Sanju - Real or Reel?

Sanju perfectly fits the Rajkumar Hirani template: there are laughs, plenty of tear-jerking scenes and limited songs and romance. Those who anticipated that the film will "absolve" Sanjay Dutt of his mistakes passed off as “bad choices” won’t be disappointed. Here are a few of my thoughts on the film. 

Blame it on bad journalism 

If you are hoping to see a "realistic" portrayal of Sanjay Dutt, then Hirani and his co-writer Abhijat Joshi have other plans for you. The film devotes some time to lament the role media played in vilifying its hero. So much so that there is even a rap on it towards the end, shot against the backdrop of black-and-white broadsheets. Yes, the newspaper, and not Dutt’s wrongdoings, is single-handedly to be blamed for why he is misunderstood and branded a terrorist.

Use of sensational headlines, fake news, rumours and gossips and the use of question marks and “according to sources” and “alleged” has been criticised severely. Who’d have thought that after asking people to be more considerate towards patients (Munna Bhai MBBS) and students (3 Idiots) and beware of bogus babas (PK), Hirani’s message from Sanju would be to not take everything that newspapers write at face value. That’s a bit of stale news if you ask me.

The diatribe comes as a surprise and only goes on to prove that the fourth estate is always an easy target.

Papa and pal to the rescue

The two Fs — father and friendship — are integral to Hirani’s film, with the latter being the lifeline of the story. If Sanju, the bad boy of Bollywood, is likeable in the film it’s because he is surrounded by two good souls in Sunil Dutt and Kamlesh. 

The father-son story is trickier and Hirani and Joshi use it to highlight the burden of legacy. Sanju, audiences are told, is in a constant quest to earn his praise. But given his tendency to court trouble, he struggles to match his father’s repute or live up to his expectations. Their bond grows gradually, with Sunil Dutt playing a more active role in his puttar’s life after Sanjay is made an accused in the Bombay blasts case. The big poignant moments, one that audiences love Hirani’s films for, involve the two. 

By the end of it if there is one man you feel sympathy for in this entire saga, it is Sunil Dutt.  

Gentlemen first, ladies second

The 308 women that the actor boasts of having slept with barely factor in Sanju lest they taint the hero’s image. Only Hirani and Joshi can turn even Sanjay’s philandering and insensitive behaviour into material for laughs. 

Manyata here is the dutiful wife by her husband’s side. The Nargis Dutt chapter is limited to motivating her troubled son. Ruby is symbolic of the many women Sanju wronged, and sticking to script she too forgives Dutt. The less said about Anushka Sharma’s "acclaimed" and prolific biographer Winnie Dias the better. She backtracks from writing Dutt’s story whenever somebody casts an aspersion on him which given his life is least bit surprising. She is the audience, the writer and listener, albeit one who doesn’t question or cross-check information. She is the least convincing character in Sanju.

More reel, less of a biopic

That Rajkumar Hirani selects bits from Dutt’s life is hardly surprising. But this is Dutt’s story being told by Dutt himself. It’s his autobiography — "My Experiments with Drugs and List of Crazy Adventures". It’s Hirani and Joshi taking the funniest experiences and most troubling chapters from his life and putting them together.

The narrative device works for most part, but it leaves you wanting at least one outside perspective. As a result, we get a portrait of a man who has an excuse for all his actions, however problematic they may be, with the others offering him good advice that goes mostly unheard. In Hirani’s defence, he doesn’t create a halo around his leading man’s head. But then again, the film also doesn’t delve deeper into how he became the black sheep of the illustrious family.

Am I safe?

Whenever we read about any rape incident, our insides shout with anguish and hate. It disturbs our mental peace. And whenever some disturbing statements of the rapists come to the fore, we want to distance ourselves from the reality of it…We cannot allow that to happen! They have to be killed! How can they even think like this? We begin to curse the rapists; we clench our fists and wish that they die a painful death. But we are frustrated with our helplessness.

The public furor against these unsettling thoughts is good, but that doesn’t seem to put a stop to it. The whole country was shocked with the extreme acts of injustice against that girl, and for a moment we thought we could actually bring about some change. But then the horror came to the surface. It’s a travesty that rapists are still out there large in numbers. People who blame the victims for a rape are also still roaming around, having fun by poking around their disgusting thoughts in the media.

