title: Stegosaurus

text: Most of the information known about "Stegosaurus" comes from the remains of mature animals; more recently, though, juvenile remains of "Stegosaurus" have been found. One subadult specimen, discovered in 1994 in Wyoming, is long and high, and is estimated to have weighed 1.5-2.2 metric tons (1.6-2.4 short tons) while alive. It is on display in the University of Wyoming Geological Museum.


title: Stegosaurus

text: The long and narrow skull was small in proportion to the body. It had a small antorbital fenestra, the hole between the nose and eye common to most archosaurs, including modern birds, though lost in extant crocodylians. The skull's low position suggests that "Stegosaurus" may have been a browser of low-growing vegetation. This interpretation is supported by the absence of front teeth and their likely replacement by a horny beak or rhamphotheca. The lower jaw had flat downward and upward extensions that would have completely hidden the teeth when viewed from the side, and these probably supported a turtle-like beak in life. The presence of a beak extended along much of the jaws may have precluded the presence of cheeks in these species. Such an extensive beak was probably unique to "Stegosaurus" and some other advanced stegosaurids among ornithischians, which usually had beaks restricted to the jaw tips. Other researchers have interpreted these ridges as modified versions of similar structures in other ornithischians which might have supported fleshy cheeks, rather than beaks. Stegosaurian teeth were small, triangular, and flat; wear facets show that they did grind their food.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Despite the animal's overall size, the braincase of "Stegosaurus" was small, being no larger than that of a dog. A well-preserved "Stegosaurus" braincase allowed Othniel Charles Marsh to obtain, in the 1880s, a cast of the brain cavity or endocast of the animal, which gave an indication of the brain size. The endocast showed the brain was indeed very small, the smallest proportionally of all dinosaur endocasts then known. The fact that an animal weighing over 4.5 metric tons (5 short tons) could have a brain of no more than contributed to the popular old idea that all dinosaurs were unintelligent, an idea now largely rejected. Actual brain anatomy in "Stegosaurus" is poorly known, but the brain itself was small even for a dinosaur.


title: Stegosaurus

text: In "Stegosaurus stenops" there are 27 bones in the vertebral column anterior to the sacrum, a varying number of vertebrae in the sacrum, with four in most subadults, and around 46 caudal (tail) vertebrae. The presacrals are divided into cervical (neck) and dorsal (back) vertebrae, with around 10 cervicals and 17 dorsals, the total number being one greater than in "Hesperosaurus", two greater than "Huayangosaurus", although "Miragaia" preserves 17 cervicals and an unknown number of dorsals. The first cervical vertebra is the axis bone, which is connected and often fused to the atlas bone. Farther posteriorly, the proportionately larger the cervicals become, although they do not change greatly in anything other than size. Past the first few dorsals, the centrum of the bones become more elongate front-to-back, and the transverse processes become more elevated dorsal. The sacrum of "S. stenops" includes four sacral vertebrae, but one of the dorsals is also incorporated into the structure. In some specimens of "S. stenops", a caudal is also incorporated, as a caudosacral. In "Hesperosaurus" there are two dorsosacrals, and only four fused sacrals, but in "Kentrosaurus" there may be as many as seven vertebrae in the sacrum, with both dorsosacrals and caudosacrals. "S. stenops" preserves 46 caudal vertebrae, and up to 49, and along the series both the centrums and the neural spines become smaller, until the neural spines disappear at caudal 35. Around the middle of the tail, the neural spines become bifurcated, meaning they are divided near the top.


title: Stegosaurus

text: With multiple well-preserved skeletons, "S. stenops" preserves all regions of the body, including the limbs. The scapula (shoulder blade) is sub-rectangular, with a robust blade. Though it is not always perfectly preserved, the acromion ridge is slightly larger than in "Kentrosaurus". The blade is relatively straight, although it curves towards the back. There is a small bump on the back of the blade, that would have served as the base of the "triceps" muscle. Articulated with the scapula, the coracoid is sub-circular. The hind feet each had three short toes, while each fore foot had five toes; only the inner two toes had a blunt hoof. The phalangeal formula is 2-2-2-2-1, meaning the innermost finger of the fore limb has two bones, the next has two, etc. All four limbs were supported by pads behind the toes. The fore limbs were much shorter than the stocky hind limbs, which resulted in an unusual posture. The tail appears to have been held well clear of the ground, while the head of "Stegosaurus" was positioned relatively low down, probably no higher than above the ground.


title: Stegosaurus

text: The most recognizable features of "Stegosaurus" are its dermal plates, which consisted of between 17 and 22 separate plates and flat spines. These were highly modified osteoderms (bony-cored scales), similar to those seen in crocodiles and many lizards today. They were not directly attached to the animal's skeleton, instead arising from the skin. The largest plates were found over the hips and could measure over wide and tall.


title: Stegosaurus

text: In a 2010 review of "Stegosaurus" species, Peter Galton suggested that the arrangement of the plates on the back may have varied between species, and that the pattern of plates as viewed in profile may have been important for species recognition. Galton noted that the plates in "S. stenops" have been found articulated in two staggered rows, rather than paired. Fewer "S. ungulatus" plates have been found, and none articulated, making the arrangement in this species more difficult to determine. However, the type specimen of "S. ungulatus" preserves two flattened spine-like plates from the tail that are nearly identical in shape and size, but are mirror images of each other, suggesting that at least these were arranged in pairs. Many of the plates are manifestly chiral and no two plates of the same size and shape have been found for an individual; however plates have been correlated between individuals. Well preserved integumentary impressions of the plates of "Hesperosaurus" show a smooth surface with long and parallel, shallow grooves. This indicates that the plates were covered in keratinous sheaths.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Like the spikes and shields of ankylosaurs, the bony plates and spines of stegosaurians evolved from the low-keeled osteoderms characteristic of basal thyreophorans. Galton (2019) interpreted plates of an armored dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic (Sinemurian-Pliensbachian) Lower Kota Formation of India as fossils of a member of Ankylosauria; the author argued that this finding indicates a probable early Early Jurassic origin for both Ankylosauria and its sister group Stegosauria.


title: Stegosaurus

text: The vast majority of stegosaurian dinosaurs thus far recovered belong to the Stegosauridae, which lived in the later part of the Jurassic and early Cretaceous, and which were defined by Paul Sereno as all stegosaurians more closely related to "Stegosaurus" than to "Huayangosaurus". This group is widespread, with members across the Northern Hemisphere, Africa and possibly South America.


title: Stegosaurus

text: "Stegosaurus" frequently is discovered in its own clade in Stegosauridae called Stegosauridae, usually including the taxa "Wuerhosaurus" and "Loricatosaurus", though "Hesperosaurus" is sometimes found in the group. in 2017, Raven and Maidment published a new phylogenetic analysis, including almost every known stegosaurian genus:


title: Stegosaurus

text: Many of the species initially described have since been considered to be invalid or synonymous with earlier named species, leaving two well-known and one poorly known species. Confirmed "Stegosaurus" remains have been found in the Morrison Formation's stratigraphic zones 2–6, with additional remains possibly referrable to "Stegosaurus" recovered from stratigraphic zone 1.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Susannah Maidment and colleagues in 2008 proposed extensive alterations to the taxonomy of "Stegosaurus". They advocated synonymizing "S. stenops" and "S. ungulatus" with "S. armatus", and sinking "Hesperosaurus" and "Wuerhosaurus" into "Stegosaurus", with their type species becoming "Stegosaurus mjosi" and "Stegosaurus homheni", respectively. They regarded "S. longispinus" as dubious. Thus, their conception of "Stegosaurus" would include three valid species ("S. armatus", "S. homheni", and "S. mjosi") and would range from the Late Jurassic of North America and Europe to the Early Cretaceous of Asia. However, this classification scheme was not followed by other researchers, and a 2017 cladistic analysis co-authored by Maidment with Thomas Raven rejects the synonymy of "Hesperosaurus" with "Stegosaurus". In 2015, Maidment "et al." revised their suggestion due to the recognition by Galton of "S. armatus" as a "nomen dubium" and its replacement by "S. stenops" as type species.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Soon after its discovery, Marsh considered "Stegosaurus" to have been bipedal, due to its short forelimbs. He had changed his mind, however, by 1891, after considering the heavy build of the animal.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Although "Stegosaurus" is undoubtedly now considered to have been quadrupedal, some discussion has occurred over whether it could have reared up on its hind legs, using its tail to form a tripod with its hind limbs, to browse for higher foliage. This has been proposed by Bakker and opposed by Carpenter. A study by Mallison (2010) found support for a rearing up posture in "Kentrosaurus", though not for ability for the tail to act as a tripod.


title: Stegosaurus

text: "Stegosaurus" had short fore limbs in relation to its hind limbs. Furthermore, within the hind limbs, the lower section (comprising the tibia and fibula) was short compared with the femur. This suggests it could not walk very fast, as the stride of the back legs at speed would have overtaken the front legs, giving a maximum speed of . Tracks discovered by Matthew Mossbrucker (Morrison Natural History Museum, Colorado) suggest that "Stegosaurus" lived and traveled in multiple-age herds. One group of tracks is interpreted as showing four or five baby stegosaurs moving in the same direction, while another has a juvenile stegosaur track with an adult track overprinting it.


title: Stegosaurus

text: As the plates would have been obstacles during copulation, it is possible the female stegosaur laid on her side as the male entered her from above and behind. Another suggestion is that the female would stand on all fours but squat down the fore limbs and raise the tail up and out of the male's way as he supports his fore limbs on her hips. However, their reproductive organs still could not touch as there is no evidence of muscle attachments for a mobile penis nor a baculum in male dinosaurs.


