Book Review Sanjay Dutt The Crazy Untold Story Of Bollywood's Bad Boy

- Anish Mohanty           Let us know what you think about this article

In recent times, I have read biographies and autobiographies of film personalities like Rajesh Khanna, Rishi Kapoor and Karan Johar. What made those books interesting was the fact that most of the stuff written in them was not known to the general public. A book written by or on a celebrity does not have to be controversial but it has to give us a glimpse of certain incidents or moments from his life that one is aware of. Sanjay Dutt has been one of the most controversial figures in Bollywood. Even someone who is not an avid film buff would have a fair idea about the kind of life he has led and the kind of things he has gone through. Apart from discussing the intricate details about the major controversies in the actor's life, one would have expected author Yasser Usman to write about a few lesser known events to bring some novelty to the book. For instance, Usman could have thrown some light on the fallout between Sanjay Dutt and his erstwhile business partner and best friend Sanjay Gupta.

Apart from some quotes from a handful of old interviews, Usman heavily borrows information from the interviews Dutt has done very recently. In fact, the conversation between Dutt and the interviewer in these interviews contribute heavily towards the content in the book. He manages to get a few people on board to speak about their relationship with and impression of Dutt. Mahesh's statements have been used sporadically and he picks up bits and pieces from old interviews where industry folks talk have talked about him. The excerpts of a joint interview between Sanjay's then girlfriend Rati Agnihotri and him is quite interesting.

The book comprises of 200 odd pages and seems more of a chronicle of the most controversial events in Dutt's life than a biography which would tap into the different facets of the actor and his life. The author should have delved deeper into Sanjay's life and brought to the fore several other incidents and events that have shaped up one of Bollywood's most controversial stars. Dutt is reportedly planning to take legal action against the book and Usman as he believes a lot of things written in the book are based on hearsay and excerpts from unverified or unconfirmed news sources. He also stated on social media that his official autobiography will be out soon. One definitely looks forward to that as this 'unauthorized' biography leaves a lot to be desired.

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