Sanjay Dutt is one of the best actors in Hindi cinema. In his long career he has played a vast array of roles and has excelled in every one. He has played the nice guy, the character and he the bad guy. In fact, Mr. Duty has delivered some of the most epic villains on screen. And, in Shamshera, he is back to give us one of the most evil, menacing, merciless, cold-hearted villains to take over the scene. Sanjay plays Shuddh Singh, Ranbir Kapoor’s nemesis in this action entertainer and his showdown with Ranbir will be something to watch out for as they will ferociously go after each other with no mercy.
About his character Sanjay Dutt said, “Shudh Singh is a character that you have never seen on screen. He is just pure evil. He is menacing, he is untrustworthy, and he will go to any length to wreak havoc. I loved the fact that Karan Malhotra created a villain like this, and he thought of me to play this role.” Adding, “I love playing the villain, and Karan Malhotra loves to give me characters like these. I guess people love to see me as a villain on-screen, and I’m happy that all the films in which I have played a villain have been loved. I wish the same for Shamshera because Karan, Ranbir and the entire team have worked really hard on the film.”
Here’s the thing though, not many know that Sanjay Dutt shot the film playing this challenging character while battling cancer.
Director of Shamshera, Karan Malhotra, reveals that the actor silently braved this without letting anyone know how tough it was for him, “The news that Sanjay sir had been diagnosed with cancer came to all of us like a huge shock. We had no idea about it. He was talking, behaving and working like nothing has happened. I guess that’s why he is where he is today, having conquered this too. Sanjay sir doesn’t let anything get the better of him. He is an inspiration on the sets for everyone.”
The film-maker adds, “Having given so many years of his life to his craft, Sanjay sir leads from the front and his demeanour shows us all how to conduct ourselves on the set. He went about shooting Shamshera with the attitude that there is nothing he can’t conquer. He never mentioned what he was going through personally. He kept the mood on the set light.”
Karan calls Sanjay Dutt a superman for battling cancer and winning over it. He says, “It is exemplary how he silently showed us that we too can face life’s adversities with a smile on our faces. To me, Sanjay sir is a superman and there is no one like him. I’m indebted for his support towards Shamshera. He is a constant guide and a mentor to me.”
The high-octane, adrenaline-pumping entertainer, is set to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on July 22nd.
