Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; January 26, 2017)

Sanjay Dutt will soon start shooting for his comeback film, Bhoomi, but before leaving for the first schedule in Agra, he took stock of another important project — his biopic starring Ranbir Kapoor which rolled on January 14, after much delay. As key sequences were being shot at Madh Island earlier this week, Dutt dropped in on the set, taking the cast and crew by surprise.

A unit hand informs, “No one knew that Dutt would come to the sets. It was a surprise for all. He saw the rushes of the film and really liked the way it’s shaping up. Ranbir shot a few scenes in his presence, and was constantly seeking the senior actor’s approval.”

The insider says a shot on Sanjay’s filmi career was being canned that day and RK was keen to know if his demeanour and, especially, gait was convincing enough. “Ranbir didn’t leave Dutt’s side even for a minute. Since Hirani was busy giving takes, he wasn’t able to spend much time with Dutt, but he made up for it by sitting down for a leisurely lunch with him, Ranbir and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra.”