Director Rajkumar Hirani to leave for the United States, where Sanjay Dutt's first wife hailed from, and Nargis Dutt spent her last days
MID-DAY (November 18, 2016)

The Rajkumar Hirani-directed Sanjay Dutt biopic is on track. The filmmaker is leaving for the US for location hunting. A large chunk of the film is slated to be shot in New York, since the actor spent a fair bit of time there. His first wife, late Richa Sharma, belonged to a family of Indian-Americans. Their daughter Trishala continues to be based there.

Hirani is expected to visit spots and neighbourhoods that Sanjay frequented with Richa. Sanjay’s mother, late actress Nargis Dutt, fought a battle with cancer and spent time at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Her ill-health had pushed him into the darkest phase of his life, leaving him grappling with drug addiction. Sanjay was in a New York rehab for two years to overcome the dependency. Says a source, “Hirani will also be meeting members of the Sharma [Richa] family.”

The film, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, is said to roll early next year.