Jackie Shroff to play Sunil Dutt in Sanjay Dutt biopic

Jackie Shroff, Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt

Jackie Shroff, Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt

Two months ago, hitlist had reported about Aamir Khan turning down the role of late actor-politician Sunil Dutt in the Sanjay Dutt biopic, despite there being reports of initial interest.

Now, we can confirm that it's most likely to be essayed by Jackie Shroff, who has gone though a look test for the Rajkumar Hirani film that stars Ranbir Kapoor.

Confirming the development, Jackie says, "It has been ages since I auditioned and did a look test for a film, so this feels good. Vidhu [Vinod Chopra, producer] is a dear friend and he asked me [to give it a shot]."

The biopic is scheduled to go on floors in January 2017. While the actor says he hasn't signed the dotted line, he has already begun preparing for the role.

"It is obvious that I can't look like Dutt saab, but I am watching a few old videos and films to learn his mannerisms, especially the way he moved his hands while talking to people, and emulate his sly smile. He was a strong but shy man. It is going to be one of my toughest roles ever. But all of that after I get picked for the part," he says with a wink.

Jackie says Hirani loved his daddy performances in Aurangzeb, Dhoom 3 (both 2013), Brothers (2015) and Housefull 3. "He doesn't want a caricature; he just wants me to be natural with Dutt saab's demeanour incorporated into my act."

The actor adds he has Sanjay's approval. "Raju [Hirani] sent a photograph taken during the look test, and Sanju loved it. When we met recently, he gave me a thumbs-up and said, 'fantastic'. His approval gives me the jitters; I have to play the role convincingly."