Reel vs real: The politics behind the life and crimes of Sanjay DuttÂ

1. Reel vs real: The politics behind the life and crimes of Sanjay Dutt As the debate about depiction of public figures in bio-pics continues, Sunil Dutt's attempts to bail his son out recounted.

2. When a film about a public figure is made, many questions relating to the accuracy or inaccuracy of portrayals arise. In a vibrant democracy, multiple truths often jostle with each other, so that we can determine for ourselves which one (or ones) we prefer. We must also ponder if any biographical film, condensing a life into two-and-a-half hours, takes certain departures from reality. In this sense, Sanju, a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt is no exception. In a particular scene in Sanju, Dutt is seen playing court to a political figure in Delhi, months after he was charged with the crime of possessing an AK-56 rifle and hobnobbing with those suspected of carrying out the bomb blasts in Bombay (now Mumbai) on March 12, 1993. The politician in the movie is rather indifferent and dismissive of Dutt’s plea. In real life, it was actor-turned-politician Sunil Dutt who had indeed courted a political figure. He had once informally told a gathering of journalists – including the author – that he had approached Sharad Pawar, who became chief minister of Maharashtra soon after the bomb blasts, begging for leniency for his son. Sunil Dutt recalled bowing before Pawar, tears rolling down his cheeks, when he noticed that the politician was faintly smiling, enjoying his ordeal. Stunned and disillusioned, Sunil Dutt subsequently met Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who eventually came out in support of Sanjay Dutt, declaring publicly he did not believe that any member of the Dutt family could be ‘anti-national’. It was widely believed in political circles that Sunil Dutt’s family was being targeted by a section of the Congress leadership for resigning in a huff from his Lok Sabha membership after the Babri Masjid demolition and the communal riots in Mumbai. In fact, throughout Sanjay Dutt’s arrest, Pawar was suspected to be behind the family’s ordeals. In those troubled times, it was Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray who stood by the actor, despite their glaring ideological differences. Sunil Dutt would later acknowledge Thackeray’s help with a deep sense of gratitude. Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Sanjay Dutt attend workers’ meeting at the party’s headquarters in Lucknow, March 14, 2009. Photo credit: Reuters.