There are very few actors in Bollywood, who put their heart and soul into playing a character and nailing the role with near perfection. Paresh Rawal is one such name who can turn any role into an exceptional one with his Midas touch. While his portrayal of the eccentric yet lovable Baburao Ganpatrao Apte from ‘Hera Pheri’ will always be our favourite, it is his performance in an upcoming film that is creating quite a buzz at the moment.
Rawal will be seen playing the legendary Sunil Dutt in ‘Sanju’. Being called as one of the most awaited films of the year, Sanjay Dutt’s biopic is a story that millions are waiting to watch with bated breath.
The trailer has already left everyone impressed with Ranbir Kapoor’s brilliant portrayal of Sanjay Dutt. Keeping the vibe alive, Rawal recently, shared a story related to the movie that has left an imprint on our minds.
Well, maybe destiny did have plans for Rawal or maybe Dutt Sahab always wanted him to play his character, if such a moment ever came. Talking about what happened when he was offered the role, he said it was no less than a divine intervention. Playing Dutt Sahab’s role is no walk in the park. The Bollywood great has a left a legacy behind and Rawal has huge shoes to fill.
(C) Fox Star India
Talking about the important moment, Rawal told a leading daily, “On May 25, 2005, I was shooting for a movie and I called up home to say that I will be late. And during the shooting, we got to know that Dutt Sahab (Sunil Dutt) has passed away, so I called up my wife and said I will come a bit late because Dutt Sahab has passed away and I am going to his house. She then told me that there is a letter for you from him (Sunil Dutt). I asked her what the letter was and she said it is for wishing you a happy birthday. I told her that my birthday is on May 30, which is five days away but she said the letter is for you and she even read it to me. I was so surprised. Why would Dutt Sahab send me a birthday letter five days before my birthday? And we have never exchanged any holiday greetings in the past – be it Diwali or Christmas – so why would he write to me?”
(c) Fox Star India
Stunned? So are we! But Sahab always had a way of amazing people. Rawal, who was also surprised at the time, further shared, “On January 3, 2017, I asked my wife to take out a couple of my documents as I was going to meet Rajkumar Hirani. I told her I will pick up those documents when I come back. When I was sitting with Rajkumar Hirani, my wife called me and said that along with the documents, that letter from Sunil Dutt Sahab was also there. She asked me what I wanted to do about it. And I was stunned as I was narrated the part of Sunil Dutt for the movie.”
(c) Twitter
Some things and some moments are precious to us and we often preserve them in whatever way possible. Rawal did something similar. “See, usually you don’t keep birthday cards for 12 years, you discard them. You forget about them, but that letter was there with all my important documents and it was again found on the same day Rajkumar Hirani narrated the ‘Sanju’ role to me. It is like a divine intervention. I showed that letter to Rajkumar Hirani later,” he added.
(c) Fox Star India
Not many know this but Rawal and Sunil Dutt have worked together in Rajkumar Kohli’s ‘Virodhi’, even though they never shared any screen time together.
After hearing this story, it feels like Rawal was meant to play this role and honestly, after getting a glimpse of his performance in the trailer, we couldn’t agree more.
(c) Fox Star India
Directed by Rajkumar Hirani the movie also stars Sonam Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Vicky Kaushal, Manisha Koirala and Boman Irani and will hit the screens on June 29, 2018.