Here’s why the Journalist who broke Sanjay’s story in 1993 refuses to watch ‘Sanju’

Ranbir Kapoor’s superhit film ‘Sanju’ which is based on the life of Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has taken the worldwide box office by storm. Ranbir and Sanjay Dutt fans are going to theaters in big numbers every day to watch the film but there is one person who wishes not see this movie ever.

Journalist Baljeet Parmar, who broke the story of Sanjay Dutt’s involvement in the 1993 Arms Act case has refused to watch the film.

Parmar, in a Facebook post, said that ‘Hirani and his ilk are out there to make a quick buck’ and added that the so-called biopics are tailored to suit the man or woman they are based on. Sanjay Dutt’s role in the case had come to light after Parmar heard through the grapevine that the son of an MP was involved and upon further investigation, concluded that it was Sanjay Dutt.

Read his post about ‘Sanju‘ here:

During the last two days I have received hundreds of messages and requests to react on the film SANJU. First of all let me confess that I am not a film buff. The last time I went to watch a movie was in 1997.
But that doesn’t mean that I am alien to the medium. My first brush with Bollywood was in 1976 when I landed in Mumbai from Chandigarh. My friend Labh Singh was working for Himalaya Films and I stayed with him at Shri Chetan Anand’s shack at Juhu where I had the privilege of, meeting Dev Saab, Goldie ji, Raj Kumar, Vinod Khanna, Pran Saab, Shekhar Kapoor among many others.

Also Read: Watch Ranbir Kapoor’s transformation into Sanjay Dutt in this making video

During the period Chetan Saab started ‘hathon ki Lakrrein ‘and his son Kunki Baba completed his film with Shekhar and Shsbana. I was a part of the production team. It was here at Himalaya Films that I got my big career break courtesy Kunki Baba and vital help from his general manager Poras Dartuwalla who introduced me to Sam Cambata and Kali Mody who had the security contract for hotels Holiday Inn, Juhu, Ambassador at Churchgate and Wellington Club. I was made the Chief Security Officer and operated from Juhu.

In those days Holiday Inn was nerve centre of Bollywood activities. Every other day there was a Mahurat or a filmi party. My job and position put me in direct contact with many known personalities. Dharam Bhaji gave us contract to guard his bungalow which made made me to visit him often. The extended Deol family –Bauji, Ajit Bhaaji, Virender,, Jagdarshan, Ranjit Virk became my family too and still remains the same. I still cherish the moments like having a drink with Rajesh Khanna, Pran Saab, Rajinder Singh Bedi,Raj Kumar, Achha Anand or enjoying card sessions at Narinder Bedi’s Khar Bungalow.

The point I want to make is that I have seen film industry from very close quarters.But at the same time I never felt at home in the filmdom. I still have many friends and well wishers like Raj Babbar, Milan Luthria, Madhur Bhandarkar, Satish Kaushik to name a few but I never discuss films with them. We just exchange pleasantries or chat about the underworld.

Having said that I very strongly feel that it is a waste of time to discuss merits or dismerits of films like SANJU or it’s protagonist Sanjay Dutt. Hirani and his ilk are out there to make a quick buck. That is their business and they have every right to do it. They are there to compose fiction and not portraying facts. Fiction is soft. Facts are hard. One is very easy to manufacture the other is difficult to gather.
The so-called bio pics are tailored to suite the man or the woman they are based on. They are not to inspire the audiences but are there to create a smokescreen to blur their minds.

The use or misuse of drugs, sleeping with women, branding media as an addictive potion, finding faults with system or society, willingly and knowingly Indulge in criminal activity, showing no remorse for your past actions, playing the sympathy card and crying victim, if that is what SANJU is about, I do not regret my decision of staying away from cinema halls.

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, the film released on 29th June 2018.