Ranbir Kapoor: Didn't want to look like a caricature of Sanjay Dutt

Ranbir Kapoor on how he met mimicry artist Sanket Bhosale, but chose not to go the route for his role in biopic

While Ranbir Kapoor is receiving appreciation from all and sundry for slipping into the role of Sanjay Dutt for Sanju, the actor says the transformation was not easy. He reveals that as part of his prep, he met stand-up comic Dr Sanket Bhosale, who is known to mimic Dutt effortlessly.

Though all praise for Bhosale's mimicry skills, Kapoor points out that the Rajkumar Hirani-directed film required a different approach. "I met Sanket to understand what he thinks of Dutt, but in that very meeting, I realised this is not the path I want to take. He does a comic version of a drunk Sanjay Dutt, but I am not essaying that. I am playing him all the way from when he was 20 till today. We have explored his human side in the film. I also realised that I had to discover my own way of expressing the character," says the actor.

Ranbir Kapoor recreates Sanjay Dutt's iconic scene from Munnabhai MBBS, in Sanju

The biggest challenge that Kapoor faced was walking the fine line between "mimicking someone and trying to become the person". "A lot of people copy Sanjay sir and his style. So, my job became even harder because I didn't want to look like a caricature."

Sanket Bhosale

A self-confessed Dutt fan, it took Kapoor some time to gather confidence to slip into the former's shoes. The actor did "extensive homework" before facing the camera, which included getting Dutt's insights on the various chapters of his life. "It was my job as an actor to understand how this guy walks, how he talks. I would call Sanjay sir in the middle of the night, before the shoot, and ask him what he went through during a particular incident in his life. I would give my own interpretation to the script, but to hear it from the man himself is different."

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