title: Stegosaurus

text: The function of "Stegosaurus"' plates has been much debated. Marsh suggested that they functioned as some form of armor, though Davitashvili (1961) disputed this, claiming that they were too fragile and ill-placed for defensive purposes, leaving the animal's sides unprotected. Nevertheless, others have continued to support a defensive function. Bakker suggested in 1986 that the plates were covered in horn comparing the surface of the fossilized plates to the bony cores of horns in other animals known or thought to bear horns. Christiansen and Tschopp (2010), having studied a well-preserved specimen of "Hesperosaurus" with skin impressions, concluded that the plates were covered in a keratin sheath which would have strengthened the plate as a whole and provided it with sharp cutting edges. Bakker stated that "Stegosaurus" could flip its osteoderms from one side to another to present a predator with an array of spikes and blades that would impede it from closing sufficiently to attack the "Stegosaurus" effectively. He contends that they had insufficient width for them to stand erect easily in such a manner as to be useful in display without continuous muscular effort. Mobility of the plates, however, has been disputed by other paleontologists.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Another possible function of the plates is they may have helped to control the body temperature of the animal, in a similar way to the sails of the pelycosaurs "Dimetrodon" and "Edaphosaurus" (and modern elephant and rabbit ears). The plates had blood vessels running through grooves and air flowing around the plates would have cooled the blood. Buffrénil, et al. (1986) found "extreme vascularization of the outer layer of bone", which was seen as evidence that the plates "acted as thermoregulatory devices". Likewise, 2010 structural comparisons of "Stegosaurus" plates to "Alligator" osteoderms seem to support the conclusion that the potential for a thermoregulatory role in the plates of "Stegosaurus" definitely exists.


title: Stegosaurus

text: The thermoregulation hypothesis has been seriously questioned, since other stegosaurs such as "Kentrosaurus", had more low surface area spikes than plates, implying that cooling was not important enough to require specialized structural formations such as plates. However, it has also been suggested that the plates could have helped the animal increase heat absorption from the sun. Since a cooling trend occurred towards the end of the Jurassic, a large ectothermic reptile might have used the increased surface area afforded by the plates to absorb radiation from the sun. Christiansen and Tschopp (2010) state that the presence of a smooth, insulating keratin covering would have hampered thermoregulation, but such a function cannot be entirely ruled out as extant cattle and ducks use horns and beaks to dump excess heat despite the keratin covering. Histological surveys of plate microstructure attributed the vascularization to the need to transport nutrients for rapid plate growth.


title: Stegosaurus

text: The vascular system of the plates have been theorized to have played a role in threat displaying as "Stegosaurus" could have pumped blood into them, causing them to "blush" and give a colorful, red warning. However, Christiansen and Tschopp (2010) consider this unlikely, as stegosaur plates were covered in horn rather than skin. The plates' large size suggests that they may have served to increase the apparent height of the animal, either to intimidate enemies or to impress other members of the same species in some form of sexual display. A 2015 study of the shapes and sizes of "Hesperosaurus" plates suggested that they were sexually dimorphic, with wide plates belonging to males and taller plates belonging to females. Christiansen and Tschopp (2010) proposed that the display function would have been reinforced by the horny sheath which would have increased the visible surface and such horn structures are often brightly colored. Some have suggested that plates in stegosaurs were used to allow individuals to identify members of their species. The use of exaggerated structures in dinosaurs as species identification has been questioned, as no such function exists in modern species.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Debate has been going on about whether the tail spikes were used for display only, as posited by Gilmore in 1914 or used as a weapon. Robert Bakker noted the tail was likely to have been much more flexible than that of other dinosaurs, as it lacked ossified tendons, thus lending credence to the idea of the tail as a weapon. However, as Carpenter has noted, the plates overlap so many tail vertebrae, movement would be limited. Bakker also observed that "Stegosaurus" could have maneuvered its rear easily, by keeping its large hind limbs stationary and pushing off with its very powerfully muscled but short forelimbs, allowing it to swivel deftly to deal with attack. More recently, a study of the tail spikes by McWhinney "et al.", which showed a high incidence of trauma-related damage, lends more weight to the position that the spikes were indeed used in combat. This study showed that 9.8% of "Stegosaurus" specimens examined had injuries to their tail spikes. Additional support for this idea was a punctured tail vertebra of an "Allosaurus" into which a tail spike fits perfectly.


title: Stegosaurus

text: "S. stenops" had four dermal spikes, each about long. Discoveries of articulated stegosaur armor show, at least in some species, these spikes protruded horizontally from the tail, not vertically as is often depicted. Initially, Marsh described "S. ungulatus" as having eight spikes in its tail, unlike "S. stenops". However, recent research re-examined this and concluded this species also had four.


title: Stegosaurus

text: At one time, stegosaurs were described as having a "second brain" in their hips. Soon after describing "Stegosaurus", Marsh noted a large canal in the hip region of the spinal cord, which could have accommodated a structure up to 20 times larger than the famously small brain. This has led to the influential idea that dinosaurs like "Stegosaurus" had a "second brain" in the tail, which may have been responsible for controlling reflexes in the rear portion of the body. This "brain" was proposed to have given a "Stegosaurus" a temporary boost when it was under threat from predators.


title: Stegosaurus

text: This space, however, is more likely to have served other purposes. The sacro-lumbar expansion is not unique to stegosaurs, nor even ornithischians. It is also present in birds. In their case, it contains what is called the glycogen body, a structure whose function is not definitely known, but which is postulated to facilitate the supply of glycogen to the animal's nervous system. It also may function as a balance organ, or reservoir of compounds to support the nervous system.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Juveniles of "Stegosaurus" have been preserved, probably showing the growth of the genus. The two juveniles are both relatively small, with the smaller individual being long, and the larger having a length of . The specimens can be identified as not mature because they lack the fusion of the scapula and coracoid, and the lower hind limbs. Also, the pelvic region of the specimens are similar to "Kentrosaurus" juveniles. One 2009 study of "Stegosaurus" specimens of various sizes found that the plates and spikes had delayed histological growth in comparison to the skeleton and when the dinosaur reached maturity, growth in the osteoderms may have increased. A 2013 study concluded, based on the rapid deposition of highly vascularised fibrolamellar bone, that "Kentrosaurus" had a quicker growth rate than "Stegosaurus", contradicting the general rule that larger dinosaurs grew faster than smaller ones.


title: Stegosaurus

text: A 2022 study by Wiemann and colleagues of various dinosaur genera including "Stegosaurus" suggests that it had an ectothermic (cold blooded) or gigantothermic metabolism, on par with that of modern reptiles. This was uncovered using the spectroscopy of lipoxidation signals, which are byproducts of oxidative phosphorylation and correlate with metabolic rates. They suggested that such metabolisms may have been common for ornithischian dinosaurs in general, with the group evolving towards ectothermy from an ancestor with an endothermic (warm blooded) metabolism.


title: Stegosaurus

text: "Stegosaurus" and related genera were herbivores. However, their teeth and jaws are very different from those of other herbivorous ornithischian dinosaurs, suggesting a different feeding strategy that is not yet well understood. The other ornithischians possessed teeth capable of grinding plant material and a jaw structure capable of movements in planes other than simply orthal (i.e. not only the fused up-down motion to which stegosaur jaws were likely limited). Unlike the sturdy jaws and grinding teeth common to its fellow ornithischians, "Stegosaurus" (and all stegosaurians) had small, peg-shaped teeth that have been observed with horizontal wear facets associated with tooth-food contact and their unusual jaws were probably capable of only orthal (up-down) movements. Their teeth were "not tightly pressed together in a block for efficient grinding", and no evidence in the fossil record of stegosaurians indicates use of gastroliths—the stone(s) some dinosaurs (and some present-day bird species) ingested—to aid the grinding process, so how exactly "Stegosaurus" obtained and processed the amount of plant material required to sustain its size remains "poorly understood".


title: Stegosaurus

text: The stegosaurians were widely distributed geographically in the late Jurassic. Palaeontologists believe it would have eaten plants such as mosses, ferns, horsetails, cycads, and conifers or fruits. One hypothesized feeding behavior strategy considers them to be low-level browsers, eating low-growing fruit of various nonflowering plants, as well as foliage. This scenario has "Stegosaurus" foraging at most 1 m above the ground. Conversely, if "Stegosaurus" could have raised itself on two legs, as suggested by Bakker, then it could have browsed on vegetation and fruits quite high up, with adults being able to forage up to above the ground.


title: Stegosaurus

text: A detailed computer analysis of the biomechanics of "Stegosaurus"'s feeding behavior was performed in 2010, using two different three-dimensional models of "Stegosaurus" teeth given realistic physics and properties. Bite force was also calculated using these models and the known skull proportions of the animal, as well as simulated tree branches of different size and hardness. The resultant bite forces calculated for "Stegosaurus" were 140.1 newtons (N), 183.7 N, and 275 N (for anterior, middle and posterior teeth, respectively), which means its bite force was less than half that of a Labrador retriever. "Stegosaurus" could have easily bitten through smaller green branches, but would have had difficulty with anything over 12 mm in diameter. "Stegosaurus", therefore, probably browsed primarily among smaller twigs and foliage, and would have been unable to handle larger plant parts unless the animal was capable of biting much more efficiently than predicted in this study. However, a 2016 study indicates that "Stegosaurus" bite strength was stronger than previously believed. Comparisons were made between it (represented by a specimen known as "Sophie" from the United Kingdom's Natural History Museum) and two other herbivorous dinosaurs; "Erlikosaurus" and "Plateosaurus" to determine if all three had similar bite forces and similar niches. Based on the results of the study, it was revealed that the subadult "Stegosaurus" specimen had a bite similar in strength to that of modern herbivorous mammals, in particular, cattle and sheep. Based on this data, it is likely "Stegosaurus" also ate woodier, tougher plants such as cycads, perhaps even acting as a means of spreading cycad seeds.


