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''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' (; ) is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language satirical comedy drama film written, edited and directed by
Rajkumar Hirani Rajkumar Hirani (born 20 November 1962), also called Raju Hirani, is an Indian filmmaker, director, producer and editor known for his works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards and eleve ...
, who co-wrote the screenplay with
Abhijat Joshi Abhijat Joshi (born 1 December 1969) is an Indian screenwriter, film director, producer and editor who works in Hindi cinema. His is known for collaboration with Vinod Chopra Productions and director Rajkumar Hirani, as the screenwriter for '' ...
and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It is the follow-up to the 2003 film '' Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'' with Sanjay Dutt reprising his role as Munna Bhai, a Mumbai underworld don. In ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'', the eponymous lead character starts to see the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi. Through his interactions with Gandhi, he begins to practice what he refers to as '' Gandhigiri'' (a neologism for Gandhism) to help ordinary people solve their problems. Only Dutt and
Arshad Warsi Arshad Warsi (born 19 April 1968) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several awards including a Filmfare Award from five nominations and is noted for acting in varied film genres. Before making his acting deb ...
reprise their roles from the first film. The film also features some other actors from the first film (notably
Jimmy Sheirgill Jimmy Sheirgill (born Jasjit Singh Gill; 3 December 1970), also credited as Jimmy Shergill, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi and Punjabi films. Sheirgill began his film career with the 1996 thriller ''Maachis''. His bre ...
and
Boman Irani Boman Irani (born 2 December 1959) is an Indian actor, photographer and voice artist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema he has also worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. He has acted in more than a 100 films in his career. Ea ...
) but in new roles. ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' released on 1 September 2006, It received widespread critical acclaim for its direction, story, screenplay, dialogues, performances of the cast and its social message and themes. The film proved to be a major box-office success, referred '' blockbuster'' grossing over worldwide. It was second highest grossing film of the year. At the 54th National Film Awards, ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' won 4 awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Supporting Actor ( Dilip Prabhavalkar). At the 52nd Filmfare Awards, the film received 12 nominations, including
Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BAF ...
(Hirani) and
Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...
(Dutt), and won 4 awards, including Best Film (Critics) and Best Comedian (Warsi). ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' also had a number of prominent screenings. It was the first Hindi film to be shown at the United Nations, and was screened at the '' Tous Les Cinema du Monde'' section of the
2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. The President of the Jury was British director Stephen Frears. Twenty two films from twelve countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 26 May. '' 4 ...
. The film popularized the term ''Gandhigiri''. Vidhu Vinod Chopra submitted the film as an independent entry for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It was later remade in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...
as '' Shankar Dada Zindabad'' (2007).


