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Upala KBR (DNA; August 3, 2016)

Enlarge ImageSanjay Dutt plays a loud Punjabi man in his next, directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. The film. while yet untitled, is a remake of the Marathi film De Dhakka and is about a dysfunctional family going on a road trip. Dutt plays the head of the family that starts bonding while on the trip.

Mahesh, who has directed films in Hindi, Marathi and Bengali, considers De Dhakka to be his best screenplay. He says, “It’s a mix of all genres. The comedy is situational and yet emotional, there’s an element of thrill in it and it is about the triumph of the underdog — all in one narrative.”

And it’s the perfect role for Dutt, says the director. He adds, “I wanted to approach him with a role that’s right for him vis-a-vis his personality, age, etc. Sanju has exceptional comic timing without resorting to buffoonery. He can fit into any role but the director has to know what to get out of him.”

When asked why it took him so long to direct a Hindi film after his last Hindi-Marathi bilingual City Of Gold (2010), Mahesh says, “I was waiting for the right subject to come along. I got plenty of offers to direct a Hindi film, I didn’t accept them as I felt uncomfortable directing someone else’s story. I write my own stories and prefer to direct them as well. I can’t see it the way another writer sees it.”