At the heart of every Rajkumar Hirani film lies an idea that is largely all about transforming the world and rewriting existing rules. So far, in his last four films, he has taught us to be compassionate ( Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. , 2003), believe in Gandhian ideals ( Lage Raho Munna Bhai , 2006), chase excellence ( 3 Idiots , 2009) and not be superstitious ( PK , 2014). All of these are simple, straightforward ideas on paper but they may not necessarily work or be easily replicable in the real world. This is where Hirani’s genius lies. He is a master when it comes to incepting these basic ideas into the audience’s mind.
Hirani’s heroes, however, never set out to preach. Their sole objective is to get what they want in life: Munna wants an MBBS degree; in the sequel, Munna wants to save a senior citizens’ home from an unscrupulous businessman; Rancho, in 3 Idiots , wants to become an engineer; and PK wants to retrieve the stolen remote control for his spaceship so he can return home.
The drama in Hirani’s films peaks with the death of a character close to the protagonist. In M.B.B.S. , it’s when the cancer patient, Zaheer, dies in Munna’s arms. In Lage Raho , it’s when the psychiatrist “kills” Gandhiji. In 3 Idiots , it’s when the poorest of the three friends, Raju, tries to kill himself. In PK , it happens with the death of the friendly bandmaster, Bhairon Singh.
The ebbs and flow of the screenplay remain the same, only the idea differs each time. Hirani’s success lies in his ability to adapt the story and the journey in each of his films to the idea he wants to tell. And sell.
All of this makes one wonder what a Sanjay Dutt biopic is doing in the happy Hirani universe of feel-good films. But if you look closely, the Dutt story is really a perfect fit. Hirani’s protagonists are lawbreakers or troublemakers, and so is Dutt.
Turning the tide
Hirani is gifted with the ability to tell every story with empathy. So we have the hero, Sanju, wanting something: to rid himself of the ‘terrorist’ tag. Like in every Hirani film where, as the journey progresses, more characters enter the protagonist’s life, with Dutt too, after his coming out of the jail for the first time, many people, starting with the film fraternity, began taking his side openly. Public perception slowly changed. Incidentally, Hirani’s Munna Bhai franchise was instrumental in turning the tide to a great extent.
The biggest turning point in Dutt’s life was the death of his father just before the courts cleared him of charges under Tada and convicted him only for illegal possession of arms; he served his sentence and came out a winner, both in public perception and legally. All these perfectly match the milestones in the journey of any Hirani hero.
As to what message Hirani will convey through the biopic and whether he will pull off his trademark humour, one will have to wait and watch.
But with Sanju , it’s as though we have been part of a Hirani film for nearly three decades. This biopic is meta on a dimension not explored by even the likes of Christopher Nolan. When we enter the cinema hall in less than two weeks, we won’t just be watching another Hirani film but walking into the last scene of a larger Hirani-like production where the narrator closes the film.
The writer finds movie references in real life and vice-versa.
