D. N. Tripathi (Piyush Mishra), a lyricist, attempts to write a biography on Sanjay "Sanju" Dutt, (Ranbir Kapoor), comparing him with Mahatma Gandhi. A flabbergasted Sanjay has him thrown out. The Bombay High Court delivers its verdict regarding the 1993 Bombay bombings and sentences Dutt to five years jail term for violating the Arms Act, 1959. His wife Manyata Dutt (Dia Mirza) approaches Winnie Diaz, (Anushka Sharma) a London-based writer, to write Sanjay's biography and present his version of his life to the public. Although unwilling at first, Winnie is asked by Zubin Mistry (Jim Sarbh), a real estate builder, to not write the biography, which intrigues her. Winnie first interviews Sanjay, and his life is revealed in a flashback.

Sanjay's father Sunil Dutt (Paresh Rawal) plans to launch his acting career in Bollywood with the film Rocky (1981). Upset over his father's controlling behaviour on set, Sanjay is encouraged by his friend Zubin "God" Mistry to try drugs for the first time. Sanjay soon discovers that his mother Nargis (Manisha Koirala) is suffering from cancer and is taken to New York for treatment. This incident furthers his descent into alcoholism and drug addiction. He meets Kamlesh (Vicky Kaushal), a fan of Nargis, in New York, and they become quick friends. Kamlesh manages to make Sanjay stay his addiction; after learning of his girlfriend Ruby's (Sonam Kapoor) fixed marriage due to his ongoing drug addiction, Sanjay relapses. Kamli convinces Ruby to register marry Sanjay; upset with his intoxicated behaviour, she leaves him. Nargis passes away three days before the release of Rocky, which takes an emotional toll on Sanjay. Sanjay agrees to attend a rehabilitation centre in the United States, and eventually recovers with the help of his father and Kamlesh. On returning to India, he meets with God and beats him for selling him drugs.

The later part of Dutt's life is narrated by his now-estranged friend Kamlesh, who Winnie tracks down. In the 1990s, Sanjay turns to bodybuilding and his career in Bollywood has greatly improved. After the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, Sanjay acquires three AK-56 rifles to ensure the protection of his father, who had by then ventured into politics, and sister, Priya Dutt. A series of bombings occur in Bombay shortly thereafter. Sanjay is arrested in 1993 for possession of illegal arms supposedly supplied by the D-Company to be trafficked for protection during potential communal rioting after the bombings. Sanjay is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for five years under Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), threatening his career. Indian media labels him as a terrorist, further tarnishing his public image. Believing Sanjay to be guilty, Kamlesh severs ties with him.

After his release in 1995, Sanjay appears in a string of flops. When his popularity had begun to wane, he is signed for the title role in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003), co-starring his father. Sanjay's performance garners him the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role and his public image improves, making his father proud. Shortly afterwards, his father passes away. In 2006, the Bombay High Court finds Dutt guilty under the Possession of Arms Act, while not finding him to be a terrorist. In 2013, he is arrested again by the same verdict upheld by the Supreme Court of India. Sanjay convinces Winnie and Kamlesh of his innocence by blaming the media for falsely accusing him of terrorism, and is subsequently released from prison in 2016. Sanjay finds out that Winnie has completed writing his biography, titled Kuch Toh Log Kahenge (translation: People will keep saying something, it is their Job to do so), named after one of his father's favourite songs from the film Amar Prem (1972). He exits the jail and reunites with Manyata.

Development

Director Rajkumar Hirani was first prompted to create a film based on Sanjay Dutt's life by the latter's wife Manyata Dutt in a casual conversation, an offer he refused, reasoning that "Sanju’s world is very different from my world". In an interview with Daily News & Analysis, Hirani revealed what eventually prompted him to create a film based on Sanjay Dutt's life: "He was lonely. Manyata (I think) was in hospital and he used to go there (sometimes) and then come home to an empty house. So, he was just venting, speaking straight from the heart. And, he started giving me anecdotes that were just gems for a filmmaker". In regards to gaining resources in constructing the film, Hirani said, "...we sat for a crazy amount of time and recorded everything ... I also met others who knew him — journalists, cops, relatives and friends. I felt there was a movie that should be told." In an interview with DNA After Hrs, Hirani confirmed that the film was named Sanju after a lot of deliberation as Nargis, Sanjay's mother, used to call him ‘Sanju’.

Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra was not a part of the project when Hirani initially approached him to produce the film. At first, Chopra was of the opinion that "it was hogwash... but when we started researching all that he’s said — from the 308 girlfriends he had to how he begged on the streets of US for the money to buy a bus ticket — we realised that everything he had told us was true!". Hirani had a pre-condition with Dutt that if the latter requested to change any lines or scenes, he "would not make it", upon which Dutt allowed Hirani to make the film in his accord. He was okay with Hirani not glorifying him in the film. Hirani showed aspects of Dutt's life that the public would not have known, such as "what was happening in the Dutt household when Sanju was accused of the crime? What was his father going through? What was happening with his sisters? How were his friends reacting? Later I met his sisters, Namrata and Priya, brother-in-law Kumar Gaurav and US-based friend Paresh Ghelani." Hirani stated, "The film is not about his romance. It has primarily two tracks, one is the gun story and the other is the drugs story and how he fought these two battles."

Speaking about Dutt's journey, Kapoor revealed in an interview with Filmfare that the biopic will reach out to the audience by teaching them something. He stated that "It will talk about human flaws, the emotional father-son story (between Sanjay and the late Sunil Dutt), his relationship with his best friend, with the women in his life. It's emotional, it's funny, it's sad, it's bittersweet. The youth have a lot to learn from his mistakes." He also confirmed that "it's not a propaganda film" intending to glorify Dutt. Kapoor also revealed that for him the hardest aspect of playing the role was to give himself the confidence to go ahead with the project. For him, Sanjay Dutt is "a flawed but a wonderful person... a pop icon" and that's why it was scary.Kapoor also stated that there are "six different phases, six different looks and six different controversies" in the film.

In an interview with Rajeev Masand, Hirani disclosed that the story-telling procedure was "challenging as it's not a story of an achiever" as most biopics are based on a heroic personality, yet Dutt is known for his tragedies and losses. He noted that "you can't really tamper" and that the main scripting challenge was fitting "a very anecdotal story in a structured format". Writer Abhijat Joshi also revealed that there was no "deliberate" attempt to make Dutt's character sympathetic to the audience. Instead the team realised having listened to all the anecdotes conveyed by Dutt that it's a "very engaging, incredibly fascinating" story based on a "conflicted person, a flawed person" who "deserved empathy". Hirani then confirmed that he has "put out the truth" which includes "good things and bad things". In another interview, Hirani also revealed that like his other films, Sanju would also deliver a social message: "there is the father-son story, a friendship and one is a question mark. For the last one, you’ll have to see the film. Hirani also revealed that he did initially get "attracted to all the anecdotes " but soon "realized it was not enough – we had to be able to string it all together." which led him to come to the conclusion that "people need to know is his gun story , because it is important. If there is no gun story, there is no biopic" which then in turn formed the "spine" of the film.

Post the release of the film, both Hirani and Joshi reasoned that Dutt has not been "whitewashed" in the film as many critics have openly said so. Instead Hirani questioned "I want to know what have I whitewashed? I have shown that he had 308 girlfriends, that he was so addicted to drugs, he slept with his friend’s girlfriend. Is this whitewashing?". Joshi also commented that "What we are bashing is a certain section which sensationalises things and uses a question mark to make things ‘chatpata’ (spicy). That has been critiqued, and I am amazed there has been no introspection on that side. No one has even said that it happens."

Cast