title: Stegosaurus

text: The Morrison Formation is interpreted as a semiarid environment with distinct wet and dry seasons, and flat floodplains. Vegetation varied from river-lining forests of conifers, tree ferns, and ferns (gallery forests), to fern savannas with occasional trees such as the Araucaria-like conifer "Brachyphyllum". The flora of the period has been revealed by fossils of green algae, fungi, mosses, horsetails, ferns, cycads, ginkoes, and several families of conifers. Animal fossils discovered include bivalves, snails, ray-finned fishes, frogs, salamanders, turtles like "Glyptops", sphenodonts, lizards, terrestrial and aquatic crocodylomorphans like "Hoplosuchus", several species of pterosaurs such as "Harpactognathus" and "Mesadactylus", numerous dinosaur species, and early mammals such as docodonts (like "Docodon"), multituberculates, symmetrodonts, and triconodonts.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Dinosaurs that lived alongside "Stegosaurus" included theropods "Allosaurus", "Saurophaganax", "Torvosaurus", "Ceratosaurus", "Marshosaurus", "Stokesosaurus", "Ornitholestes", "Coelurus" and "Tanycolagreus". Sauropods dominated the region, and included" Brachiosaurus", "Apatosaurus", "Diplodocus", "Camarasaurus", and "Barosaurus". Other ornithischians included "Camptosaurus", "Gargoyleosaurus", "Dryosaurus", "Othnielosaurus" and "Drinker". "Stegosaurus" is commonly found at the same sites as "Allosaurus", "Apatosaurus", "Camarasaurus", and" Diplodocus". "Stegosaurus" may have preferred drier settings than these other dinosaurs.


title: Stegosaurus

text: One of the most recognizable of all dinosaurs, "Stegosaurus" has been depicted on film, in cartoons and comics and as children's toys. Due to the fragmentary nature of most early "Stegosaurus" fossil finds, it took many years before reasonably accurate restorations of this dinosaur could be produced. The earliest popular image of "Stegosaurus" was an engraving produced by A. Tobin for the November 1884 issue of "Scientific American", which included the dinosaur amid a speculative Morrison age landscape. Tobin restored the "Stegosaurus" as bipedal and long-necked, with the plates arranged along the tail and the back covered in spikes. This covering of spikes might have been based on a misinterpretation of the teeth, which Marsh had noted were oddly shaped, cylindrical, and found scattered, such that he thought they might turn out to be small dermal spines.


title: Stegosaurus

text: Marsh published his more accurate skeletal reconstruction of "Stegosaurus" in 1891, and within a decade "Stegosaurus" had become among the most-illustrated types of dinosaur. Artist Charles R. Knight published his first illustration of "Stegosaurus ungulatus" based on Marsh's skeletal reconstruction in a November 1897 issue of "The Century Magazine". This illustration would later go on to form the basis of the stop-motion puppet used in the 1933 film "King Kong". Like Marsh's reconstruction, Knight's first restoration had a single row of large plates, though he next used a double row for his more well-known 1901 painting, produced under the direction of Frederic Lucas. Again under Lucas, Knight revised his version of "Stegosaurus" again two years later, producing a model with a staggered double row of plates. Knight would go on to paint a stegosaur with a staggered double plate row in 1927 for the Field Museum of Natural History, and was followed by Rudolph F. Zallinger, who painted "Stegosaurus" this way in his "Age of Reptiles" mural at the Peabody Museum in 1947.


title: Stegosaurus

text: "Stegosaurus" made its major public debut as a paper mache model commissioned by the U.S. National Museum of Natural History for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The model was based on Knight's latest miniature with the double row of staggered plates, and was exhibited in the United States Government Building at the exposition in St. Louis before being relocated to Portland, Oregon for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905. The model was moved to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (now the Arts and Industries Building) in Washington, D.C. along with other prehistory displays, and to the current National Museum of Natural History building in 1911. Following renovations to the museum in the 2010s, the model was moved once again for display at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, New York.


title: Stegosaurus

text: The popularity of "Stegosaurus" is owed partly to its prominent display in natural history museums. Though considered one of the most distinctive types of dinosaur, "Stegosaurus" displays were missing from a majority of museums during the first half of the 20th century, due largely to the disarticulated nature of most fossil specimens. Until 1918, the only mounted skeleton of "Stegosaurus" in the world was O. C. Marsh's type specimen of "S. ungulatus" at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, which was put on display in 1910. However, this mount was dismantled in 1917 when the old Peabody Museum building was demolished. This historically significant specimen was re-mounted ahead of the opening of the new Peabody Museum building in 1925. 1918 saw the completion of the second "Stegosaurus" mount, and the first depicting "S. stenops". This mount was created under the direction of Charles Gilmore at the U.S. National Museum of Natural History. It was a composite of several skeletons, primarily USNM 6531, with proportions designed to closely follow the "S. stenops" type specimen, which had been on display in relief nearby since 1918. The aging mount was dismantled in 2003 and replaced with a cast in an updated pose in 2004. A third mounted skeleton of "Stegosaurus", referred to "S. stenops", was put on display at the American Museum of Natural History in 1932. Mounted under the direction of Charles J. Long, the American Museum mount was a composite consisting of partial remains filled in with replicas based on other specimens. In his article about the new mount for the museum's journal, Barnum Brown described (and disputed) the popular misconception that the "Stegosaurus" had a "second brain" in its hips. Another composite mount, using specimens referred to "S. ungulatus" collected from Dinosaur National Monument between 1920 and 1922, was put on display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1940.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a 2022 American biographical parody film directed by Eric Appel (in his feature directorial debut), who co-wrote the screenplay with "Weird Al" Yankovic. The film is a satire of biopics and is loosely based on Yankovic's life and career as an accordionist and parody songwriter. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as Yankovic, along with Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss, Arturo Castro, and Julianne Nicholson in supporting roles.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: A fake trailer for a satirical biographical film was produced by Appel for Funny or Die in 2010. Yankovic showed the trailer at his concerts, which led to fans questioning when the full-length film would be made and leading Appel and Yankovic to develop the film's concept together. "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" was filmed on a budget of around $8 million over eighteen days between February and March 2022. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022, and was released on The Roku Channel on November 4, 2022. The film received positive reviews, with particular praise for its humor and Radcliffe's performance.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: As a child, Alfred "Al" Yankovic becomes interested in parodying songs against his father's wishes. Al's mother secretly purchases an accordion for him, but his father destroys it when Al is caught at an illicit polka party, thus straining Al's relationship with his parents.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Living with his roommates Steve, Jim, and Bermuda, Al tries to join bands as an accordion player but is constantly rejected. While listening to "My Sharona" on the radio and fixing a bologna sandwich, Al is inspired to write "My Bologna". He sends the song to a local radio DJ, who puts it on the air immediately; he then goes to Scotti Brothers Records, where the brothers mock him, but are willing to reconsider if Al gains more experience.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Al performs "I Love Rocky Road" for the first time at a biker bar, his roommates stepping in to fill out his band and make the performance a success. Al catches the interest of Dr. Demento, who offers to be his manager while suggesting he go by the stage name "Weird Al". At a party hosted by Dr. Demento, the doctor's rival Wolfman Jack dares Al to prove himself by parodying Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" with bassist John Deacon present; Al comes up with "Another One Rides the Bus", impressing the celebrities in attendance. Al lands his record contract, and his debut album goes multi-platinum, with the original artists experiencing a "Yankovic bump" in record sales and Al being feted by Oprah Winfrey.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Al calls home to find his father is still dismissive of him. Dr. Demento suggests Al try to make his own original song, which Al refuses. However, after Dr. Demento gives Al guacamole laced with LSD, he comes up with an original new song, which becomes his next hit, "Eat It". Madonna, in search of the "Yankovic bump", begins a relationship with Al to convince him to parody her song "Like a Virgin", though he insists he now only writes original songs. Dr. Demento and Al's bandmates warn him that Madonna is a bad influence, but they continue their romance. Just before a major show, Al learns that Michael Jackson has taken "Eat It" and parodied it as "Beat It", which angers him since he believes people will assume "Eat It" is a parody of "Beat It". An intoxicated Al suffers a near-fatal car accident and is rushed to the hospital, where he comes up with "Like a Surgeon" after regaining consciousness. He premieres the song at a show that same night, while still heavily injured, but when he is reminded that "Eat It" is the last song for the show, he gets drunk on stage, insults the crowd, and is arrested for lewdness.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Once released, Al confesses to Madonna that he fears he has alienated everybody who cared about him and that she is the only one he has left. Suddenly, Madonna is captured by agents of Pablo Escobar, who is a huge fan of Al and uses the kidnapping to coerce him to play at his fortieth birthday party. Al flies to Colombia and goes on a rampage to break into Escobar's compound, where he confronts the drug lord. After refusing to play a song for him, he gets into a shootout and kills Escobar and his mercenaries to free Madonna. With the kingpin dead, Madonna tries to talk Al into giving up music and helping her take over his drug empire, but Al rejects her.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Al returns home to work in his father's factory; Al's father admits that Al never belonged in that line of work and secretly supported Al's chosen path. The elder Yankovic reveals he grew up in an Amish community and was excommunicated for taking up the accordion, prompting him to prevent Al from making the same mistake. Al then brings his father's song, "Amish Paradise", to the stage, winning him a major award in 1985 before being assassinated onstage by one of Madonna's henchmen.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: The pool party scene features many cameos, including Conan O'Brien as Andy Warhol; Jorma Taccone as Pee-wee Herman; Nina West as Divine; Akiva Schaffer as Alice Cooper; Demetri Martin as Tiny Tim; Paul F. Tompkins as Gallagher; David Dastmalchian as John Deacon; and Emo Philips as Salvador Dalí. In the bar scene, Patton Oswalt plays a heckler, while Michael McKean appears as the MC. Josh Groban plays a waiter, while Seth Green voices a radio DJ. Yankovic's real-life wife, Suzanne Krajewski, appears uncredited as Tony's wife Sylvie Vartan.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: In 2010, Funny or Die released a fake trailer for a satirical biographical film titled "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" directed by Eric Appel and starring Aaron Paul as musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. Additional co-stars in the three-minute-long trailer included Yankovic himself, Olivia Wilde, Gary Cole, Mary Steenburgen, and Patton Oswalt. At the time, the fake trailer was intended to parody prior biographical films on musicians, such as "Ray" (2004) and "Walk the Line" (2005).


