Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 5, 2017)

All eyes are on Sanjay Dutt as he makes a comeback with Bhoomi. Knowing that the Omung Kumar- directed film marks the beginning of a new chapter in the actor’s life, producers Bhushan Kumar and Sandeep Singh deemed it fit that the trailer be launched by Dutt’s closest friend, Rajkumar Hirani.

The actor’s friendship with Hirani goes back a long way — it was the director’s famed Munnabhai series that resurrected Dutt’s career. Speaking to mid-day, Singh said, “Raju sir will be present at the launch. After all, he gave Baba a new image with Munnabhai.”

Besides Hirani, Dutt’s long-standing friend Vidhu Vinod Chopra too will be present. “Vidhu sir has been Baba’s aide for many years now. Baba was originally going to make a comeback with his sister Shelly Chopra’s film, Marco Bhau, but that didn’t work out. Ever since the conception stage, we’ve kept Vidhu sir involved.”

Singh explains that the producer-director duo even changed their plans to ensure that they were by Dutt’s side on his big day. “Raju sir and Vidhu sir were supposed to be in the US for the reccee of Dutt biopic, but, they delayed it to make it for the trailer launch on August 10.”

Chopra hopes Dutt’s comeback is spectacular. “Before we started filming, Vidhu sir called me and said, ‘Take care of Sanju.’ He feels Sanju sir is a superstar and that his comeback film should bring him back with a bang.”