Not making Sanjay Dutt biopic to propagate anything: Hirani

The bond they share is way bigger and beyond the on-screen magic they have created with Munnabhai movies, but filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani says the upcoming biopic on Sanjay Dutt is not an attempt to publicise or promote his friend.

The 53-year-old director, who will be venturing into an uncharted territory with the biopic was initially hesitant to take up the project, but decided to give it a shot as he found Dutt’s story very engaging.

Dutt, 56, has been serving a 42-month sentence at Pune’s Yerwada jail after he was convicted for illegal possession of weapons in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

“I take so long to make a film. I will never make a film to propagate a friend. When they told me about the film I said I don’t understand this world, till I actually heard his story.

“The first time he opened up and when I heard his story, I found it very engaging. That’s the only reason I am going to make a film and I am only going to show him as he is,” Hirani said in an interview on the sidelines of IFFI.

The filmmaker finds the Agneepath actor’s life story very intriguing and feels it has all the possible elements which will contribute in the making of a great movie. “It has many elements; it’s a father-son relationship. There is humour, pathos. I get sucked in great stories. So, when I was writing something this came on my lap and I thought that’s such a great story,” he said.