Plot

Murliprasad Sharma a.k.a. Munna Bhai, a street-wise
Bombay Hindi Bombay Hindi, also known as ''Bambaiya Hindi'' or ''Mumbaiya Hindi'', is the Hindi dialect spoken in Mumbai (Bombay), in the Konkan region of India. Its vocabulary is largely from Hindustani, additionally, it has the predominant substratum o ...
-speaking gangster in Mumbai, is smitten with the voice of Janvi Sahni, a radio jockey. When she announces a contest on the life and beliefs of Mahatma Gandhi set for 2 October— Gandhi's birthday, with an interview with her as the prize, he is determined to win. Through the assistance of his sidekick Sarkeshwar "Circuit" Sharma, who kidnaps and bribes a group of professors, and his goons, who jam the phone lines, Munna succeeds and meets Janvi in person. During the interview, he lies that he is a history professor specializing in Gandhi and living by his principles. Having difficulty speaking formal Hindi, Munna uses much colloquial language and calls his version of Gandhism " Gandhigiri" (). Despite this, Janvi is impressed asks him to host a lecture on Gandhi in her home, which she has repurposed into a senior citizen community called "Second Innings House". Realizing he can't use his old tricks, Munna crams in a library to study the life and works of Gandhi in five days. Gandhi, who Munna refers to by his nickname Bapu ("father"), starts to appear at this time and offers help and advice to Munna, who is the only person that can see him. Gandhi continues to appear each time Munna sings '' Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram'' (a song often sung in Gandhi's memory). Initially, Munna believes he is going mad, but later comes to get used to Gandhi's presence. With Gandhi's help, Munna delivers a chaotic but well-received lecture about Gandhism being only used in the name and not in practice. He then helps the seniors solve their problems through his connections and rowdyism. Lucky Singh, an unscrupulous businessman who employed Circuit and Munna to conduct " underworld" activities for him, learns that Munna is in love with Janvi and offers to help him propose to her by funding a trip to Goa for all the senior citizens. During the trip, Munna tries to confess his love to Janvi, however, they discover the trip was a ruse for Lucky to occupy the house. It turns out that Lucky's daughter, Simran, is engaged to marry Sunny, the son of Khurana, a powerful businessman. Khurana is superstitious and his activities are controlled by his
astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...
, Batuk Maharaj. Maharaj's particular use of numerology led Khurana to add an extra "k" to his name and further convinced him that "Second Innings House" would be the most auspicious place for the new couple to live, hence the seizure. Further, Batuk initially advised Khurana to not go through with the wedding since Simran is a manglik. But Lucky, not wanting to lose such an alliance, covers this up by saying that there is a mistake at the time of Simran's birth and hence the alliance progresses. With the authorities and lawyers not willing to confront Lucky, Munna, Circuit, Janvi, and the senior citizens of ''Second Innings House'' launch a non-violent satyagraha outside Lucky's home. After a fight with Lucky's security guards, Munna and Circuit are arrested. Janvi later bails them out and invites Munna to her radio show to publicize the issue. They host a new program called "Bapu ka magic", where they offer Gandhigiri-style advice to listeners' problems, only asking that the listeners send Lucky flowers to help him recover from the "disease of dishonesty" in exchange for a unique, non-violent protest. After Munna gets his first caller, Victor D'Souza, who works as a taxi driver to repay his father's money lost in bad investments, the show gains popularity and pressure builds on Lucky, who tries and fails to offer Khurana other properties. Later, on Gandhi's insistence, Munna gives a letter to Janvi; thinking it is a love letter, Janvi instead learns the truth about Munna and leaves heartbroken, causing the protests to falter. Janvi also refuses to host the radio show with Munna. Despite this, Munna meets Lucky and assures him that he will not give up the fight. Since the radio show has gained popularity, he continues to host it on his own, offering increasingly out-of-the-box but successful solutions to listeners, much to Janvi's chagrin. The pressure on Lucky from Khurana reaches boiling point. Lucky then tricks Munna into revealing his conversations with Gandhi before a public audience, making him seem insane. On the day of Simran's wedding, she learns the truth about her father's deception of Khurana and runs away, ending up in Victor's cab. Meanwhile, a dejected Munna and Circuit are leaving the city. However, in a drunken stupor, Munna decides not to give up on Janvi. They go to the radio station where Munna has Circuit hold the studio hostage, in an attempt to apologize to Janvi through the program. Simultaneously, Victor connects Simran to Munna, where she reveals that although she loves Sunny, she is a manglik and thus is unlucky to marry. She is also devastated by her father's wrongdoings and has always looked up to him. With Lucky, Janvi, and the senior citizens listening in, Munna convinces her to go back and tell the truth, reasoning that Khurana's belief in numerology is irrational. Simran does so and Khurana rejects her. Munna and Circuit go to the wedding and use some of their old tricks to successfully dispel Maharaj's superstitions. When Khurana still remains unmoved, Sunny refuses to listen to his father and marries Simran anyway. Munna and Circuit are arrested again. In jail, Janvi returns and reconciles with Munna and a grateful Lucky apologizes, promising to reform, and returns the house keys. In the end, Gandhi narrates what happens to all the other characters. Munna and Janvi got married and continued their show. Circuit is adopted by Bomi and Tina, a newly married old couple living at the house who adopt his mannerisms. Victor achieved success, finally earning enough money to buy a taxi of his own, making his father proud. Sunny and Simran remained happily married, and have a child, prompting Khurana to renounce his belief in numerology and fire Batuk. The film ends with a reformed Lucky sitting in the very same library in which Munna sat, reading up on Gandhi, and Gandhi begins to appear to him too.


