Since Hirani has worked with Dutt in Munna Bhai series, many were of the opinion that he might whitewash Dutt's image with the biopic.
But in an exclusive interview to India Today Television's Sushant Mehta, Hirani and Sanju producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra spoke at length about how Sanju is not a propaganda film.
"If you look at the promo, Sanju has clearly said that he kept a gun, he did drugs and he talked about having so many girlfriends. In the journey of making this film, we were constantly asked why are we making this film. Will it be a propaganda film? This was constantly thrown at us. So the teaser was an effort to say that it is not," Hirani told us.
"There is no reason for us to make a propaganda film. You don't spend three years of your life doing something and destroying your career in the process," added the filmmaker.
Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who has once again collaborated with Hirani for a film, added, "He (Hirani) is probably the most successful and able director in India. Why would we make a film where we lose our credibility, that we have built over the years? We won't sell ourselves."
For Sanju, Ranbir Kapoor has stepped into the shoes of Sanjay Dutt. The film, which also stars Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Paresh Rawal and Manisha Koirala, is set to hit the screens on June 29.