
Vicky Kaushal shines, holding his own in the fun moments as well as serious scenes.

There are genuinely some shots where you won't be able to tell you're looking at Ranbir Kapoor, and not Sanjay Dutt. Sanju's biggest accomplishment is undoubtedly its performances. It's dramatic, calculatingly exciting and yet, cinematic. Through his first shot in his debut film Rocky, and the songs he sings with his then-girlfriend Ruby (Sonam Kapoor) through his fight with drug addiction and his stint in the US, where he spends his last few moments with mother Nargis through his moments of friendship with a real friend (Vicky Kaushal) or a fake friend who gets him hooked onto drugs (Zubin Mistry, played by the wonderful Jim Sarbh) - Sanju is a Bollywood-ised account of Sanju Dutt's life. But there is a Bollywood-ish tinge to every scene. Credit to Hirani for not painting Dutt with larger than life strokes. There's an emotional message in every potential scene the film doesn't attempt to decode Sanjay Dutt or justify his life. Sanju presents the intimate details of Sanjay Dutt's life in a typically Hirani-esque manner. It is through their friendship, and Dutt's relationship with his father, that the plot of Sanju unfurls. The first 90 minutes of Sanju, however , belong to the heart-warming bromance between Ranbir as Dutt, and Vicky Kaushal, as his friend from the US, Kamlesh aka Kamli. Manisha is particularly refreshing as Nargis Dutt and it is a delight to watch her on the big screen.Īlso read - Why Rajkumar Hirani's Sanju will be considered a unique film, regardless of its box office fate It is as much about Manisha Koirala, Sonam Kapoor and Dia Mirza, who each play memorable (but ultimately secondary) characters in Dutt's life. Sanju is as much about Paresh Rawal's restrained performance, as a helpless father torn between love for his son and his moral code.


But one person's story rarely makes a good film.

Yes, the film serves primarily as a platform for Ranbir Kapoor - and his talent - to show us the intricacies of Sanjay Dutt's life. Sanju is so much more than Sanjay Dutt though. Ranbir Kapoor acts like Sanjay Dutt, who is an actor by profession. This isn't merely a case of "look how easily Ranbir has slipped into Sanjay Dutt's shoes" - this is about the way in which every single aspect of the controversial actor has been imbibed by the ever-so-talented Kapoor - from his slouching walk, his goofy eyes that reveal so much pain and also a yearning for pleasure, to the way he talks (a mix of Bumbaiya and posh English) and the way he acts.