Cast


Production

The ''Munna Bhai'' series began after Vidhu Vinod Chopra agreed to produce
Rajkumar Hirani Rajkumar Hirani (born 20 November 1962), also called Raju Hirani, is an Indian filmmaker, director, producer and editor known for his works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards and eleve ...
's 2003 film '' Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'' when no one else would (Hirani had worked as an editor on Chopra's 2000 film ''
Mission Kashmir ''Mission Kashmir'' is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Jackie Shroff, Preity Zinta, and Sonali Kulkarni. It deals with terrorism and the t ...
''). They also collaborated on the script. ''Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'' was a runaway success that prompted the duo to contemplate a sequel. The sequel was initially known as ''Munna Bhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi'' and was later titled ''Munna Bhai: 2nd Innings'' before the title ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' was finalized. In an interview, Hirani admitted that he felt the burden of expectation while writing the screenplay for ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'', as he had to create "something to match" the first film. Initially, there was some effort to incorporate scenes or characteristics of the first film into the sequel (such as the idiosyncratic laugh of Asthana, portrayed by
Boman Irani Boman Irani (born 2 December 1959) is an Indian actor, photographer and voice artist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema he has also worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. He has acted in more than a 100 films in his career. Ea ...
in the first installment), but the risks of repetition were consciously averted. One of Hirani's goals in making the film was to revive an interest in Mahatma Gandhi, a figure who he felt had been forgotten in contemporary India. To highlight this fact, Hirani recounted (during an interview) an incident with a ''
chaiwala A ''chaiwala'' (also spelled as ''chaiwalah'' or ''chaiwallah'';, hi, चायवाला) is a tea-seller in the Indian subcontinent. They are an integral part of subcontinent culture. ''Chai'' is the Urdu word for "tea", as in masala chai ...
'' boy (who brings tea to the crew) during production: :The boy was curious, he was a big Munna Bhai fan and kept asking for the name of the film. The first working title was ''Munna Bhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi'' and Shantanu (Moitra, the music director) told him. So he said, 'Munna Bhai to theek hai, yeh Mahatma Gandhi Kaun hai?' ('Munna Bhai is fine, but who is this Mahatma Gandhi?') So this is the sad state of affairs today. I was shocked. And it's not just the chai-wallah. A few days ago on TV a lot of politicians were asked India-related questions on the news channels, and I can't believe a lot of them don't know 2 October is Gandhiji's birthday! Many didn't know his first name. They kept saying, 'what's in a name, we respect his ideals,' but come on! How can you not know his name? The other screenwriter,
Abhijat Joshi Abhijat Joshi (born 1 December 1969) is an Indian screenwriter, film director, producer and editor who works in Hindi cinema. His is known for collaboration with Vinod Chopra Productions and director Rajkumar Hirani, as the screenwriter for '' ...
(who teaches in the department of English at
Otterbein College Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio. It offers 74 majors and 44 minors as well as eight graduate programs. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Bre ...
in Westerville, Ohio), stated that he had been conducting extensive research on Gandhi, which inspired producer Chopra to involve Joshi in the creation of the second ''Munna Bhai'' screenplay. While writing the screenplay, Hirani and Joshi stayed together for more than 4 months. They developed scenes by going out for a walk and discussing the scene. They would not return home until they had created a scene that would make them laugh, cry, or have some provocative thought. While there was a shortage of resources during the shooting of ''Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'', the crew did not encounter a financial crisis during the filming of ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'', as the team managed to receive whatever was deemed necessary (including a Jimmy Jib, a specific kind of camera crane, just for a single crane shot). The film was shot on location in and around Mumbai, with Goa as a backdrop for the "Aane Charaane" song. Only 2 characters—those of Munna Bhai (portrayed by Sanjay Dutt) and Circuit (portrayed by Arshad Warsi)—were retained from ''Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'' Several actors from ''Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'', appeared in ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' as different characters. Vidya Balan was chosen to play the leading lady Jahnavi as her voice was thought to be appropriate for that of a radio jockey. The actors used several techniques to develop their characters. Warsi encountered some initial problems reviving his character from the first film. Hirani recalled that on the first day of the shoot when Warsi said his first line, "he didn't sound like Circuit at all. He sounded like Arshad Warsi speaking with an accent." Warsi admitted that he had "forgotten" the character of Circuit and had to watch the DVD of ''Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'' 3 times before being able to film the scene correctly. Dutt also confessed that he had to watch the first film 8 to 9 times to recapture the "persona" of Munna Bhai. In addition, Dutt stated in an interview that he did not read Gandhi's autobiography '' The Story of My Experiments with Truth'' as a preparation for ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai''. Rather, he comments, his father, Sunil Dutt (who portrayed Munna Bhai's father in ''Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'') and his mother (the late actress Nargis) were his role models as they "were basically Gandhians. We were brought up with those values." Dilip Prabhavalkar, who portrays Gandhi, read Gandhi's works "once again" to prepare for his role. Boman Irani prepared for the role of Lucky Singh by spending time with Sardarjis (male Sikhs) in auto spare parts shops to research his role. Vidya Balan met with a couple of radio jockeys and watched them at work.