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Yankovic would show the trailer during his concert tours leading some fans to think it was for a real film or encouraging him to make it one. Following the success of other musician biopics such as "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018) and "Rocketman" (2019), Yankovic began to legitimately consider the idea of making a full-length film. He and Appel began to shop the idea around Hollywood, but the studios' initial impressions were that the film was going to be in the vein of a Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker full-on parody and passed on the idea. The two looked at common tropes in other musician biopics, finding that facts about the musician's life were often changed arbitrarily, and used a similar approach to writing Yankovic's biographical story with the same type of creative freedom. They opted to retain the setting of the film within Yankovic's early career between 1979 and 1985, only going off this period for the inclusion of "Amish Paradise" from 1996 at the end of the film. Some events in the film are based on facts from Yankovic's life: he did receive his first accordion from a traveling salesman; "My Bologna" was recorded in a public bathroom, though in real life, this was a bathroom across from the KCPR radio station offices; there has been a "Yankovic effect" in that being parodied by Yankovic helped boost the success of the original songs by other musicians, notably with Nirvana and Yankovic's parody "Smells Like Nirvana"; and Madonna did originally come up with the concept of Yankovic's parody "Like a Surgeon", which Yankovic had heard about and agreed was a good idea.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: An actual full-length film of the same name was officially announced in January 2022, with Daniel Radcliffe set to star in the title role. It was directed by Appel from a screenplay he co-wrote with Yankovic. Appel jokingly stated, "When Weird Al first sat me down against my will and told me his life story, I didn't believe any of it, but I knew that we had to make a movie about it."


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Yankovic and Appel had known that Radcliffe had been a fan of classic comedic musicians such as Tom Lehrer; for his part, Radcliffe felt that his November 2010 appearance on "The Graham Norton Show", during which he sang a rendition of Lehrer's song "The Elements", was the reason for his casting: "I guess Al saw that and was like, 'This guy maybe gets it.' And so he picked me." The actor was already a fan of Yankovic's work through his own appreciation as well as that of his girlfriend, Erin Darke, who would play Yankovic's music on road trips. He was also looking to expand his acting repertoire, believing the part gave him more creative capabilities similar to his role in "Swiss Army Man" (2016).


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: As part of his preparation, Radcliffe learned the principles of playing the accordion, Yankovic's signature instrument, through video tutorials Yankovic had made for him. Radcliffe sang the songs live on camera while filming, but his vocals were replaced with pre-recorded ones by Yankovic in the final product. Yankovic and Appel later expressed some regret over not letting Radcliffe perform his own vocals due to the actor's Broadway background, but ultimately felt that having Radcliffe lip-syncing to Yankovic's real voice was integral to the biopic parody, as it was the method used with Rami Malek and his Freddie Mercury portrayal in "Bohemian Rhapsody".


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: In March 2022, Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss, and Julianne Nicholson were confirmed to star. A few months later in July, it was revealed Quinta Brunson would also star. Even though "Weird" is a parody, the filmmakers sought to cast actors known primarily for dramatic roles. Appel believed the humor would then come from the actors playing their roles in a serious, grounded manner, as if they were in a dramatic biopic, despite the absurdity of the scenes.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Yankovic reached out to his "holiday card mailing list" to bring a number of celebrities to cameo in the film, most shown during the Dr. Demento pool party scene. While the script called for Al to be challenged by Freddie Mercury at the pool party, terms of Yankovic's agreement with the band Queen for "Another One Rides the Bus" was that Yankovic could not mention Mercury. They reached out to The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone) to appear as the other members of Queen instead, but while Samberg was unavailable, Schaffer and Taccone still wanted to participate in the film, and were cast as Alice Cooper and Pee-wee Herman, respectively. Lin-Manuel Miranda contacted Yankovic within minutes of the announcement of the film's production, requesting a role in it, and Yankovic was able to fit his cameo as an ER doctor during a time when Miranda was in Los Angeles.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Patton Oswalt, who played Dr. Demento in the original short, had been set to play this role in the film, but Oswalt broke his foot just before shooting, and due to the tight schedule, they could not afford to wait. They were able to bring in Wilson to play the role three days before filming began. Oswalt was still able to cameo in the film as a heckler in a bar. Aaron Paul, who played Yankovic in the original short, was set to cameo in the film as the bar heckler, but he came down with COVID-19 during the filming period and was unable to participate.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Once Radcliffe signed on to star, The Roku Channel agreed to invest in "Weird". The film had a budget of around $8 million and was shot over eighteen days, after initially being planned for twenty-two days. Filming was limited to eighteen days as part of Roku's contract due to a combination of cost-saving measures and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Principal photography was originally planned to take place in Atlanta to take advantage of tax breaks, but Roku allowed the film to be shot in Los Angeles, which enabled Yankovic and Appel to bring in a number of celebrities as cameos. Filming began on February 10, 2022. Radcliffe concluded shooting his scenes after sixteen days on March 4, in Pomona, California. The pool party scene was shot in Tarzana, California. Overall filming wrapped on March 8, 2022. Post-production was done while Yankovic was on The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour in 2022, with Yankovic working remotely with Appel's team to finalize the film.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: The film includes a brief glimpse of Yankovic's "Eat It" video, though with Radcliffe's face digitally superimposed on Yankovic's. Yankovic had the 16mm footage of the original video which he digitized in 4K by himself to be used for the superimposing, and which he later released onto YouTube after re-editing the footage while he was on The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour to match the original video frame-for-frame.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Dr. Demento's pool party draws inspiration from a similar scene in the film "Boogie Nights" (1997), while Al being arrested onstage is based on the 1969 incident with the Doors frontman Jim Morrison during a concert in Miami. The end-credits scene includes a parody of "Carrie" (1976), in which Madonna comes to visit Al's grave, only to be grabbed at the wrist by a zombified arm.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Original Soundtrack)" is the soundtrack album accompanying the film. Yankovic released it digitally the same day of the film's release, on November 4, 2022. The album includes an original song recorded by Yankovic for the film, "Now You Know", several of his parodies featured in the film with new recorded versions, and the soundtrack compositions by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson. It will be released on CD on January 27, 2023, and on vinyl on May 19, 2023.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" had its world premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022, and was released on The Roku Channel on November 4, 2022. Yankovic requested that the film have a limited release in theaters to make it eligible for the 95th Academy Awards; Roku declined, preferring for the film to be instead eligible for the Creative Arts Emmys.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Village Roadshow Pictures acquired the rights to distribute the film in all international markets excluding the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Latin America.


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 142 reviews, with an average of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads, "Suitably silly, "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" spoofs the standard biopic formula with all the good-natured abandon fans will expect." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

text: Owen Gleiberman of "Variety" reviewed, ""Weird" is witty and inventive enough to sustain what could, in lesser hands, have been a one-joke movie, an "SNL" riff on itself. The film's ultimate joke is that 'Weird Al' Yankovic's entire career was a joke — not just because he made so-daft-they're-funny versions of other people's songs, but because what he did made him a court jester of imitation." Leah Greenblatt of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a grade of B, writing that the film is "an alternative-facts fever dream so bent on the certifiably ridiculous that it circles back around somehow to sweetness. You don't need any of it, really, but as far as celebrity hagiographies go, you kind of can't beat it." Nick Allen of "RogerEbert.com" gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4 and praised Radcliffe's performance as Yankovic. Reviewer Amy Nicholson, writing in the "New York Times" called the film an "uproarious sham biopic" and praised Radcliffe as "winningly guileless in his performance, twitching his costume-y eyebrows and mustache like gentle bunny ears even as he lip-syncs 'Another One Rides the Bus' with such commitment that his neck veins nearly pop." Kellen Quigley of the "Salamanca Press" compared the film favorably to the 2007 parody biopic "", noting that both films had come shortly after a wave of Oscar bait biopics. Rafael Motamayor at IGN gave it 9 out of 10 and called it "amazing".


title: Sanju

text: Sanju is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language biographical film directed and edited by Rajkumar Hirani, written by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi and produced by Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra under the banners Rajkumar Hirani Films and Vinod Chopra Films. The film chronicles the life of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt with main parts bring his addiction with drugs, arrest for his association with the 1993 Bombay bombings, relationship with his father, comeback in the industry, the eventual drop of charges from the Bombay bombings and release after completing his jail term. Ranbir Kapoor stars as the title character, along with an ensemble cast which features Paresh Rawal, Vicky Kaushal, Manisha Koirala, Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Dia Mirza and Jim Sarbh.


title: Sanju

text: In a conversation with Hirani, Dutt shared anecdotes from his life, which the former found intriguing and prompted him to make a film based on Dutt's life. It was titled "Sanju" after the nickname Dutt's mother Nargis used to call him. Principal photography began in January 2017 and wrapped up in January 2018. The film's soundtrack was composed by Rohan-Rohan and Vikram Montrose, with A. R. Rahman as a guest composer. Fox Star Studios acquired the distribution rights of the film.


title: Sanju

text: "Sanju" was released worldwide on 29 June 2018. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised Kapoor’s performance as well as Hirani's direction; some criticized its supposed image-cleansing of its protagonist. It registered the highest opening for any film released in India in 2018, and on its third day, it had the highest single-day collection ever for a Hindi film in India. With a worldwide gross of over , "Sanju" emerged as the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2018, the second highest-earning Hindi film in India of all time, and the 11th highest-grossing Indian film. It earned seven nominations at the 64th Filmfare Awards including Best Film and Best Director, winning Best Actor for Kapoor and Best Supporting Actor for Kaushal.


title: Sanju

text: D. N. Tripathi, a lyricist writes a biography on Sanjay "Sanju" Dutt, comparing him with Mahatma Gandhi. Flabbergasted, Sanjay throws him out. The Supreme Court of India delivers its verdict regarding the 1993 Bombay bombings and sentences Sanjay to 5 years jail term for violating the Arms Act, 1959. His wife Manyata Dutt living with their 2 twin children approaches Winnie Diaz, a London-based writer, to write his biography and present his version of life to the public.


title: Sanju

text: Unwilling at first, Winnie is asked by Zubin Mistry, a real estate builder, to not write the biography, which intrigues her. She gets to know that he is a womanizer also and slept with over 200 girlfriends but Sanjay laughs and speaks out the truth. Winnie first interviews him, and his life is revealed in a flashback as the story goes to the past now.


title: Sanju

text: Sanjay's father Sunil Dutt plans to launch his career in Bollywood with "Rocky" (1981). Upset over Sunil's controlling behavior on set, Zubin "God" (Sanjay's then-friend) encourages him to try drugs for the first time. Sanjay soon discovers that his mother Nargis is suffering from pancreatic cancer; they head to New York for treatment. This incident furthers his descent into alcoholism and drug addiction.


