For me, it was like a fan trying to play his icon: Ranbir on Dutt biopic

Ranbir Kapoor says the fanboy in him was scared to play his icon on screen in Sanjay Dutt's biopic "Sanju" but he could not let go of the opportunity as it was a screenplay that was "sent from heaven".

The actor said it was not an "acting gig" for him but something personal as it gave him the opportunity to be a part of the story of someone he admires.

"I was always a Sanjay Dutt fan. So for me, it was like a fan trying to play his icon on-screen. The hardest thing was to give confidence to myself that I can play this man... I did not have the confidence, the courage, understanding or the acting chops to do it," Ranbir told reporters at the teaser launch of the film here.

The actor said he had known Dutt as a family friend and even though the "Vaastav" star seemed like a familiar person, he was shocked to know some of the details about his life when director Rajkumar Hirani narrated the script.

"The whole script shocked me. I knew a different Sanjay Dutt. I have known him as a family friend. He has always treated me like a younger brother and I have also been his fan... But when I read about his life, it was shocking to me.

"His whole drug phase, the passing away of his mother two-three days before the premiere of his film, the controversy with terrorism, guns, his relationship with his father, best friend, the women in his life... all this was shocking to me. I was like how can one man live so many lives in one life. I am 35-year-old today but by the time he was 18, he had lived five times the life. It was a screenplay that was sent from heaven," Ranbir said.

The actor credited his director and scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi for helping him in capturing the finer nuances of the character.

"He (Dutt) is a very flawed person but a very good person. And to tell his story and be him was quite incredible. I have observed him all my life. I try to do this for every film. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have a character that is so relevant. He is a pop icon..."
"When you do make up, put on costumes, that is the easy part. Looking like someone is not a big deal. But to understand the character, the soul and where he came from was a little hard initially. Vulnerability is something either you have or you don't. (But) as an actor you have to express it."