Themes and impact


Influences and allusions

Each film in the ''Munna Bhai series'' features Munna and Circuit in a story that is comprehensive unto itself and is not continued or referred to in another in the series. Director Hirani has compared this format to the films of
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
and Laurel and Hardy, as well as to the James Bond series. Others have also likened the series to the work of Laurel and Hardy. Some, however, have negated this comparison, stating that the series is more akin to the '' Road to...'' "buddy films" of
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
and
Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
. Hirani stated that his work was deeply inspired by the films of
Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his car ...
.


Social influence

The interaction between the central characters of Mahatma Gandhi and Munna Bhai highlights concepts and ideas that draw upon the period of Colonial India and the
Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...
. Gandhi was a leader in this movement, challenging the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
's presence in India through the use of '' Satyagraha'' (non-violence). In the film, Jahnavi and Munna Bhai's non-violent protest against Lucky Singh serves as a metaphor for the Indian independence movement and the battle against the
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
. The thematic attention to Gandhi's theories in ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' revived an interest in '' Gandhism'' in India under the new term '' Gandhigiri'' and "made Gandhi suddenly hip" with Indians "staging non-violent protests, starting websites, handing out roses to enemies and putting on peaked white caps from the Gandhi era." Arunabha Ghosh, in December 2006, noted in ''The Economic and Political Weekly'' that, "Gandhi, the man, was once the message. In the India of the post- liberalization brand, Gandhigiri is the message." Amelia Gentleman of '' New York Times'' stated in September 2006 that: :"The real excitement was a
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film ..which ecamethe unexpected box-office hit of the year ..With its big Bollywood soundtrack and dance routines, the movie brings Gandhi firmly into the mainstream and theatres have been packed for the past 3 weeks. The Congress Party recommended that all party members see the film. The Delhi authorities declared that tickets to the film would be sold tax free because of its assiduous promotion of Gandhian values." Mark Sappenfield of '' The Christian Science Monitor'' argued in 2006 that the film was appealing because, "Gandhi gets his hands dirty. He appears as an apparition only visible to the wayward gangster, counselling him on how to help others deal with everyday problems." Swati Gauri Sharma suggested in ''The
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' that what the United States "needs is a film that encourages people to take up Gandhigiri, Kinggiri, or Kennedygiri. If it worked for Bollywood, it could work for Hollywood."


Gandhigiri-style protests

After the release of the film, Gandhigiri-style protests began to take place in India. In 2006, farmers staged a protest with flowers in the
Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a proposed state of central India, comprising the state's Amravati and Nagpur divisions. Amravati Division's former name is Be ...
region, and people who organised a protest in Lucknow claimed to have been inspired by ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' to use roses to convey their message. In Lucknow, students claimed to have been inspired by ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' to do volunteer work, planting trees "to conserve nature which is bound to benefit public health." Mafia don Babloo Srivastava claimed to have been inspired by ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' to distribute roses as a "message of love and peace". In 2008, Indian Greenpeace activists delivered thousands of roses to Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors, to reconsider his plans of building a port at the nesting grounds of olive ridley sea turtles. The "Send Pramod Muthalik a Valentine's Day card" campaign in 2009 was inspired by the film. In the United States during July 2007, Aman Kapoor, founder of the'' Immigration Voice'' forum, initiated a Gandhigiri protest inspired by ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai.'' Over a three-day period, hundreds of flower bouquets were sent to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office by Indians who were legally in the US but caught in a green card backlog. On 17 July, the USCIS reversed the decision that led to the protest.


Impact

''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' revived an interest in books about Gandhi. In particular, demand for Gandhi's autobiography '' My Experiments with Truth'' increased after the film debuted, including requests from prison inmates. In addition, due to its influence, the film was made tax-free in Mumbai.


