Rajkumar Hirani talks Sanjay Dutt biopic

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, who is busy with the post-production process of his upcoming film based on the life of actor Sanjay Dutt, says biopics are more interesting when presented in a fictional format.

While Hirani is making a film on Dutt’s life now, the BBC had made a documentary on the controversial actor’s life back in 1996 titled To Hell and Back.

Asked whether he ever thought of making a documentary on Dutt’s life instead of doing it in a fictionalised format, Hirani said: “Certain subjects will be more engaging if they are done in a fiction format and certain subjects would probably be more interesting in a documentary format.

“PK was the only film, which I started in reverse where I wanted to talk about God and religion. But in the journey of making that film, I realised that I ended up talking very little about it.

“In a fictional format, it is expected that you have to sugarcoat your story, entertain the audience and still manage to say what you want to say. So, at some stage, I do want to make a documentary.”

He continued: “In a film like Sanju, I think it’s more engaging as a fictional film where you see another actor doing it.

“If you would simply pick up a microphone and say, ‘Okay, there is a man who did drugs, who had a gun and did other things then’, it’s boring. I feel biopics are more interesting when you see it in a fictional format. Otherwise, it gets boring.

Sanju, the title of Hirani’s forthcoming biographical drama film, is produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Actor Ranbir Kapoor essays Dutt’s life on-screen in the movie, which is set for release on June 29 in India.