RK Films Was Born With Raj Kapoor And Died With Him

Ranbir Kapoor is one of the biggest stars outside of the Khanate ruled by the Aamir-Salman-Shahrukh triptych in Bollywood. But his last few movies have not set the cashbox ringing at the box office, the ultimate arbiter of an artiste’s worth over a weekend in a cut-throat film industry. The 35-year-old actor now returns with a biopic on Sanjay Dutt made by a filmmaker with the Midas touch, Rajkumar Hirani, who has never failed in the past 15 years. In a freewheeling interview with Giridhar Jha, barely a few days before the release of Sanju, Ranbir discusses, among other things, the most challenging role in his career and why he does not want to spoil the legacy of R.K. Films by reviving the iconic banner founded by his legendary grandfather Raj Kapoor. Excerpts from the interview:

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Going by the response to Sanju’s trailer, your mom ought to be ordering a new shelf to stack up all the awards that you are most likely to win next year. But tell me, what were your initial thoughts when Rajkumar Hirani offered you the biopic on Sanjay Dutt?

A lot of fear. I was being offered a film by Rajkumar Hirani! I had always wanted to work with him. When he told me he is making a biopic on Sanjay Dutt’s life, I was a little sceptical. I wondered how you could make a story on a superstar who is still working. Would I be able to do it? I had performance anxiety. But all my fears went away once I read the script. Raju sir has done it in such a sensitive, emotional, funny and entertaining way. This project has become an actor’s dream come true. It has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.

Still, some apprehensions must have persisted.

Absolutely! The script was merely the first step. For the next six months, we were doing things like make-up and prosthetics trials. I was trying to imitate him and failing miserably every day—just trying to build this character and do complete justice to it. Portraying Sanjay Dutt! It’s a huge responsibility. Initially, there were a lot of upsets, but everybody associated with the project had faith in the material and a belief that we are all here to make a good movie.

Sanju is not a propaganda film. It’s an honest portrayal of a very flawed man who has fallen down many times, but has also picked himself up. It is also about a complex relationship between the father and son, his relationship with many women and his best friend, his tryst with the law, being in jail, the gun episode...drugs. There was so much drama and so many emotions in this film that it seemed scary and daunting, but I was very inspired to be part of this journey.