It is uncomfortable, but it is the truth.
I am reminded of the most tragic scene from the Mahabharata –

Set in the Royal courtroom of Hastinapur, this scene depicts the game of gambling between Yudhisthir and Duryodhan. After losing everything, Yudhisthir puts his wife Draupadi at stake. Upon his victory, Duryodhan orders his brother Dushasan to bring Draupadi to the Hall. Dushasan pulls Draupadi by her hair and drags her to the courtroom in front of everyone. Then, just for fun, Duryodhan orders his brother to strip her. And there, in front of all the dignitaries present, Dushasan begins to strip Draupadi.

All great men were present in the Courtroom. Arjun, the greatest warrior of all time was meek like a coward. The valiant Karna, who was as skilled as Arjun supported his friend Duryodhan. Bhishma Pitamah, the eldest in the family was a mute spectator to this heinous crime. The revered Guru Dronacharya and the family sage Kripa were lamenting, regretting but sitting still. Among these was Dhritrashtra, the King, who was sitting in the Throne, who could have stopped Duryodhan, but did not, since he was “blind”. None of the great men came to Draupadi’s defense.

And then, lamenting limitlessly, among all the tears, the fearless Draupadi rose and asked these questions –

“Is a woman a property of the masculine gender? What right did Yudhisthir have over me that he put me at stake? Why were all the great men silent when I was being humiliated? Is this how women are treated by the people? Why was everyone silent when Dushasan was trying to strip me? If a queen like me, the wife of great king Yudhisthir, cannot be protected by this council, how then would ordinary women expect justice?”

Today, the same scene is being repeated. Women are humiliated and raped and murdered. There is a Duryodhan who does this only for fun. There are all the people, the police, the judiciary who are only watching the drama, as passive and motionless as the coward spectators in the Hastinapur courtroom. And there is the administration, blind just like Dhritrasthra, doing nothing.

Unfortunately, Draupadi’s questions still remain unanswered.
Is it because we don’t want to answer it? Or is it because we are too scared to face the truth? 

Rapes are the reality of India. We’re not comfortable with this. But this discomfort is necessary. It is a living reminder of the fact that we’re living in a barbarian society. Shutting down the voices of rapists or turning off the television or changing channels is not the solution to this problem.

We, as a society, are so immature that we cannot face this situation. Everyone would say ‘it is wrong, it shouldn’t have happened’; but it almost always comes with a rider, ‘Girls should not go out late at night, should wear decent clothes’! Believe it or not, you and I are equally responsible for this mess.

A society that does not respect women is doomed for sure. It is time we grow up and solve this situation.

To all the parents –

Tell your son how important it is to respect a girl. A hero is not the one who shows his dominance over the feminine gender, but one who earns respect by giving respect. Talk to him about the meaning and importance of ‘consent’. It is not a right; he has to work for it. To all the fathers, how you treat your wives is a big lesson to your son about how to treat women. Remember that you need to show some respect to your wife and expect the same from your son. Do not question your daughter in front of your son. If you want to question her, start with him. He should not grow up with a belief that there are different rules for men and women. There shouldn’t be.

To all guys – 

Don’t try to be a macho. It sucks. Don’t stare at girls and hope to be liked in return. You’re a jerk and the only thing you want is to sleep with her. Admit it. Grow up and learn to show some respect. Don’t keep calling or texting her at odd hours in the fake belief that she would like you for it. Your mentality of being a pervert is an important signal about your stand on rapists. If you’re not in the above category, congratulations! But spread this message to your friends who are.

To all girls – 

I don’t even know what to tell you, except for the fact that in each of you I see a Draupadi who is as fearless as Nirbhaya and who stood in front of all the dignitaries and had the courage to question the mentality of this society. Draupadi’s question was the centerpiece of Mahabharata war. It incited the Pandavas to war and it was the biggest war of its time. Do not give up. Stand and question the society.

Remember that we are at war. Not with the handful of these rapists; but with the mentality of this society. I am not afraid of the Duryodhans of the modern world; they are at least open about their mentality. I am more afraid of the Bhishma Pitamahas of this world, who stand tall and claim to fight for justice but remain silent when the time comes to speak up.

This is a hypocrite country, and it’s creepy like hell.