Sanjay Dutt has recently been diagnosed with cancer. He took to social media to announce that he is taking a break from films because of his medical treatment. He had written, “Hi friends, I am taking a short break from work for medical treatment. My family and friends are with me and I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon (sic)"
Dutt has been actively working on projects for quite some time. While the Mahesh Bhatt directorial Sadak 2 is all set to premiere on Disney+Hotstar on 28 August, there are two other Sanjay Dutt-starrers waiting to release. Not just these, three other films also have Sanjay Dutt in pivotal roles. As prayers are pouring in every day for Dutt's speedy recovery, The Quint looks at where the actor's projects stand.
Ongoing Projects
Sanjay Dutt makes his Kannada film debut with KGF Chapter 2. The Quint got in touch with the producer of the film, Karthik Gowda, who said that Dutt has only two to three days of shoot left. He said, “We have at the max around two and a half days of shoot and dubbing left with Sanjay Dutt. I think it’s manageable since we have completed 99% of the shoot.”
Earlier, an October 2020 release was announced for the film, but because of the pandemic the release date has been pushed. A new date is yet to be announced.
“We have around 25 days of shoot left, so it’s impossible to release in October. We are resuming shoot from 20 August, but we will decide on a release date only after theaters open”, adds Gowda.
The Yash Raj Films film that has already been facing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic is Prithviraj. With news of Sanjay Dutt's ailment, the shooting will further be pushed. Prithviraj is touted to be a historical action drama, starring Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chillar. Not much is known about Sanjay Dutt’s character though. According to reports, over 60 per cent of the film is yet to be shot. The estimated budget is Rs 300 crore.
The other YRF film that has pinned high hopes on Sanjay Dutt is Shamshera. He plays an antagonist as Ranbir Kapoor will be seen essaying the role of the protagonist. This dacoit drama has around five to six days of shoot pending. YRF was planning to wrap the film in August, but now it looks like that they have to wait for Dutt to fully recover and get back on the sets. The budget of Shamshera is estimated to be Rs 140 crore.
Film Shoots Completed
Sanjay Dutt has completed shooting for Sadak 2, Bhuj: The Pride of India and Torbaaz. While Sadak 2 has a release date, the other two films are yet to decide. All three will be releasing on OTT platforms.
Sadak 2, also starring Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Pooja Bhatt, will premiere on Disney+Hotstar on 28 August. Produced by Mukesh Bhatt and directed by Mahesh Bhatt, the film has been made on a budget of Rs 40 crores approximately.
Bhuj: The Pride of India, starring Ajay Devgn in the lead, also has Sanjay Dutt in a pivotal role. All we know about his character is that he plays a man called Ranchordas Svabhai Ravari. The film, set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, will be streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
Sanjay Dutt will be seen playing the lead role in Torbaaz, also starring Nargis Fakhri. Revolving around child suicide bombers in Afghanistan, Dutt plays a doctor in the film. Torbaaz was shot in different locations. Most of it was shot in Kyrgyzstan and according to sources the budget of the film is not more than Rs 25 crores. The film will be streaming on Netflix.
With six films in his kitty, Sanjay Dutt has over Rs 700 crores riding on him. For now everyone is praying for Dutt’s health and giving strength to his family to overcome the tough phase. We, too, wish him a speedy recovery.
(With inputs from India Today)
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