Rs. 80. That's the
self-imposed limit I've put upon myself to pay
for a ticket for a Bollywood film as that's just
about the maximum value for money most films are
able to deliver; any higher and it just makes
sense to rent the DVD instead. So when the only
tickets available for Lage Raho Munna Bhai
were for Rs. 250 (and I had to buy three
of them) it seemed a bit much. Despite the fancy
seats, the fact remained that I could rent the
DVD 10 times over. 
But if ever there was a theatrical experience
that was worth every penny, Lage Raho Munna
Bhai was it. The film scores a perfect 10.
In a very, very long time, this is the most brilliant,
enthralling, and charming film that elegantly
wheedles every emotion out of a willing audience.
At present, Bollywood comedy is a despicable
genre with carnal themes and asinine setups as
the only ploys used by revenue-driven makers,
a fad that is responsible for atrocious fare such
as Hungama, Masti, Phir
Hera Pheri, No Entry, and an endless
list of others. And while I won't question the
escape such films provide the audience at large,
the cinematic value is negligible. Therefore,
I had reservations when I learnt that the sequel
to the hilarious but poignant Munna Bhai,
MBBS involved Mahatma Gandhi. How could a
self-proclaimed Bollywood comedy possibly court
the thin line that separates Gandhi's idealism
and parody and pull it off without offending at
least some section of the audience?
Gandhigiri is what Munna Bhai (Sanjay Dutt) calls
it. It's what you get when a foul-mouthed, always
inebriated, underworld don is suddenly taken up
by Gandhian principles while in the midst of his
quest to win his love. Munna Bhai sees Gandhi,
talks to him, and gets a plethora of advice from
him as he embarks on a mission to put not only
himself but also the denizens of the city onto
the right path. Hirani does this, not by showing
Gandhi as a metaphor or even a ghost, but most
scientifically, pins it down to a chemical locha
in his brain and even uses it as plot point!
And it's not only Gandhi Hirani preaches, the
values of friendship, brotherhood, trust and faithfulness
are reiterated every single time Munna and Circuit
are on screen together. This pair is on course
to overtake Jai and Viru as the most popular duo
ever.
 The
plot itself is so simple you'd almost miss it.
The one-liner of this film would've been so boring,
that had this been a standalone film being pitched
by a new director, nobody would've touched it
with a bargepole. But Hirani infuses magic in
his characters as he constructs and deconstructs
the sceneflow like a conductor wielding a baton
at a symphonic orchestra. The screenplay is a
work of art: every scene is powerful in one way
or the other. It seamlessly cycles, scene-by-scene,
from being uproariously funny to being passionately
moving. Such a sript in these times will only
raise the bar for screenwriters in India. It's
comic yet sentimental, informative yet inspirational
and relevant.
It's hard to pinpoint the better scenes because
there is hardly any neutrality, so to speak. But
special mention may be made of the Jimmy Shergill
track, the library scene where the locha
begins, and Munna apologizing to Circuit on the
waterfront. And these are only the ones that will
move you to tears; when it comes to the laughs,
every scene is better than the previous. The scene
where the pensioner begins taking off his clothes
one piece at a time to humiliate the babu who
wants a bribe is very funny yet so hard-hitting.
Audiences around me reacted so positively: here
was a solution to a common man's problems presented
in such a unique yet effective way. There is something
for every member of the audience to take away
from this film, whether she's a young woman on
the cusp of marriage or a 65 year old man who
is looking to start life afresh. It's hard to
come away from a screening unchanged. Perhaps
the only weak link in the screenplay is the love
affair that isn't adequately fleshed out and Janvi
(Vidya Balan) seems too easily mesmerized by a
man so coarse.
Of course, if it wasn't for great performances,
even the most ideal script would be no good. Arshad
Warsi as Circuit is spot on, picking up from where
he left off in the prequel (which is strange,
because I read somewhere that on the first day
of shoot he forgot how he essayed the
earlier role and had to watch the DVD several
times to re-figure it out), Vidya Balan is ...
not bad ... she is ever-so-slightly over the top
and not as versatile as we expected her to be
after her first-rate performance in Parineeta
. Boman Irani's portrayal as a dirty Sardar
is just genius. Little, studied behavioral patterns
that he has nuanced proves what a thorough actor
he is. Munna Bhai's character is very layered
and multi-dimensional but Sanjay Dutt gives it
his all to match what the script demands: effectively
creating the humor around him, and still very
much the respected hero that he needs to be.
 The
cinematography and editing are so good that you
don't notice them. There are no overtly exaggerated
or dramatic shots, cuts, or effects that tend
to jar the mellow rhythm of the film. The lyrics
are well written, the music is catchy (though
they stole Pal Pal from Theme for
a Dream ) and the songs, though mostly irrelevant
to the plot, are congruous to the film.
At one point when Janvi asks Munna Bhai, How
do you get by with this street-talk, considering
you're a professor? He answers that it's the only
language that his students understand and if you're
going to effectively teach them anything, it's
best in their language. This little exchange mirrors
Hirani's real-life intent on using the most popular
medium to reinforce Gandhian idealism to an audience
from whose memories the Mahatma is constantly
fading away to the point where it's almost fashionable
to deride him (remember Santoshi's The Legend
of Bhagat Singh?) And how gracefully Hirani
pulls it off! What a clever, relevant film this
is! Remember the times how NFDC and Films' Division
continually tried to create and promote socially-relevant
films? How that idea transmogrified into (a kind
of) parallel cinema and gave birth to many good
films by equally good filmmakers (a more recent
example in Gowariker's Swades )? But
Lage Raho Munna Bhai simply redefines
the very concept of such a film. You can have
stars, you can have songs and dance, you can bargain
with exhibitors and multiplexes (and win), you
can have side-splitting humour, your leading men
can portray goons and chase girls, and you can
STILL make a very effective film with great cinematic
value and social relevance! Surely this is genius.
Not only does this film need to be seen, it needs to be seen again. Possibly, 10 times over on DVD.
- Karan Anshuman
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