However, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan had said that Dutt himself should have done the role, especially the last 7-8 years of his life, in the biopic, as “no one can do it better than him”. Director Rajkumar Hirani has now reportedly responded to this opinion of Khan’s.

According to a report by the Times of India, Hirani revealed that even he had initially thought of Dutt playing his older self in the film’s final portions, but later discarded the idea. He felt the audience would be disconnected seeing Kapoor in the first half and then Dutt in the latter.

Ranbir Kapoor had also responded to Khan’s opinion regarding the same. During promotions of Sanju, when the actor was asked about this, he had said, “It has never happened that a person played himself in his own biopic. This destroys the effect of a character.” He added that whether people see him as the 40-year-old Dutt or as the 20-year old, they should feel that they are watching an artist who is playing Sanjay Dutt.

Sanju also stars Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Vicky Kaushal, Karishma Tanna in pivotal parts.