Sanju…………….the release of the film has led to polarising
opinions and emotions from all corners……………….there are those who believe Sanjay
Dutt deserves a second chance. He is a victim of his circumstances and has paid
for his sins through his prison sentence. On the other end of the spectrum,
there are those who believe he’s a habitual offender, a pampered star who got
away lightly, when others in his place would have got a much more stringent
punishment. To be fair, Sanjay’s explanation for his procurement of 3 AK-56, cartridges
and hand grenades is pretty laughable for any logical thinking person. For
someone, whose father was a serving MP in 1993 and a well-connected one at
that, to think of procuring guns (and grenades) from gangsters for protection
of his family, instead of asking for police protection is silly at best and
downright criminal, at worst. But, to most people’s mind, what is much more
critical to know is whether or not, he knew about the Mumbai bomb blast plan in
advance, since he procured these weapons from people who were directly
connected with Mumbai bomb blasts. Now, that’s a question we will never get a
definitive answer for.
But, the strong reactions to the film got me thinking
about whether by watching a film, do we as an audience condone the criminal
acts of a person? Are we legitimising what the criminal did, just by watching
the film and talking about it? To me, cinema is a medium of entertainment. A moving
story is the backbone of a good film and the seeds of a moving story are many
times found in such criminal acts. There’s always a curiosity about where did
this person come from, why did he do what he did and how did the legal system
deal with it? Some of the most successful films have been based on stories of
infamous criminals. Crime stories intrigue us.
Films like Deewar, Company, Satya, were lapped up by
audiences, with or without the realization that these were, just like Sanju is,
essentially based on real life criminals. Deewar, coincidently, is based on
someone, who finds a mention in Sanju - Haji Mastan. Company, they say is based
on Chota Rajan. Satya, is perhaps a mix of multiple real events which shaped
the Mumbai crime world. So, how’s watching Deewar, Company, Satya, any
different from watching a Sanju? Why didn’t we see a similar outrage about a
film being made on criminal/s for these 3 movies and innumerable other such successful
movies in this genre? Is it easier to target Sanjay Dutt because he is an
actor? Does Dawood being a criminal not invoke similar outrage as a Sanjay Dutt
does?
An aspect of such films is that, one does end up, unknowingly,
but inevitably, sympathising with the hero(?) of the story. E.g. While watching
Satya, one does fall in love with the affable and comical Bhiku Mhatre and there’s
a collective silence and shock in the cinema hall, when he’s eventually killed.
While watching Deewar, we are happy as an audience when Amitabh’s Vijay is
saved by the billa number 786 at multiple points in the film. Guess at some
stage, we start empathising with them. I am sure, most of us, will not wish to
sympathise and side with such a criminal in real life.
