Major Things missing from Sanjay dutt Biopic

‘Sanju’ is setting the box office on fire for a brilliant portrayal by Ranbir Kapoor and the roller-coaster of a life that Sanjay Dutt led. The anticipation for the movie has been very high since the trailer hit the Internet making everyone gasp in amazement at the makeover of Ranbir Kapoor that made him look eerily similar to Sanjay Dutt. Since the film’s release on June 29, ‘Sanju’ has broken box office records and is well on its way to becoming the highest grosser Indian film of 2018 unless something even better comes later.

One of the major reasons behind the high anticipation for the film was the controversial life of Sanjay Dutt. It is well known that Sanjay has faced everything from flop films to prison time. There is a lot about his life in detail as can be seen in the movie. His drug addiction, his numerous affairs, that possession of an AK-56 – everything has been presented but not in entirety. Another problem is that the film claims to be a biopic but not only omits a lot of things connected to Sanjay Dutt’s life but also tends to accuse the media of being ‘harsher’ on the actor.

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So what is not there in ‘Sanju’ or has been shown only partly?

1. Sanjay Dutt’s first two wives

Sonam Kapoor plays the role of Ruby, one of Dutt’s many flings. They are supposed to marry but a Sanjay high on drugs destroys any prospect and their relationship breaks down never to recover. While one may remove all mentions of affairs from a biopic, nothing can remove reality – and the reality is that Sanjay Dutt was married twice before marrying Manyata Dutt.

Where was the character of Richa Sharma, his first wife from whom he has a daughter – Trishala? Sanjay married Richa in 1987. Two years after their marriage, she was diagnosed with brain tumour and died in 1996.

Sanjay Dutt with Richa Sharma
Instagram

Sanjay Dutt then married Rhea Pillai. The two remained together from 1998 to 2005. In 2008, they divorced. What is noteworthy is that Pillai stood by Dutt at the time of the actor’s worst phase – his TADA trial and series of flop movies. According to Catch News, Rhea was shocked to see that there is no mention of her in the film.

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sanjay dutt with Rhea Pillai
India TV

2. The Abu Salem connection

The film shows Abu Salem but it doesn’t show how Sanjay Dutt came in touch with the dreaded underworld gangster. In ‘Sanju’, Salem and two other men comes to Dutt’s home in January 1993 with three AK-56 rifles with ammunition. Dutt returns two with ammunition and keeps one. The film then narrates the events following the most infamous incident in the actor’s life which eventually led him to prison.

Sanjay Dutt and Abu Salem
YouTube

But we do get to see whether Salem and Dutt ever got in touch with each other after the gun incident. How did Salem come to Dutt is what everyone is asking.

Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt in jail
PeepingMoon

3. No mention of Balasaheb Thackeray

The most important man the film has completely omitted. There was not even a mention of the Shiv Sena founder because of whom Sanjay Dutt was released in 1995 after having spent 18 months in prison. Sunil Dutt, a staunch Congress loyalist had to turn to Balasaheb Thackeray for help when no one was willing to help Sanjay Dutt. There are photos showing Sanjay and Sunil Dutt at Balasaheb’s residence. In fact, Sanjay Dutt reportedly went straight to Thackeray’s residence immediately after his release in 1995.

Sunil Dutt Sanjay Dutt and Bal Thackeray
Indian Express

In November 2012, Sanjay Dutt told The Times of India,

“Balasaheb is a father figure to me. He stood by me at a time when no one else came forward to support me.”

At the time, Bal Thackeray was in a critical condition. Sanjay Dutt has always publicly expressed his immense gratitude for Thackeray since 1995.

So why was Balasaheb Thackeray not shown?

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Things not in Sanju biopic
Sanjay Dutt at the funeral of Balasaheb Thackeray. India Today

4. The best friend Kumar Gaurav not shown

Before ‘Sanju’ turned a certain Kamlesh Kanhaiyalal Kapasi aka Kamli as his best friend, everyone knew that Sanjay Dutt’s real-life best friend was Kumar Gaurav. In fact, the son of Rajendra Kumar is still the rock solid support system for Sanjay. While the world was introduced to Paresh Ghelani or Kamli, there was no mention of Kumar Gaurav.

Sanjay Dutt with Kumar Gaurav
Instagram

Gaurav is the husband of Namrata Dutt and is therefore Sanjay’s brother-in-law. Sanjay and Gaurav have been friends from childhood, due to the friendship between their fathers. It was Kumar Gaurav who is gave a fresh lease of life to Sanjay Dutt’s career at an early stage by convincing Rajendra Kumar to cast Dutt in ‘Naam’. The 1986 film became a second launch-pad for Dutt but Kumar Gaurav faded into oblivion. The two actors share a very close relationship. So why was Kumar Gaurav not shown?

Sanjay Dutt and Kumar Gaurav
Instagram

5. Crucial movies such as ‘Vaastav’ ignored

While ‘Sanju’ did a throwback to the Munnabhai period, it did not mention the film for which Dutt won his only Filmfare Award as Best Actor – Vaastav. It is the one movie that ended the string of flops for Sanjay Dutt and established him as an actor of repute. ‘Vaastav’ also distinctively established Sanjay Dutt’s gangster image on-screen, which he used in both serious and comedy roles.

Sanjay Dutt in Vaastav
india

Even Munnabhai is a comedic take of a local gang-leader with a heart of gold. So why was this omission of ‘Vaastav’?

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Ranbir Kapoor as Munnabhai in Sanju
firstpost

6. Sanjay’s joining Samajwadi Party and his aversion for the Congress

‘Sanju’ completely skips the political plunge taken by Sanjay Dutt. He joined the Samajwadi Party after 2009 general elections at the request of Amar Singh, who is a close friend. He has previously said that he didn’t like the Congress for the manner in which they treated his father.

Sanjay Dutt Samajwadi Party
AFP

Reports say that Sunil Dutt was made to wait for hours by Sharad Pawar, at the time when the later was with the Congress.

He died because of that,” Dutt told a news channel in 2009, as reported by The Times of India.

“My father died because of Congress…they (Congress) did not listen to him, such a senior leader… and took Sanjay Nirupam in Congress, the man who accused him, the man who abused him when he (Nirupam) was in Shiv Sena.

7. Dutt’s dreams of settling down in the US

Sanjay Dutt had told Simi Grewal in her chat show that he never wanted to come back to India from the US following the end of his rehab there. He had by then met and fallen in love with Richa Sharma and wanted to start a family with a ranch in Texas.

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Sanjay Dutt with Richa Sharma
Filmibeat

Watch the full video of Rendezvous with Simi Garewal & Sanjay Dutt below:

It was Sunil Dutt, who convinced Sanjay to come back to India for a year and return if he still wanted to. Sanju listened to his father’s advice but, sadly, could never go back to the peaceful life he yearned for. Even this part was missing from the movie.

Also read: 8 Famous Women With Whom Sanjay Dutt Was Romantically Linked

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