title: Sanju

text: Sanjay meets Kamlesh "Kamli", a fan of Nargis in New York, and they become quick friends. He helps Sanjay stay away from drugs. After learning of his girlfriend Ruby's fixed marriage due to his drug addiction, Sanjay relapses.


title: Sanju

text: Kamlesh convinces Ruby to register to marry Sanjay; after realizing her love for Sanjay, she comes to the registration office.


title: Sanju

text: She finds that Sanjay isn't there; on reaching his house, she realizes that he is still using drugs, and leaves him. Nargis dies 3 days before the release of "Rocky" which takes an emotional toll on Sanjay, who agrees to attend a rehabilitation center in the United States and recovers with the help of Sunil and Kamlesh. On returning to India, he meets and beats Zubin for selling him drugs upon realizing that Zubin himself was consuming glucose.


title: Sanju

text: Back to the present, Sanjay's later life is narrated by the now-estranged Kamlesh who is now a billionaire, who is tracked down by Winnie in New York. He is at first reluctant since he has wasted many years of his life on Sanjay but finally agrees to tell her the story. In the 1990s, Sanjay turns to bodybuilding and his career in Bollywood greatly improves. He cheats Kamlesh by having sex with his Gujarati girlfriend Pinky but later the matter is solved when Kamlesh gets to know that Pinky actually loved him for his wealth.


title: Sanju

text: After the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, Sanjay acquires 3 AK-56 rifles to ensure the protection of Sunil (who had entered politics by then) and sister Priya Dutt. A series of bombings occur in Bombay shortly thereafter. For possession of illegal arms supplied by the D-Company supposedly to be trafficked for protection during potential communal rioting after the bombings, Sanjay is arrested in 1993.


title: Sanju

text: He is convicted and sentenced to jail for 5 years under Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), threatening his career. Further tarnishing his public image, the media labels him as a terrorist. Believing Sanjay to be guilty, Kamlesh severs ties with him. After its release in 1995, Sanjay appears in many flops. When his popularity begun to wane, he is forced to sign the title role in "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S." (2003) by Sunil, who also features in the film as his father.


title: Sanju

text: It wins Sanjay the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role and his image improves, making Sunil proud. Shortly afterward, Sunil dies. In 2006, the Bombay High Court finds Sanjay guilty under the Possession of Arms Act, while not finding him to be a terrorist. He is arrested again in 2013 by the same verdict upheld by the Supreme Court of India. Sanjay convinces Winnie and Kamli of his innocence by blaming the media for falsely accusing him of terrorism.


title: Sanju

text: He is subsequently bailed in 2016 and finds out Winnie has completed writing his biography, "Kuch Toh Log Kahenge" ( People will keep saying something), named after one of Sunil's favorite songs from "Amar Prem" (1972). He exits the prison and reunites with Kamlesh and Manyata. Sanjay tells his children not to be like him but like Sunil. His life was struggling but Sunil made him a great actor.


title: Sanju

text: Director Rajkumar Hirani was first prompted to create a film based on Sanjay Dutt's life by the latter's wife Manyata Dutt in a casual conversation, an offer he refused, reasoning that "Sanju’s world is very different from my world". In an interview with "Daily News & Analysis", Hirani revealed what eventually prompted him to create a film based on Sanjay Dutt's life: "He was lonely. Manyata (I think) was in the hospital and he used to go there (sometimes) and then come home to an empty house. So, he was just venting, speaking straight from the heart. And, he started giving me anecdotes that were just gems for a filmmaker". In regards to gaining resources in constructing the film, Hirani said, "...we sat for a crazy amount of time and recorded everything ... I also met others who knew him — journalists, cops, relatives and friends. I felt there was a movie that should be told." In an interview with DNA After Hrs, Hirani confirmed that the film was named "Sanju" after a lot of deliberation as Nargis, Sanjay's mother, used to call him ‘Sanju’.


title: Sanju

text: Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra was not a part of the project when Hirani initially approached him to produce the film. At first, Chopra was of the opinion that "it was hogwash... but when we started researching all that he’s said — from the 308 girlfriends he had to how he begged on the streets of US for the money to buy a bus ticket — we realised that everything he had told us was true!". Hirani had a pre-condition with Dutt that if the latter requested to change any lines or scenes, he "would not make it", upon which Dutt allowed Hirani to make the film in his accord. He was okay with Hirani not glorifying him in the film. Hirani showed aspects of Dutt's life that the public would not have known, such as "what was happening in the Dutt household when Sanju was accused of the crime? What was his father going through? What was happening with his sisters? How were his friends reacting? Later I met his sisters, Namrata and Priya, brother-in-law Kumar Gaurav and US-based friend Paresh Ghelani." Hirani stated, "The film is not about his romance. It has primarily two tracks, one is the gun story and the other is the drugs story and how he fought these two battles."


title: Sanju

text: Speaking about Dutt's journey, Kapoor revealed in an interview with "Filmfare" that the biopic will reach out to the audience by teaching them something. He stated that "It will talk about human flaws, the emotional father-son story (between Sanjay and the late Sunil Dutt), his relationship with his best friend, with the women in his life. It's emotional, it's funny, it's sad, it's bittersweet. The youth have a lot to learn from his mistakes." He also confirmed that "it's not a propaganda film" intending to glorify Dutt. Kapoor also revealed that for him the hardest aspect of playing the role was to give himself the confidence to go ahead with the project. For him, Sanjay Dutt is "a flawed but a wonderful person... a pop icon" and that's why it was scary. Kapoor also stated that there are "six different phases, six different looks and six different controversies" in the film.


title: Sanju

text: In an interview with Rajeev Masand, Hirani disclosed that the story-telling procedure was "challenging as it's not a story of an achiever" as most biopics are based on a heroic personality, yet Dutt is known for his tragedies and losses. He noted that "you can't really tamper" and that the main scripting challenge was fitting "a very anecdotal story in a structured format". Writer Abhijat Joshi also revealed that there was no "deliberate" attempt to make Dutt's character sympathetic to the audience. Instead the team realized having listened to all the anecdotes conveyed by Dutt that it's a "very engaging, incredibly fascinating" story based on a "conflicted person, a flawed person" who "deserved empathy". Hirani then confirmed that he has "put out the truth" which includes "good things and bad things". In another interview, Hirani also revealed that like his other films, Sanju would also deliver a social message: "there is the father-son story, a friendship and one is a question mark. For the last one, you’ll have to see the film. Hirani also revealed that he did initially get "attracted to all the anecdotes [that Dutt was conveying]" but soon "realized it was not enough – we had to be able to string it all together." which led him to come to the conclusion that "people need to know is his gun story [and his drug story], because it is important. If there is no gun story, there is no biopic" which then in turn formed the "spine" of the film."


title: Sanju

text: Post the release of the film, both Hirani and Joshi reasoned that Dutt has not been "whitewashed" in the film as many critics have openly said so. Instead, Hirani questioned, "I want to know what have I whitewashed? I have shown that he had 308 girlfriends, that he was so addicted to drugs, he slept with his friend’s girlfriend. Is this whitewashing?". Joshi also commented that "What we are bashing is a certain section which sensationalizes things and uses a question mark to make things ‘chatpata’ (spicy). That has been critiqued, and I am amazed there has been no introspection on that side. No one has even said that it happens."


title: Sanju

text: Actor Ranbir Kapoor was Hirani's first choice to play Dutt's character. Hirani stated, "I first thought of Ranbir and went straight to him and I can tell you, we were right." He also stated that he thought Kapoor is a fantastic actor and "at the perfect age." He further revealed the similarities and differences between Dutt and Kapoor stating that "they have lived the life of actors all through. Ranbir is not someone from outside the industry who came here to be a hero. In a sense, it was easier for me to see him as Sanju." He also revealed that Ranbir Kapoor worked very hard to get the correct physicality, spending days watching videos "to strike the right balance". Initially Kapoor was reluctant to portray the role. However, he agreed once "he saw the angle of the story" and that the story "broke certain notions I had about him [Dutt]". Kapoor also revealed that his initial "hesitation" about playing Dutt's role was that he is "still so relevant today" and is a "superstar" who is "working in movies today... [and] has lots to achieve and lots to do".


title: Sanju

text: Chopra was also reluctant to produce the film with Kapoor in the lead role, as he believed Ranveer Singh would've been a better fit to Dutt's part by having the "flamboyance, the emotional depth as well as the ability to change himself completely to play Sanjay Dutt." Chopra however, "had to kind of eat [his] words" once shooting began and he witnessed Kapoor's capabilities playing Dutt. Kapoor responded to Chopra's comments by stating that he was "very happy" to be a part of the film as it came at a time where "he was really in need of inspiration." Like Kapoor, Koirala was also "scepital" about playing a mother to Kapoor due to the fear of being "typecast."


title: Sanju

text: Aamir Khan was also approached to play the role of Dutt's father, Sunil Dutt. However, the role was turned down as Khan was already playing the role of a father at that time in Dangal. Khan had also stated that he wished to have played Dutt's role instead as his "role is so wonderful that it won my heart... so don’t offer me any other role as I won’t be able to do it". The role was then passed onto actor Paresh Rawal who stated that his character is "human" and "doesn't have a set mannerism, idiosyncrasy".


title: Sanju

text: Initial reports suggested that actress Anushka Sharma was approached to play the character of one of Dutt's girlfriends, and then a rumoured journalist. However, Sharma denied these claims by stating that "my character is the only fictional character in the film" and "is not based on any living person". At the trailer launch, Hirani stated that Sharma plays a biographer from London who comes to India, and in turn plays a "mix" of himself and Abhijat Joshi.


title: Sanju

text: It was also reportedly initially that Sonam Kapoor would be playing the character of Tina Munim. Kapoor, however refuted these rumours and stated that "I have a small but important part in the movie. It's not what everyone is thinking. I am not playing an actress." Though, Hirani confirmed that Kapoor is indeed playing the role of "a girlfriend".


