Sanju madness is unstoppable. A biopic on the many highs and lows one of India’s renowned superstars Sanjay Dutt. The story of Dutt’s triumph over all the curveballs thrown at him has created fireworks at the box office and headed straight for a blockbuster status! Ranbir Kapoor, who relived the many lives of the actor on the silver screen, is busy garnering laurels and praises for his outstanding portrayal. Not only did he match his physical demeanour but also perfected Dutt’s mannerisms.
The makers of the human drama shared a video of the journey of transforming Ranbir into Sanjay for Sanju. Director Rajkumar Hirani recalls he had approached Kapoor exactly a year before filming the magnum opus, in 2016. However, amid speculations and expectations, RK came on board with his own set of apprehensions as to how will he play a man he admires so much, and whether or not he would justify the role. Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra shares he was equally taken aback when he was first told Ranbir would play the lead in Sanju.
Once green lit, thereafter began the struggle of getting the look and facial appearance right. A team of prosthetics, hair, makeup and fitness experts including Clover Wootton, Vikram Gaikwad, hair stylist Aalim Hakim and physical trainer Kunal were brought in to help turn Ranbir’s face and body like Dutt’s. Ranbir shares that it would sometimes take 6 hours to create a look, but in a mere 30 second appearance it would get rejected.
The process also involved and required Ranbir to grind in the gym. A tough one for someone who absolutely detests workout! But the Kapoor scion took the challenge heads on because Sanjay Dutt has been synonymous with body building and he couldn’t “screw that up,” he exclaims.
Dutt’s face has undergone massive change, reveals Ranbir, owing to alcohol consumption and other factors. Getting each one of them right was painstaking for the team but their spirit remained indomitable till they finally achieved them all! It was only after the look when Dutt was released from jail in 2016, a memory still very fresh in the minds of the viewers, was achieved that Raju Hirani felt he would be able to get the other looks too and finally make the film.
On the 3rd or 4th day of the shoot, Sanjay Dutt himself walked on the sets and watched Ranbir play him in his biopic. That moment remains one of the key ones from RK’s life and we completely feel him! It is an honour to play a legend you have admired and have been in awe of all your life.
But the one thing this video very well establishes is that Sanju wouldn’t have worked wihout Ranbir Kapoor.
Released on June 29, 2018, the film has steadily stormed into the coveted Rs 200 crore club and has become Hirani’s second highest grosser after PK. The biopic is the biggest opener of Ranbir's career and his best number-spinner till date.
Watch Ranbir's journey to becoming Dutt here:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozPsJZtnXM4[/embed]