Release


Screenings

Screened on 10 November 2006 in the United Nations auditorium, ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' was the first Hindi film to be shown at the UN. The film was introduced by Shashi Tharoor, UN Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information.
Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media. Career Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
of ''
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides ...
'' observed that, "there was a thunderous applause at the high points of the film, like the pensioner shedding his clothes. The applause at the end of the screening was unending. A vibrant Q&A session followed with director Rajkumar Hirani, writer Abhijat Joshi and actor Boman Irani, who flew to the U.S. for the screening." The ''
Indo-Asian News Service Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. Their main offices are located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The s ...
'' (IANS) noted that, "an evening that had started with massive security arrangements in the sombre UN setting, concluded in a festive atmosphere in the lounge of the UN with diplomats from other tables joining in raising a toast for the film." The United Nations General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that 2 October, the day of Gandhi's birth (
Gandhi Jayanti Gandhi Jayanti is an event celebrated in India to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. It is celebrated annually on 2 October, and is one of the three national holidays of India. The UN General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adop ...
), was to be "the
International Day of Non-Violence International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. It was established on 15 June 2007 according to United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/61/271. The day is an occasion to "disseminate the messa ...
." The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, was given a private screening of ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai''. After viewing the film, he stated that it "captures Bapu's message about the power of truth and humanism." In a speech during his visit to South Africa, Singh said, "I was heartened to see recently that back home in India the most popular movie this festival season is a film about a young man's discovery of the universal and timeless relevance of the Mahatma's message." Singh announced the creation of a new Public Services Bill to combat corruption in a press release dated 17 November 2006, and cited ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' as one of its influences. ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' was further screened at a global judiciary summit in Lucknow in December 2006. After viewing the film, Justice Kenneth Mithyane from South Africa commented, "The movie has re-enlivened the non-violence philosophy practiced by Mahatma Gandhi who continues to remain close to the hearts of the South Africans." Fatima Chouhan, a young member of the South African parliament, noted that, "''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' will be widely appreciated in South Africa. I'm carrying a couple of video discs for my family and friends." It was part of the '' Tous Les Cinema du Monde'' section of the
2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. The President of the Jury was British director Stephen Frears. Twenty two films from twelve countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 26 May. '' 4 ...
. ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' was well received as the audience had lined "up in long queues to catch the film that had been strongly recommended in festival reviews ..not one person who entered the screening left before the end of the 2-hours-30-minutes film." In addition, "the screening of the movie at the festival saw people sitting on the aisles as the theatre was completely packed ..there was also a big group of French students that clapped till the credits were finished." Several universities held screenings. It was shown on 27 October 2006 at the
University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) houses seven academic divisions: Film & Television Production; Cinema & Media Studies; John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts; John Wells Division of Writing for Sc ...
. The screening was followed by a question and answer session with Vidhu Vinod Chopra,
Rajkumar Hirani Rajkumar Hirani (born 20 November 1962), also called Raju Hirani, is an Indian filmmaker, director, producer and editor known for his works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards and eleve ...
, and
Abhijat Joshi Abhijat Joshi (born 1 December 1969) is an Indian screenwriter, film director, producer and editor who works in Hindi cinema. His is known for collaboration with Vinod Chopra Productions and director Rajkumar Hirani, as the screenwriter for '' ...
. Filmmaker
Gurinder Chadha Gurinder Chadha, (born 10 January 1960) is a British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. The common theme among her work showcases the trials of Indian women living in the UK and ho ...
attended and spoke at the conclusion of the question-and-answer session. The film was screened at
Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia with a ...
on 20 March 2007 (as a part of Old Dominion University and City of Norfolk OnFilm Festival), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lecture Series Committee on 23 & 24 March 2007, and
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class i ...
on 3 April 2007 (as part of a series on nonviolence).


Home media and screenplay

The British DVD of ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' contains a bonus DVD which has a 98-minute 5-part documentary on the making of the film, interviews with members of the cast and crew, and information on the creation of the song and dance numbers. It also has a special feature called " Munna Meets Bapu". ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai – The Original Screenplay'' was released in December 2009. Published by Om Books International in association with Vinod Chopra Films, it was launched at an event with the original cast and crew. The text includes an introductory note by
Abhijat Joshi Abhijat Joshi (born 1 December 1969) is an Indian screenwriter, film director, producer and editor who works in Hindi cinema. His is known for collaboration with Vinod Chopra Productions and director Rajkumar Hirani, as the screenwriter for '' ...
which details the drafting of the screenplay. It also includes a number of stills from the film as well as character profiles. The film is available on Netflix.