title: Sanju

text: Speaking on his role, Vicky Kaushal revealed that his character is an "amalgamation of three or four other friends" of Dutt and is thus "fictionalized". Whilst Karishma Tanna's role is yet unknown, Tanna revealed that it had been intended by Hirani and the rest of the team to keep her role a surprise and that Hirani "made it clear to [her] that [her] role would create a lot of speculation" as it is "exactly what [they] had anticipated." Boman Irani expressed that he was cast as Hirani wanted him to do a special appearance. Speaking about his character, Irani stated that "it's not a known character but may have existed".


title: Sanju

text: Ranbir Kapoor requested and was given a month's break between every phase to complete his transformation into Dutt. Speaking about it at the teaser launch of the film, he stated that it was hard for him to look like the muscular Dutt as Kapoor has a thinner frame. "...there was a lot of team effort behind this. A year before that we did a lot of prep and screen tests..." In regards to Kapoor's transformation, father Rishi Kapoor revealed that Ranbir "took 6–7 weeks to get each of his different looks". In an interview, prosthetic artist, Dr Suresh Murkey said that he used prosthetics to make Ranbir Kapoor's face and age resemble Dutt's. Kapoor further commented that he would be sitting for hair and makeup for six hours and "tests after tests [they] kept failing". It was also difficult to develop Dutt's ageing process as "because of alcohol, his face had gotten puffy and his chin had kind of come down." Kapoor however, was also "very clear that if we cannot achieve his look, we will not make the film".


title: Sanju

text: Mirza also opened up on Kapoor's role stating that "he would be the first to reach the location because he would need five, six hours to do prosthetic make-up to play the older part." She also spoke about the uncanny resemblance of Kapoor as Dutt as a consequence of prosthetics revealing that "people who went on the sets thought Ranbir was Sanju sir. Koirala also expressed that she was "shocked at Ranbir's capacity to transform". Hirani also revealed that Kapoor was "meeting Sanju separately...had a full timeline of how Sanju looked in the 80s, 90s, 2000s... and made a whole collection of look videos." Kapoor himself also stated that he "knew that there is a fine line between mimicry and representing someone who is loved by so many people" which is why "it took us six to eight months to get ready... to prep, do the prosthetic tests, acting and character rehearsals."


title: Sanju

text: Kapoor further mentioned that whilst the physical transformation was significantly easier, emotional transformation and "being able to understand the emotional level of the character was really daunting." However, he also revealed that as Dutt "represents an epitome of body building and if I had to play him on screen, body was essential". In order to build his body like Dutt's, Kapoor revealed that it required "sacrifice" and "discipline" as he "was having 8 meals a day, waking up at 3 in the morning to drink a protein shake." He also mentioned that he "wanted to take a step back and didn’t want to be around him too much because I didn’t want to be obsessed with him. I would be always looking at him, trying to see what he is doing, how he is scratching his beard, how he is talking…but before any poignant moment in the script, for instance, the jail sequence, the drug sequence, his mother’s death, or when the TADA verdict (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act came, I would always call him the night before the shoot. I just wanted to know what he was feeling, and very graciously, very honestly he would tell me and I would express that on screen. I wanted to represent him with respect" and a "true representation of what was going on in his head."


title: Sanju

text: Hairstylist Aalim Hakim revealed that it took "22 days to finalise Ranbir's different avatars" as it was a "challenge" to create the "receding hairline for Ranbir and give him a broad forehead". Costumer designer Ekha Lakani, stated that in regards to Kapoor's costume, she "discussed every look [with Kapoor]... spent hours trying to match every inch; how loose or how fitted it should be" by "matching different body types [as] Sanjay Dutt has had a different body type all throughout his life".


title: Sanju

text: Manisha Koirala who essays the character of Nargis in the film spoke about her transformation as well stating that "we did a couple of tests, from when she had short hair to when she had long hair." Koirala also revealed that she "did a lot of research on Nargisji" by studying "various photographs, books [and] documentary". She also admitted that it was "traumatic" reliving being a cancer patient as Koirala is an ovarian cancer survivor. She further mentioned that "it required a lot of inner strength... but was finally worth it as she tried to "capture [Nargis's] essence, the core of her being". Regarding Koirala's costume, Lakhani stated that Nargis' "iconic images" were taken and she then "recreated a look on that from every curl or twist in the hair to the way the body was or the makeup".


title: Sanju

text: Vicky Kaushal whose "character's name is Kamlesh and is "more like a brother" to Dutt revealed that he "went to Surat to study the body language and mannerism of Gujaratis" as his character, although originally from India has been living in America for the maximum time so "his Gujarati was ought to fade with time." He also revealed that he went through a "huge physical transformation" by losing weight to "look like a lean young Gujarati guy to an aged man of the present time". He also stated that "losing and gaining weight [brought a] change in the body language" which thus enabled him get the "right look" and thus "perform better".


title: Sanju

text: Paresh Rawal expressed that he prepared for his role by trying to "maintain a distance off camera" with Kapoor in order to "stay true to the character". He further added that "we were not pals who would chat together in between the shots" which went on to embody the real life relationship between Dutt and his father as Sunil Dutt "loved his son to death but never had a friendly equation with [him]". Rawal also stated that he could not "look like Sunil Dutt" following the look tests but had to "portray the emotions, the 'jazba' (passion) that he had for the country, for his family and for his son".


title: Sanju

text: Dia Mirza however, stated that she prepared to play the role of Dutt's wife through "workshops and look tests" but also by studying some of the "news clips released around the time" as well as "her interviews" and "body language". Mirza also stated that she "wanted to understand Maanayata as a wife, woman and mother handled the public scrutiny that she was subjected to". She added that she mainly focussed on "understanding and being honest to the emotion more than anything else." Mirza also revealed that she had to "dye [her] hair jet black" and eventually saw herself as Manyata Dutt once she "placed that mole on my face and saw myself in the mirror" as she saw Maanayata in her "reflection." Mirza, also revealed that Maanayata was a "rock" in Dutt's life and with all "sincerity and honesty [wanted to] understand "what it meant to be a mother and a wife". Talking about the film, Dia told Bollywood Hungama, "It was a springboard for me, it was a lease of life. I really needed it and it's a film that how sometimes you just carry the burden of failed films on your back for too long and then suddenly this 300 crore film that you really you've contributed to in a small way. I think the portrayal of Maanayata was a very small part of Sanju. The mainstay of the story is friendship and the father-son relationship are the people who truly contributed.


title: Sanju

text: On Sonam Kapoor's costume, Lakhani revealed that Kapoor's costume was designed to look like "the girl next door, pretty, giving out very delicate vibes [with] really soft fabrics, pastel hues, delicate embroidery. Kapoor's costume was given "peter pan collars in all her outfits... to make her from that era" except that the team stayed away from making her look like a "fashion diva" but more "real".


title: Sanju

text: Speaking about Sharma's character, Hirani mentioned in an interview that he wanted Sharma to look "like an Indian who stayed in London and [was] brought up there" which then led her to wearing a wig with voluptuous curly hair in the film. Aditi Gautam, who plays Namrata Dutt revealed that she was cast as Hirani thought she looked "exactly like" Dutt. Seiya further mentioned that she prepared for her role by watching interviews that allowed her to gauge on Dutt's "strong personality...[which is also] poised and dignified."


title: Sanju

text: Shooting for the film began on 12 January 2017 with Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Dia Mirza and other cast and crew. Shooting was wrapped on 21 January 2018. At the wrap party, the cast and crew were seen wearing personalised T-shirts with the hashtag "#duttstheway" in order to promote the film.


title: Sanju

text: Initially, there were plans to bring Kapoor and Dutt together in the film at the end through a video chat where Dutt would interview Kapoor on his experience and journey. However, these plans were shelved due to both actor's prior commitments. Instead, the film will showcase both actors coming together in the form of a peppy dance number at the end credits. Hirani revealed that the original running time of the film as supposed to be 2 hours and 25 minutes. However, the running time was reduced with an entire song cut out of the film as it "was obstructing the pace of the film and it was breaking the narrative". Hirani further commented on this decision by stating that "if you feel it does not work then you have to let it go."


title: Sanju

text: A replica of Dutt's childhood home which he lived in with his parents took 25 days to complete, as Hirani wanted to portray's Dutt's life right from childhood to present day.


title: Sanju

text: The film's soundtrack features 6 songs composed by A. R. Rahman, Rohan-Rohan and Vikram Montrose while lyrics are written by Irshad Kamil, Shekhar Astitwa, Puneet Sharma, Rohan Gokhale and Abhijat Joshi. The film score is composed by Sanjay Wandrekar and Atul Raninga. Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the film's producer was initially dissatisfied with music and visuals for two songs. Instead of re-shooting the scenes with the songs, they decided to sign A. R. Rahman to compose original songs to fit in the same scenes. Rahman was hired as a guest composer and has composed two songs for the movie including ""Ruby Ruby"", with lyrics penned by his regular collaborator Irshad Kamil. The first single, "Main Badhiya Tu Bhi Badhiya", was released on 23 May 2018 voiced by Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan. The second single, "Kar Har Maidaan Fateh" was released on 5 June 2018 sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Sukhwinder Singh.


title: Sanju

text: A short official teaser of the film was released on 24 April 2018, and is available online on Netflix and Hotstar. It became the highest viewed Hindi film teaser of all time, garnering more than 30 million views within the first 48 hours of its release and 150 million global views across several social media platforms. The marketing campaign of the film started with the teaser launch which appeared on "a roadblock on 80 channels across the Star network for the teaser launch, cashing in on the Indian Premier League traffic on TV as well as its streaming app Hotstar". The official trailer was released on 30 May 2018 and accumulated over 20 million views within its first 24 hours of release.


title: Sanju

text: The first poster was released on 30 April 2018 in which Kapoor looked as Sanjay Dutt when he first came out of jail in 2016. The next day, another poster was released showcasing another still of Kapoor as Dutt in 2016 leaving Yerwada jail. Subsequently, more posters were released portraying Kapoor as Dutt from the 90s and 2003 when the films "Rocky" and "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S" were released respectively. On 7 May, Hirani released another poster. Hirani then announced that he would now release poster stills of the rest of the cast and crew until the trailer release date.


