Book Name: Sanjay Dutt
Author: Ram Kamal Mukherjee
Genre: Biography
Publisher: Rupa
Rating: 5/5
Book Blurb: What the world knows about Sanjay duty is only half-truths. best-selling author, film producer and renowned journalist Ram Kamal Mukherjee unravels the enigma and stigma surrounding Sanju Baba. There can be no last word on Sanjay Dutt. Ever. Even as he walks a free man after more than three decades of prison terms and controversies, Dutt remains a classic case study in all that defines the ‘star’ system in Hollywood industry known for its deep-rooted sense of entitlement. However, there is one question that dominates: who is the real Sanjay duty? Is he a man who has been ‘wronged by the media’, as his friend and filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani wants everyone to believe? Is he a son who could never recover from his mother’s death? Is he a son whose father political leanings made him an easy target? Or is he a myth, created by a consortium of film journalists, industry insiders, political fiends and adversaries? Delving deep into both the man and his circumstances, Sanjay Dutt: one man, many lives tells the Uncut, untold and uncensored story of Sanjay balraj duty. What emerges is an accountant much about one man’s laudable efforts to keep reinventing himself, as it is about his privileges. Privileges that were seldom earned and always taken for granted. This is the closest anyone can ever come to understanding Sanju Baba.
Review: Sanjay Dutt’s life has been full of ups and downs but the man reclaimed his position as a star in bollywood. He did his time and much of the trial was played out in the media but the inside story never really comes out.
Ram Kamal Mukherjee brings out the finer details about Sanjay Dutt’s life- his turbulent relationship with his father, his mother’s illness that affected him deeply and how circumstances shaped the man.
The book is well structured very much like a film and there is never a dull moment. The book chronicles the early rise of Sanjay Dutt’s film career, his battle with drugs and romantic relationships. Written candidly, it makes Sanjay Dutt come across as a humane person who in the end, made an honest effort to rebuild his life and set things right.
The book also comes with photographs of important events and people. The book does not attempt to redeem or gain sympathy for Dutt but is written in an honest manner and the reader can be the final judge.
There has always been an undercurrent of sympathy for the actor among the Indian public but many have also pointed out that Dutt had it easy because of his celebrity status. Inside accounts however, tell a different story and there should be some respect for a man who did his time and accepted his mistakes.
“In one of the many interviews with Simi Grewal, Sanjay dutt was asked if there was ever a phase in his life when things were ‘normal’. He simply shook his head and said, ‘no’.”
The book also deals with the important people in Dutt’s life notably his father Sunil Dutt who tried very hard to protect his son and stood by him till the very end.
The book is well researched and provides a holistic account of Dutt’s past as in the words of the author, “…his past is the most interesting chapter in his story.”
This is an authentic biography on the market right now and deserves a read.