Five women in Sanju

The teaser of Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju, which was launched on Tuesday, has taken social media by storm. Almost everyone is talking about it. Trade analyst Amod Mehra tweeted, “Just saw the teaser of #Sanju.. take a bow Ranbir Kapoor…One Man.. Many Awards.. (sic)”

Though Ranbir is the one receiving accolades at this point, the biopic also features five women. While two of them are based on real-life characters, the other three are fictional. People who have been closely following reports about the movie know some of the facts, but this is the first time they are being presented on the same page.

Manisha Koirala will be seen as Sanjay’s mother, Nargis Dutt. Says Raju, “It’s a small role as the film starts in 1981 when Nargisji passed away.”

One has also heard from Sonam Kapoor that she portrays the role of Sanju’s girlfriend. But she isn’t essaying anyone per se, so no one should look for parallels here. Raju says, “Sonam is not playing anyone in particular as we haven’t delved into that aspect of Sanju’s life.”

Anushka Sharma is a journalist and biographer. Raju laughs and says, “She plays Abhijat Joshi and me rolled into one. It is through her narrative that we tell the story. We needed a link to bind our plot and Anushka is that link.”

Dia Mirza will be seen as Sanju’s third wife, Maanayata Dutt. Even Karishma Tanna has a small role. The audience will eventually get to know more about her character. 

For now, Raju just says, “It is perhaps the first time that I have five women playing important characters in my film.”