title: Sanju

text: On 25 May, Hirani released a still of "Sanju's crazy romantic love life" on Twitter presenting Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. The next day a still of Kapoor was released presenting Paresh Rawal who play's Dutt's father. Following this, a still of actor Vicky Kaushal was released confirming his role as Dutt's best friend in USA. Hirani released a still of Anushka Sharma the day after but did not reveal her role, as he intended for the trailer to do so instead. At the trailer launch Hirani told that the character of Anushka Sharma is actually a comprised role of him and the writer, Abhijat Joshi showing that how they both collected the whole story about Sanjay Dutt . A still of Manisha Koirala playing Nargis was also released by Hirani.


title: Sanju

text: After that, Rajkumar Hirani had released the last poster in which, Dia Mirza was seen as Manyata Dutt.


title: Sanju

text: Hirani released postcard stills of two prominent elements of the film and Dutt's life: the first showed a still of Kapoor begging on the streets in order to buy a bus ticket to meet a friend, whilst the second presented him at the premiere of his debut film "Rocky", just three days after losing his mother to cancer. Aside from poster releases, marketing was also successful through "Sanju-style lip sync and face filters and post videos to win prizes" across social media. Actress Karishma Tanna also released a still of herself with Kapoor and Kaushal on 20 June, confirming that she would be appearing in the film in a "fun song" with the two actors. On 19 July, the song was released as "Bhophu Baj Raha Hai" which didn't make it to the final cut, though was released promotionally on YouTube.


title: Sanju

text: On Father's Day, the makers released second teaser of the film, starring a clip of Kapoor and Rawal essaying the father-son bond between Dutt and his father. The clip was promoted along with the hashtag "#JaaduKiJhappi" (the magic of a hug), a line made famous by Sanjay in "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S." A third teaser of the film was released on 22 June presenting Kapoor playing Dutt as Munna Bhai. Kapoor also promoted the film by making a rare appearance on social media as he took over the Twitter handle of Fox Star studios and was involved in a live tweet session with fans and shared personal childhood pictures of himself during Father's Day.


title: Sanju

text: Shikha Kapur, CEO of Fox Star Studios stated that the marketing "objective was to build conversations and scale" without [defining the film's] target group by age and geography but by affinities and behaviours online. She further mentioned that the "crux of the marketing narrative" was that the film is "of a man who lived many lives in one life and a story that is so unbelievable that you almost want to pinch yourself and ask if it really happened". Saurabh Uboweja, international brand expert and CEO of Brands of Desire, stated that [the marketing campaign is about] "the ability to engage, crack some jokes and have fun backed by very strong messaging" which is why "less than 10%" of budgeting has been spent on marketing compared to a usual big-ticket Bollywood film that would spend 20–25% on. He also mentioned that "making Dutt appear flawed, yet sensitive and relatable is also a means to reach out to a generation for which the actor is past his prime" and to "drive entire families" out to watch the film.


title: Sanju

text: Activist Prithvi Mhaske raised objection over the toilet leakage scene shown in the trailer of the film through a letter sent to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The letter stated that "the government and authorities are taking a very well care of all the barracks of the jails" indicating that "this particular scene will make a bad impression about the jails and jail authorities of the Indians". On 25 June, it was reported that the censor board had cleared the film and finalised it for release in India. There has been one scene involving the overflowing toilet from Dutt's jail cell to be removed and a few dialogues. Social activist Gaurav Gulati also filed to the National Commission for Women believing the film "contains derogatory words for women" to which sex worker's "identity [is] being demeaned". Despite being cleared by the censor board in India, the film was granted a 15 certificate in Great Britain due to "drug references, drug misuse, infrequent strong sex references."


title: Sanju

text: "Sanju" has a final worldwide gross of . Advance bookings for the film began on 24 June. It was released across 4000 screens in India, and over 1300 screens overseas.


title: Sanju

text: The film opened to an occupancy of 85% in the domestic theatres. It collected nett on its opening day at the domestic box office, which was the highest for all films released in India in 2018. The film became Hirani's highest opening ever surpassing collected by "PK" in 2014. It recorded the highest second day collection ever for a Hindi film domestically. It collected over nett on its third day, setting the record for the highest single day collecting ever for a Hindi film in India, surpassing ""s dubbed Hindi nett, while also becoming the highest weekend earner of the year. The film entered the 100 crore club in nett domestically within its first three days of release. Despite it being a non-holiday and with reduced tickets, the film collected nett on its first Monday. Within its first week of release, "Sanju" had entered the 200 crore club. It also became the highest first week grosser of 2018, the fourth highest week of all time and also became the first Hindi film to have a non-holiday release and yet still earn over 200 crores in its first week of running. Therefore, "Sanju" also became Kapoor's first film to earn over 200 crores.


title: Sanju

text: In its second weekend, the film earned on Friday, on Saturday and on Sunday. The film thus entered the 250 crore club within 10 days of release. The film also recorded the fourth highest second grossing week of all time, with approximately . At of the end of its second week run, "Sanju" had grossed globally.


title: Sanju

text: In its third weekend, the film entered the 300 crore club and became Kapoor's first film and the 7th film of all time to reach this milestone. The film also surpassed the domestic lifetime collections of the earned by "Padmaavat" to become the highest grossing domestic nett collector of 2018 and the 9th highest-grossing Indian films of all time The film thus registered the highest third week collections of 2018 as well. By its third Tuesday, "Sanju"'s domestic total reached . The film therefore surpassed the lifetime domestic collections of collected by "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" to become the fifth highest grossing Hindi film of all time.


title: Sanju

text: The film's fourth week total was approximately and overall. Sanju thus surpassed the lifetime domestic nett collections of "Tiger Zinda Hai" and "PK" to become the second highest-grossing film (nett) of all time.


title: Sanju

text: The film opened overseas with an estimated collection of in Australia, in New Zealand, in United Kingdom, and in the United States. "Sanju" debuted at number 8 at the US box office in the opening weekend, earning more than "" and "" in the same week on a comparatively lower number of 356 screens. Its opening week collection was 2.5 million. The film also opened to an earning of in Pakistan. In Dubai, the government allowed cinemas to remain open for 24 hours on Friday and Saturday to prevent crowd frenzy, causing shows to start as early as 4:30 am. In the GCC, the film opened to earnings of , along with a collection of in Norway. Overseas, the film has garnered as of two weeks of its initial release. CEO of Fox Star Studios, Vijay Singh went on to confirm that "Sanju" was the biggest Indian "film ever for Pakistan and Australia and the second biggest for US." Due to popular demand, Singh also confirmed that "Sanju" will be released in China.


title: Sanju

text: "Sanju" received mostly positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Kapoor and Kaushal's performances and Hirani's direction. Swetha Ramakrishnan of "Firstpost" praised the performances of the cast, especially Kapoor, further writing, "the film doesn't attempt to decode Sanjay Dutt or justify his life. Neither does it try to whitewash his flaws." Taran Adarsh of "Bollywood Hungama" gave the film four and a half stars out of five and wrote, "Sanju is an entertaining saga that blends emotions, humour and drama in adequate doses. It is powerful, engaging, emotional as well as compelling". Meena Iyer of "Daily News and Analysis" similarly rated the film four and a half stars out of five, stating that "it’s an emotional roller-coaster that will give you the satisfaction of having read a bestseller." Divya Solgama of "Bollywood Times" gave the film 4.5/5 stars stating that "Sanju’ is an emotionally enriching experience which every cinema lover should witness".


title: Sanju

text: Rachit Gupta of "The Times of India" rated the film four stars out of five and commented, "Whether he’s dancing like a hysterical man under the influence of drugs or he’s the broken, emotional wreck just staring blank, Ranbir portrays a variety of emotions and grey shades with flair." Saibal Chatterjee of "NDTV" praised Kapoor's performance and Hirani's direction, but felt that "other actors scramble to keep up", especially Rawal. He concludes the review by writing, "an absolute must-watch". A reviewer for "India Today" writes, "Director Rajkumar Hirani, who has also co-written and edited Sanju, has taken more than a few dramatic liberties, but it feels refreshingly candid." He appreciates Kaushal as "[holding] his own against Ranbir's superlative performance."


title: Sanju

text: Devesh Sharma of "Filmfare" appreciated the film's humour and applauded the writing as "the strength of the film". He noted, "Sanju tells you superstars are humans too". Gaurang Chauhan of "Times Now" rated the film three and a half stars out of five. While criticising the background score and the first half, he praised the performances and second half of the film. Ankita Chakravarti of "Zee News" praised the performances of the ensemble cast stating that "each and every cast is worth every attention" as "all the actors have done complete justice to their characters." Rajeev Masand, writing for "News18", gave the film three and a half stars out of five, believing that the "shrewd writing, and Ranbir Kapoor’s extraordinary performance makes it hard not to empathize with the protagonist." Rohit Bhatnagar of "Deccan Chronicle" labelled "Sanju" as "enjoyable", while noting that it tries to clear Dutt's image.


title: Sanju

text: Uday Bhatia of "Mint" was critical of Dutt's portrayal, while mostly appreciating Kapoor's performance. Rohit Vats of "Hindustan Times" appreciated Kapoor's performance, but criticized the predictable nature of the script and songs which "break the narrative". Shubhra Gupta of "Indian Express" rated the film two and a half stars out of five, stating that "Hirani is in top form getting all his reel characters to off the real characters, in the pursuit of a solid, entertaining tale" but criticized the second half as to whether what had been left out of the film would have made it better. Anna M. M. Vetticad of "Firstpost" described Kapoor's performance as "superb", but was unhappy with how "startlingly dishonest" the film was. Nandini Ramanath of Scroll.in was impassive about the film, writing, "In its relentless quest to offer absolution, "Sanju" is no better or worse than many other biopics that have flooded Bollywood over the past few years."


