SANJU: Rajkumar Hirani FINALLY speaks on the film’s criticism!

Rajkumar Hirani is yet to put a wrong foot as far as his cinematic career is concerned. His films’ collections have only risen from Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. to Sanju. But unlike his last films, Sanju received a mixed response from a certain section of the audience, despite being the third highest grosser of all time. Attempting a biopic in India comes with a lot of baggage and pressure, especially when he’s yet to hang his boots in his professional career. You aren’t allowed to paint him grey, despite his established misdemeanors and controversies and you’re forced to show him as a saint, akin to the kind of portrayal that happened in Azhar.

And people have slammed Sanjay Dutt’s biopic for the very same reason, which it intentionally and manipulatively tries to seduce the audience with Dutt’s victimization and large-heartedness. But hey, what about his stint with the Underworld, what about his fondness for hunting and what about his multiple swindles and conning his allegedly 308 girlfriends? It all just skims the surface. However, seeing the criticism balloon over the last few months, Raju Hirani has finally come out and defended the film over its endless attempts to whitewash the actor’s image.

“Whitewashing as a word is being thrown open. If you’ve watched the film, what was Sanju’s crime. Yes, he kept the gun, and we have shown that. We have shown that he served five years in jail and that he is saying it was a mistake… So where is the question of whitewashing? What have I whitewashed? I want to understand that,” Hirani asked. Joshi added: “The crime has been shown graphically. He is destroying the gun, we have shown that, the bullets are thrown away, we are showing that. So whatever is the crime is, is clearly shown,” Hirani stated.

He added, “People are using this word whitewash. 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? If we had to whitewash anyone, we would have made him Mahatma Gandhi… What have we whitewashed? Tell us his crime?” 

Do you agree with Rajkumar Hirani?

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