This is the real life person whose role Vicky Kaushal played in Sanju

Vicky Kaushal is receiving praise for his role of Kamlesh Kanhaiyalal Kapasi in Sanju. Here’s the real-life person his character is based on.

Sanju, a biopic on controversial Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, is out in theatres now and making a killing at the box office. The film has brought Sanjay’s life back in the public eye and everybody is talking about the characters shown in the film.

Vicky Kaushal and Ranbir Kapoor in a still from Sanju.

One such character is of Kamlesh Kanhaiyalal Kapasi, played by Vicky Kaushal in Sanju.

In an earlier interview with the Indian Express, Vicky had said that his character in the film is not based on one person but it’s a mixture of 4-5 people. He said, “The character is an amalgamation of three or four of Sanjay Dutt’s closest friends in real life but primarily the character is based on Paresh Ghelani who is based in the US. He lives and works there.”

Watch: Sanju movie review

In the film, Paresh has been shown as Sanjay’s pillar of strength during tough times. He was very instrumental in getting Sanjay back from the clutches of drug addiction. His relationship with Sanjay strained after the US administration started probing his links to the terror activities Sanjay was allegedly linked with.

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, Sanju has a band of actors including the likes of Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Dia Mirza and Paresh Rawal.