Sanju
2018 · Directed by Rajkumar Hirani
Original language: Hindi
- drama
The story
Sanju explores some of the most crucial chapters from movie star Sanjay Dutt’s dramatic and controversial real life. It gives a lowdown on his tryst with drugs and his trials and tribulations in the Arms Acts case and the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
What it’s like
Bright, glossy studio colour with warm tungsten interiors, sun-washed 1980s and 1990s street scenes, and a comfortable, polished commercial frame that lets the camera linger on faces. The score swings between buoyant pop songs and sombre orchestral swells, so the mood keeps shifting with the lights. The vibe is bittersweet and often funny: a family-tinged comedy-drama that turns heavier in its middle stretch, when drug dependence, a long court case and a prison term take over the frame. Those darker passages are grounded rather than graphic. Drug use is shown with some detail and withdrawal feels raw, and the 1993 bombings and their aftermath bring brief, sudden violence, but gore stays minimal and sexual content is mild. The pacing is brisk, the tone warm and wry, and the arc follows a charming, self-sabotaging man slowly confronting his own choices with the people who stayed close to him. It suits a long evening in with a snack, for viewers who enjoy big-hearted Hindi cinema, celebrity-life stories, and a mix of laughter and melancholy.
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