Reception


Critical response

''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' received critical acclaim upon release. Subhash K. Jha said that "Munna and Circuit, arguably cinema's most adorable and roguish reformists since Laurel and Hardy go about the business of generating humour out of the pathos of the human condition. The sequences, all fiercely and famously path-breaking have us in splits ..Watch the lovelorn Munna Bhai answer a Gandhian quiz on a phone-in radio quiz with the help of kidnapped professors' it's one of the most comically animated sequences seen in the movies of the new millennium."
Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media. Career Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
of ''
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides ...
'' gave the film 4 out 5 stars, describing it as "a sparkling example of qualitative cinema" arguing that it "not only entertains, it also enlightens."
Nikhat Kazmi Nikhat Kazmi ( hi, निखत काजमी; 1958/59 – 20 January 2012) was a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from, born Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, who had been writing for ''The Times of India'' since 1987. She died of breast ...
of '' The Times of India'' observes that "Vidhu Vinod Chopra gives the great Indian family one more let's-go-goodwill-hunting entertainer, even as director Raju Hirani proves that sequels needn't have the been there-done that feel..." Rajeev Masand of ''
CNN-IBN CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides internationa ...
'' gave it 4 out of 5 stars and states: "Like those good old-fashioned Hrishikesh Mukherjee films, it also reinforces the importance of human goodness and basic niceties. Even if you might argue that some of Gandhi's principles seem outdated today, you cannot help but cheer for Munna and his gang as they achieve the impossible with love and kindness. And that is where this film transcends conventional boundaries. It entertains you, yes, but it also makes you yearn for a perfect world. Judge it by any yardstick that you may, ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' emerges a clear winner. Much of that credit must go to its actors who pull out all stops to make it an enjoyable ride." Poonam Joshi of the ''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
'' gave 4 out of 5 stars stating that, "everything about this film works ..It's rare to see a film that bounces between humour and sentiment so seamlessly. And it is rarer still to see characters become etched in the memory so enduringly that audiences become almost protective of them. It's testimony both to the quality of the writing and the performances, that Munna and Circuit have taken on a life of their own." Vinayak Chakravorty of '' The Hindustan Times'' gave 4 out of 5 stars stating that it "cleverly works its way around the obvious hurdle that almost all sequels face: The film recreates an original milieu without a hint of the déjà-vu downer. And that precisely ranks ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' as one of the best entertainers this year." He commended it for showing "the heights Hindi cinema can scale despite staying within its
masala Masala, Massala or MASALA may refer to: Spice * Masala (spice), any of the many spice mixes used in South Asian cuisine ** Masala chai, a flavoured tea beverage ** Masala incense, Indian incense using a spice mix ** Masala dosa, an Indian dish Pl ...
parameters. Lage raho, guys!" Phelim O'Neill of '' The Guardian'' gave the film 4 out of 5 stars noting that, "as western romantic comedies become more vapid and even stalkerish, this delivers a credible message of peace, while never forgetting to be magnificent entertainment." Shastri Ramachandaran of ''
The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers: United States Daily California *''Oakland Tribune'' * ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo) *''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' Indiana *''Kokomo Tribune'' *'' Peru Tribune'' * ''The Tribu ...
'' wrote, "True, there have been memorable films on Mahatma Gandhi by distinguished directors, namely Richard Attenborough and
Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (born 14 December 1934) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received se ...
;one offering a respectful cinematic acquaintance and the other being didactic but inspiring. For all their earnestness, neither film stirred the popular imagination like LRM has done now." Vaidyanathan from
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
declared that, "''Lage Raho'' is not only as good as
MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
, but much better" calling it "a brilliant emotional roller coaster ride." Jeremy Page of '' The Times'' discussed its enormous popularity upon release and noted the "serious point he film madeabout the need for tolerance, restraint and self-sacrifice." Other critics offered more negative reviews. Ajit Duara argues in '' The Hindu'' that "the accomplished cultural sophistication and political genius of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has to be dumbed down to the astoundingly moronic levels of ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai.''" Filmmaker Jahnu Barua was also critical, stating that "Gandhian philosophy is serious business and ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' is not the right way to show it." Jug Suraiya of '' The Times of India'' wrote that "thanks to Munna Bhai, at best what exists of Gandhism is Gandhigiri, a watered-down, Dale Carnegie's ''How to Win Friends and Influence People'' version of the original."


