Munna Bhai is the role of a lifetime, and no one could have done it better than Sanjay Dutt. However, as people know, he was not the first choice for Munna Bhai.
was director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s first choice for the role. However, things did not work out, which led to Sanju Baba’s life-changing role.
Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra once recalled that he would have never made the film with Sanjay Dutt but just wanted to support him because he went to jail. The 12th Fail director also revealed that Sanjay Dutt was ready to do anything to make a comeback in the films. Here’s what happened!
What Did Vidhu Vinod Chopra Say About Casting Sanjay Dutt In Munna Bhai M.B.B.S?
Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra once spoke about the circumstances surrounding Sanjay Dutt’s casting in the role of his life, Munna Bhai. Chopra explained that the entire industry banned the actor at the time after being convicted in a terrorism case, but Vidhu did not believe this was the right thing to do. He said he had signed up for a project to show solidarity with the troubled star. Dutt was initially supposed to play the role, but it eventually went to Jimmy Shergill.
Chopra admitted that he did not want Sanjay Dutt in the film, so when the actor was released from jail and ready to work, he told him they would have to wait until they worked together. “Sanjay Dutt went to jail. I didn’t know him at all. The whole industry banned him, but I thought this was wrong, so I went to his house and made a film with him. His father said I’d be banned as well, but I said, ‘I don’t care,'” Chopra said during an interview with Kellogg Management School (per Times Of India).
reflected that Dutt was willing to do anything and wanted to work. “Then, Sanjay Dutt comes out of jail. I remember him calling me from the car. He said he wanted to meet, and he wanted his first comeback film to be with me. I told him, ‘I’ll never make a film with you; I just announced it because it was the right thing to do.’ He’s a straightforward man. A good man but a simple man. He thought the announcement meant that we were going to work together. I said, ‘I cannot make a film with you unless the equation changes because I cannot exploit a good deed.’ It’s a terrible thing to do that you do something good and exploit it.”
too, struggled to grasp the film’s concept. Chopra admitted. “So when I told him to play Jimmy Shergill’s role, he agreed. He stated, ‘Anything’. Then, Shah Rukh, of course, came to me and he had a throat thing… So, I decided that Sanjay Dutt was the right guy. I told him, ‘You’re doing Munna Bhai’. And he’s such a simple fellow, he said, ‘I know’. I said, ‘No, not that role, main Munna Bhai.’ He said, ‘Okay if you say so, I’ll do it’. He never reads a script…”
But the fascinating part is that this would lead to a collaboration that would become a dream team. Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and Sanjay Dut, who then worked on Lage Raho Munna Bhai and even in PK, eventually made a biopic about Sanjay’s life.
What Was Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Most Recent Project?
Chopra’s last project was the award-winning 12th Fail, where he served as the writer, director and producer. He then produced Zero Se Restart in 2024, which is a documentary about the making of 12th Fail.
What Next For Sanjay Dutt?
After his recent appearance in The Bhootnii and Housefull 5, Dutt has a major lineup in his cards. He is set to appear in Baaghi 4 and KD: The Devil next followed by Dhurandhar and The Raja Saab. The actor is also reported to star in Akhanda 2, Sheram Di Kaum Punjab and Baap.