Why is Raju Hirani making a Sanjay Dutt biopic?

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani said that he is not making the Sanjay Dutt biopic to publicise or promote the actor. “I take a lot of time to make a film. I will never make a film to propagate a friend. When they told me about the film, I said that I don't understand this world, till I actually heard his story. The first time he opened up and I heard his story, I found it very engaging. That's the only reason I am going to make a film. I am only going to show him as he is,” PTI quoted Hirani as saying. 

Dutt was found guilty in 2013 of acquiring illegal weapons from those involved in the 1993 attacks in Mumbai. He was sentenced to six years in jail in 2007. Also, he served 18 months, but then was out on bail, fighting the conviction until a court ordered him back to jail in Pune in March 2013.

The filmmaker said that Dutt's story is very intriguing. “It has many elements. It's a father-son relationship. There is humour and pathos. I love great stories. So, when I was writing something, this came on my lap and I thought that it is such a great story,” added Hirani. 

Ranbir Kapoor will play the lead role in the film. Hirani said that he chose Ranbir because he knows Sanjay Dutt personally. “We are showing Sanju's life from the time he was 17. So, obviously Sanju can't play it. We wanted an actor who looks like a star, is a good actor, who can gain weight and become like that. Ranbir is a fantastic actor. He has grown a lot and he knows Sanju as well,” he said. 

“He understands that world. It is always good to have an actor who believes in the film thematically. Ranbir is somebody who has grown up in a film family and he understands the pathos in his life,” added Hirani.

Source: NDTV Movies