Other response

Filmmaker Kabir Khan cited ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' as a model film for him as it "had an issue, but it was never once in your face.
Rajkumar Hirani Rajkumar Hirani (born 20 November 1962), also called Raju Hirani, is an Indian filmmaker, director, producer and editor known for his works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards and eleve ...
kept it all so subtle and yet conveyed the message so well. It was as commercial as it gets and audiences too were thoroughly entertained. That's the way to make movies because it not just made all parties happy but also had a satisfied director at the end of it all." According to Tushar Gandhi, Gandhi's great-grandson, it introduced the philosophies of Gandhi to a new generation, adding that "Bapu would've spoken the language of Gandhigiri if he were alive today. I really feel this film says something that needs to be told."


Box office

''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' was the fourth highest-grossing
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film of 2006, earning gross in India alone and was rated a "blockbuster". The film collected a further during 2007 as the film enjoyed a tremendous golden jubilee run playing at a selected 210 cinemas until October of that year, being the only film to achieve this feat since ''
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge ''Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'' (), also known by the initialism ''DDLJ'', is a 1995 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film written and directed by Aditya Chopra in his directorial debut and produced by his father Yash Chopra. Released o ...
'' (1995). It was also financially successful overseas, earning gross in the United Kingdom, gross in North America, and gross for the rest of the overseas proceeds, for a total of . Its total worldwide lifetime gross is , the equivalent to just over US$40 million when adjusted for inflation 2016.


Accolades

''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' is the recipient of 4 National Film Awards in addition to other awards. Some speculated that it would represent India as an entry for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Although ultimately losing to ''
Rang De Basanti ''Rang De Basanti'' () is a 2006 Indian drama film written, produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and co-written by Rensil D'Silva. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Atul Kulka ...
'' as India's official submission, the producers submitted it as an independent entry. However, neither film received an Oscar nomination.


Soundtrack

The music of ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' was composed by
Shantanu Moitra Shantanu Moitra (born 22 January 1968) is an Indian score composer, musician and pianist who has composed songs for the Hindi film industry, and is most known for his scores in the films '' Parineeta'' (2005), ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' (2005 ...
and the lyrics were written by
Swanand Kirkire Swanand Kirkire (Marathi: स्वानंद किरकिरे) (born 29 April 1972) is an Indian lyricist, playback singer, writer, assistant director, actor and dialogue writer, both in television with Marathi and Hindi films. Kirkire wo ...
. Swanand Kirkire won the
National Film Award for Best Lyrics The National Film Award for Best Lyrics (the Silver Lotus Award) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) to a lyricist who has composed the best song for films produced within the I ...
in 2007 for the song "Bande Mein Tha Dum." According to the Indian trade website ''
Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website. Its traffic ranking in India is 83,665 . A new Box Office India website went live on 20 January 2014. About Box Office India was launched on 10 June 2003. Its uses Whois privacy to anonymize its ow ...
'', with around units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's fourteenth highest-selling. The melody of the track "Pal Pal.... Har Pal" was lifted from
Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
and The Shadows song "
Theme for a Dream "Theme for a Dream" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in February 1961. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and also received a silver disc for 250,000 sales. Release and reception "Theme for a Dream" ...
"


Sequel

Vidhu Vinod Chopra announced on 29 September 2016 that production on the third ''Munna Bhai'' film starring Dutt in the title role would begin in 2017.


See also

* List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi


Notes


References


Further reading

*
Attenborough responsible for 'Lage Raho Munnabhai': Rajkumar Hirani
" '' Daily News and Analysis'', 21 November 2014. * Chaturvedi, Anshul.
College, masti & Gandhigiri
" '' The Times of India''. 2 October 2008. * Ghosh, Sohini (October 2006).
Ways of seeing:Rang De Basanti, Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Evoking idealism or validating violence?
''Communalism Combat'' 119 *
WBUR-FM WBUR-FM (90.9 FM) is a public radio station located in Boston, Massachusetts, owned by Boston University. It is the largest of three NPR member stations in Boston, along with WGBH and WUMB-FM and produces several nationally distributed program ...
,
Singing The Praises Of Bollywood Films
" 25 February 2009 (transcript and audio). * Yelaja, Prithi.

" '' Toronto Star'', 2 October 2007.


External links


Official website
* * * * {{Gandhi 2006 films 2006 comedy-drama films Films set in Mumbai 2000s Hindi-language films Cultural depictions of Mahatma Gandhi Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor National Film Award-winning performance Films shot in Mumbai Hindi films remade in other languages Indian comedy-drama films Films scored by Shantanu Moitra Indian sequel films Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment National Film Award winners Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay National Film Award Films directed by Rajkumar Hirani 2006 comedy films 2006 drama films