Mumbai: Rajkumar Hirani's 'Sanju', the much awaited biopic on the life of Bollywood hunk Sanjay Dutt, has got off to a flying start across India with 80 to 90 per cent collection witnessed in the first couple of shows, trade sources said on Friday.
The film has also garnered effusive praise from trade analysts, who have come out with effusive praise for Ranbir's performance as Sanju, the direction of Rajkumar Hirani and the peformances by the main cast.
''And so..... Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi, Fox Star Studios Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal & Vicky Kaushal's Sanju is off to an absolutely flying start. Morning shows phenomenal at most places.... 80 per cent, 85 per cent, even 90 per cent collections in first show!Outstanding,''trade expert Komal Nahata said.
Trade experts heaped accolades on the film and Ranbir Kapoor for his outstanding act as Sanjay Dutt.
Talking about the film trade expert Taran Adarsh said, ''Ranbir Kapoor... One actor... Multiple lives... Numerous awards... Ranbir's act in #Sanju will win him accolades, admiration and awards... Deserves brownie points for getting into the skin of the character and living the part earnestly... A knockout, 10 on 10 performance.''
He also praised the performances by the cast of the film, that featured Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Vicky Kaushal and Anushka Sharma.
''Ensemble cast shine in their respective parts... Paresh Rawal [terrific], Vicky Kaushal [outstanding], Anushka Sharma [good], Jim Sarbh [effective], Dia Mirza [admirable], Manisha Koirala [wonderful] stand out... #Sanju is plot-driven, songs fit beautifully in the narrative,'' he said.
In his critique of the film trade experts Komal Nahata said, ''The screenplay, penned by the duo, is riveting and keeps the viewers hooked on to the drama all through. The best part about the screenplay is that it concentrates on the bonding between father and son and between two close friends. There are absolutely landmark scenes which leave the audience stunned and shake.
There are some fabulous light moments and scenes which would gladden the heart. Dialogues, penned by Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani, are gems. They are real, they are weighty, they are terrific. ''He also prased the performance by Ranbir Kapoor.
''Ranbir Kapoor lives the role of Sanjay Dutt. He gets the mannerisms of the real-life character right, the prosthetics and make-up make him look like Sanjay Dutt, and his acting is outstanding. An award-winning performance indeed by Ranbir Kapoo,'' Nahata said.
Predictig 'Sanju as a 'potential blockbuster', Nahata said, ''On the whole, Sanju is a definite blockbuster. It will work wonders for Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal in particular. It will also boost the image of Sanjay Dutt in the public eye, which will help in Dutt's future career. It can easily cross the Rs 250-crore mark in India. It shouldn't be a surprise if it even joins the 300-crore club, making it one of the biggest blockbusters of Hindi cinema!! ''
Trade sources said that the occupancy rates for 'Sanju' on the opening day have ranged from 55 per cent to as high as 85 per cent. They have predicted that the film could earn as much as Rs 30 cr on its opening day on Friday.
Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and written by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi, 'Sanju' has been jointly produced by Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra under the banners Rajkumar Hirani Films and Vinod Chopra Films respectively.
The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Indian actor Sanjay Dutt, and the story follows through various stages of Dutt's life. The film features an ensemble cast with Manisha Koirala, Paresh Rawal, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Jim Sarbh and Anushka Sharma playing pivotal roles.
The film's soundtrack was composed by Rohan-Rohan and Vikram Montrose with AR Rahman as a guest composer. Fox Star Studios acquired the distribution rights of the film.(UNI)