title: Sanju

text: Lisa Tsering of "The Hollywood Reporter" gave the film 3.5/5 and stated that whilst "Sanju grabs the viewer's attention and delivers performances that glow long after the film is over" felt that the film was "a glorified infomercial about the life of a Bollywood bad boy." Similarly, Mike McCahill of "The Guardian" criticised how "this three hour hagiography simply blames everyone else for his troubles" though praised Kapoor for being "a lightweight film’s strongest suit". Shilpa Jamkhandikar of "Reuters" similarly praised Kapoor stating that what is "bearable is Hirani’s leading man and his chameleon-like ability to transform himself into various avatars" and also criticized the script as it "stretches too long and resorts to melodrama over substance". Mary Gayen of "The National" however praised the film giving it 3.5/5 stars, stating that Hirani's "direction is very matter of fact in relation to the incidents, but very thorough with the feelings expressed by the main characters." Vikran Mathur of "American Bazaar" also praised the film stating that the "team has weaved Sanju’s story together beautifully as a cinematic experience". Danish Lakdawaala of "Dubai Desi" gave the film 3.5/5 stars praising the "very well written and entertaining screenplay packed with powerful performance" but criticized it being "like a propaganda film rather than a biopic, where audience is slapped with the key message through out which was to clear Sanjay Dutt’s name." Divesh Mirchandani of "C'est Le Cinema" writes that the "biggest takeaway from the film is that the director chooses not to give a clean chit to his long time colleague, and offers no justification for the actor's missteps" by giving the film 3/5 stars.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Never Let Me Go is a 2005 dystopian science fiction novel by the British author Kazuo Ishiguro. It was shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize (an award Ishiguro had previously won in 1989 for "The Remains of the Day"), for the 2006 Arthur C. Clarke Award and for the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award. "Time" magazine named it the best novel of 2005 and included the novel in its "100 Best English-language novels published since 1923—the beginning of TIME". It also received an ALA Alex Award in 2006. A film adaptation directed by Mark Romanek was released in 2010; a Japanese television drama aired in 2016.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: "Never Let Me Go", Ishiguro’s sixth novel, takes place in an alternate reality of England during the 1990s in which human cloning is authorized and performed. Ishiguro started writing "Never Let Me Go" in 1990. It was originally titled “The Student’s Novel.”


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: The story begins with Kathy H., who describes herself as a carer, talking about looking after organ donors. She has been a carer for almost twelve years at the time of narration, and she often reminisces about her time spent at Hailsham, a boarding school in England, where the teachers are known as "guardians". The children are watched closely and are often told about the importance of producing art and of being healthy (smoking is considered a taboo, almost on the level of a crime, and working in the vegetable garden is compulsory). The students' art is then displayed in an exhibition, and the best art is chosen by a woman known to the students as Madame, who keeps their work in a gallery. Kathy develops a close friendship with two other students: Ruth and Tommy. Kathy develops a fondness for Tommy by looking after him when he is bullied and having private talks with him. However, Tommy and Ruth form a relationship instead.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: In an isolated incident, Miss Lucy, one of the guardians, tells the students that they are clones who were created to donate organs to others (similar to saviour siblings) and that after their donations, they will die young. She implies that if the students are to live decent lives, they must know the truth: their lives are already predetermined. Miss Lucy is removed from the school as a result of her disclosure, but the students passively accept their fate.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Ruth, Tommy and Kathy move to the Cottages when they are 16 years old. It is the first time they are allowed in the outside world, but they keep to themselves most of the time. Ruth and Tommy are still together, and Kathy has some sexual relationships with other men. Two older housemates, who had not been at Hailsham, tell Ruth that they have seen a "possible" for Ruth, an older woman who resembles her and thus could be the woman from whom she was cloned. As a result, the five of them go on a trip to see her, but the two older students first want to discuss a rumour they have heard: that a couple can have their donations deferred if they can prove that they are truly in love. They believe that the privilege is for Hailsham students only and so wrongly expect that the others know how to apply for it. They find the possible, but the resemblance to Ruth is only superficial, which causes Ruth to wonder angrily whether they were all cloned from "human trash".


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: During the trip, Kathy and Tommy separate from the others and look for a copy of a music cassette tape that Kathy had lost when at Hailsham. Tommy's recollection of the tape and desire to find it for her make clear the depth of his feelings for Kathy. They find the tape of "Songs After Dark" by Judy Bridgewater, and Tommy shares with Kathy a theory that the reason Madame collected their art was to determine which couples were truly in love and cites a teacher who had said that their art revealed their souls. After the trip, Kathy and Tommy do not tell Ruth of the found tape or of Tommy's theory about the deferral.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: When Ruth finds out about the tape and Tommy's theory, she takes an opportunity to drive a wedge between Tommy and Kathy. Shortly afterward, she tells Kathy that even if Ruth and Tommy were to split up, Tommy would never enter into a relationship with Kathy because of her sexual history. A few weeks later, Kathy applies to become a carer, meaning that she will not see Ruth or Tommy for about ten years.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: After that, Ruth's first donation goes badly and her health deteriorates. Kathy becomes Ruth's carer, and both are aware that Ruth's next donation will probably be her last. Ruth suggests that she and Kathy take a trip and take Tommy with them. During the trip, Ruth expresses regret for keeping Kathy and Tommy apart. Attempting to make amends, Ruth hands them Madame's address, urging them to seek a deferral. Shortly afterward, Ruth makes her second donation and completes, an implied euphemism for dying and donating their remaining organs.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Kathy becomes Tommy's carer, and they form a relationship. Encouraged by Ruth's last wishes, they go to Madame's house to see if they can defer Tommy's fourth donation, taking Tommy's artwork with them to support their claim that they are truly in love. They find Madame at her house, and also meet Miss Emily, their former headmistress, who lives with her. The two women reveal that "guardians" tried to give the clones a humane education, unlike other institutions. The gallery was a place meant to convey to the outside world that the clones are in fact normal human beings with a soul and deserve better treatment. It is revealed that the experiment failed, which is why Hailsham was closed. When Kathy and Tommy ask about the deferral they find out that such deferrals never existed.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Tommy, knowing that his next donation will end his life, confronts Kathy about her work as a carer. Kathy resigns as Tommy's carer but still visits him. The novel ends after Tommy's "completion", and Kathy drives up to Norfolk and briefly fantasizes about everything she remembers and everything she lost.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: "Never Let Me Go" stems from a song that Kathy listened to throughout her life. Kathy found the song “Never Let Me Go” on a Judy Bridgewater tape she purchased at one of the Sales of Hailsham. When Kathy would feel alone, she would play the song on repeat. Kathy often used to sing to and dance to the chorus: "Baby, never let me go." On one occasion, while dancing and singing, she notices Madame watching her and crying. Madame explains the encounter when they meet at the end of the book. While Kathy reveals to the reader that she was simply thinking about holding a child, Madame connects the dancing and the song to what they are doing to the children. She is overwhelmed by guilt and sadness and thus starts to cry when she sees Kathy.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: The title of the novel also reflects the central struggle of Kathy’s character. She struggles between what she should hold on to in life and what she should let go of. In other words, Kathy “never lets go” of her memories.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: In another section of the book, Kathy refers to the three main characters "letting each other go" after leaving the cottages.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: In a virtual interview with the Bay Area Book Festival, Ishiguro argued that there is little difference between writing human characters and human-like artificial intelligence, saying, “All characters in novels are artificial. This might come as terrible news to some readers, but they are. They’re all made up. We’re used to the idea of crying or weeping over fictional characters.”


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: In "Contemporary Literature", author Anne Whitehead highlights the novel's focus on healthcare as particularly thought-provoking, with Kathy's status as a "carer" defining much of her adult life. Whitehead writes, "[Kathy's] preoccupations with professional success and with minor inconsistencies in the system mean that she is not addressing either her own imminent death or the larger inequities and injustices at work," and wonders, "Is 'caring,' viewed in this light, a form of labor that is socially valuable because Kathy is making a positive difference to others (preventing "agitation"), or—given the political resonances of Ishiguro's choice of word here—is it a means of preventing resistance and unrest?"


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: John Mullan speculates that the novel's modern setting is "calculated to have a defamiliarizing effect. While this novel measures carefully the passing of time, its chronology, we soon realize, is removed from any historical reality that we can recognize.”


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Louis Menand, in "The New Yorker", described the novel as "quasi-science-fiction", saying, "even after the secrets have been revealed, there are still a lot of holes in the story [...] it's because, apparently, genetic science isn't what the book is about".


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Sarah Kerr, in "The New York Times", characterizes the novel's setup as "potentially dime-store-novel" and "an enormous gamble," but elaborates that "the theme of cloning lets [Ishiguro] push to the limit ideas he's nurtured in earlier fiction about memory and the human self; the school's hothouse seclusion makes it an ideal lab for his fascination with cliques, loyalty and friendship."


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Horror author Ramsey Campbell labeled it one of the best horror novels since 2000, a "classic instance of a story that's horrifying, precisely because the narrator doesn't think it is".


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Joseph O'Neill from "The Atlantic" suggested that the novel successfully fits into the coming of age genre. O'Neill writes that "Ishiguro's imagining of the children's misshapen little world is profoundly thoughtful, and their hesitant progression into knowledge of their plight is an extreme and heartbreaking version of the exodus of all children from the innocence in which the benevolent but fraudulent adult world conspires to place them".


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Theo Tait, a writer for "The Telegraph", wrote: "Gradually, it dawns on the reader that "Never Let Me Go" is a parable about mortality. The horribly indoctrinated voices of the Hailsham students who tell each other pathetic little stories to ward off the grisly truth about the future—they belong to us; we've been told that we're all going to die, but we've not really understood".


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: Mark Romanek directed a 2010 film adaptation of "Never Let Me Go" starring Carey Mulligan as Kathy, Andrew Garfield as Tommy, and Keira Knightley as Ruth.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: In Japan 2014, the Horipro agency produced a stage adaptation in called "Watashi wo Hanasanaide" (). Directors include Ken Yoshida, Takeyoshi Yamamoto, Yuichiro Hirakawa, and Akimi Yoshida.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: In 2016 under the same title, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television aired a television drama adaptation set in Japan starring Haruka Ayase as Kyoko Hoshina and Haruma Miura as Tomohiko Doi.


title: Never Let Me Go (novel)

text: FX is in the works a television series adaptation. It will produced by DNA TV, Searchlight Television and FXP, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Marc Munden and Melissa Iqbal executive producing. It will premiere on Hulu in the United States, Star in other territories and Star+ in Latin America with Viola Prettejohn, Tracey Ullman and Kelly Macdonald star.