Sanju is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film directed by Rajkumar Hirani and co-written by Hirani with Abhijat Joshi. The film depicts events from the life of Hindi film actor Sanjay Dutt, including his struggles with substance abuse, his relationship with his father Sunil Dutt, and the legal proceedings he faced in connection with the 1993 Bombay bombings investigation. Ranbir Kapoor plays the title role.
| Title | Sanju |
|---|---|
| Director | Rajkumar Hirani |
| Producers | Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra |
| Writers | Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi |
| Based on | The life of Sanjay Dutt |
| Lead actor | Ranbir Kapoor |
| Music | Vikram Montrose, A. R. Rahman, Rohan-Rohan (songs); Sanjay Wandrekar and Atul Raninga (background score) |
| Cinematography | Ravi Varman |
| Editing | Rajkumar Hirani |
| Production companies | Rajkumar Hirani Films, Vinod Chopra Films, Fox Star Studios |
| Distributor | Fox Star Studios |
| Release date | 29 June 2018 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Country | India |
The narrative is structured around Sanjay Dutt seeking out a noted biographer, Winnie Diaz, to write his life story. Through a series of flashbacks, the film traces two principal arcs: his battle with drug addiction during the early years of his film career, and his arrest and prosecution under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act and later the Arms Act in connection with the investigation following the 1993 Bombay bombings. Central to both arcs is his relationship with his father, the actor and Member of Parliament Sunil Dutt, and his close friendship with a fictionalised companion, Kamlesh Kapasi.
The project was announced by Rajkumar Hirani, who had previously directed Sanjay Dutt in the Munna Bhai film series. Ranbir Kapoor was cast in the lead role and underwent significant physical transformation across multiple body types to portray Dutt at different ages and life stages. Principal photography took place across Mumbai and overseas locations. The film was edited by Hirani himself, who also serves as a regular editor on his own productions.
The soundtrack album was released by T-Series. Notable songs include "Kar Har Maidaan Fateh" performed by Sukhwinder Singh and Shreya Ghoshal, "Main Badhiya Tu Bhi Badhiya" featuring Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan with archival vocals of Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle, and "Ruby Ruby" sung by A. R. Rahman.
Sanju was released theatrically in India on 29 June 2018 and was distributed internationally by Fox Star Studios. It received broadly positive reviews, with particular praise for Ranbir Kapoor's performance and the supporting work of Vicky Kaushal and Paresh Rawal. Critics were divided over the film's sympathetic framing of its subject, with some commentators arguing that it underplayed the gravity of certain episodes in Dutt's life.
Commercially, the film was among the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2018 and one of the highest-grossing Indian films at the time of its release.
The film received several nominations at major Hindi film award ceremonies. Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal won acting honours at the Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively for the 2018 cycle.
Sanju is among the more prominent biographical films in mainstream Hindi cinema and contributed to discussion about the genre's responsibilities when depicting living subjects, particularly those involved in legal cases. It also reinforced Ranbir Kapoor's reputation for character transformation roles and continued the commercial track record of director Rajkumar Hirani, whose earlier films include Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots, and PK.