Like any other Raj Kumar Hirani movies, Sanju too stands out for a perfect casting as it Hallmark. Each character howsoever insignificant is cast so right and played so good that while leaving the theatre we carry memories of every character notwithstanding the length of footage. Like Sholay thats perhaps is the essence of good film making.
Amongst the ensemble Ranbir stands out as he ought to be in the titular role. Once again he shows his pedigree and proves that he is the true heir to his illustrious ancestors and miles ahead of his compatriots. Inspite of his comparatively smaller body frame vis-a-vis the towering persona of the deadly Dutt, Ranbir manages to portray each and every nuance of the legendary Sanju baba swag to near perfection. Paresh Rawal does have a handicap in his Gujju diction but with his measured talk and equally measured walk he has brilliantly played late Dutt Saab. Nobody other than Manisha Koirala could have played late Nargis Dutt better. Being herself a cancer survivor her face with naturally worn out ageing looks adds to the gloom and trauma the Dutt family would have faced on the eve of release of Sanju Baba's debut film Rocky. While Boman Irani and certain other regular favorites of RKH do with their few moments on screen manage to remain in our memory, the real scene stealer is Vicky Kaushal as the US based Gujju friend of Sanju. Being a Kaushal he has to be a Punjabi or Hariyanvi. But the way he has played a heavily Gujju accented Hindi speaking naive friend of Baba is really praiseworthy. While Ranbir may walk away with best actor award this year, Vicky Kaushal definitely stands a strong contender for best supporting actor.
Overall the movie appears to be a tribute by RKH to late Dutt Saab and his family without whom there would not have been a Munna Bhai MBBS and RKH would have not have become a hot shot film maker overnight. Through this film RKH has given us a glimpse on the contribution of Dutt Saab in making Munna Bhai MBBS a reality.
