.” However, message or no message, as Mittra puts it, “His is a story teeming with creative and commercial possibilities which Hirani decided to tap into.”

The trailer of the film is already a rage. At last count, the hits were a staggering 40 million. On the count of creativity, judgment as of now is reserved. Whether it throws up a loser/ fighter or simply a gullible/ vulnerable human being, there is no disputing that this is no ordinary life. Unreal and real… as reel life often is, it comes with the added advantage of ups and downs, lows and highs, in short a roller coaster ride.