Lage Raho Munnabhai-- A Review

Starcast : Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Vidya Balan, Diya Mirza, Abhishek Bachchan, Jimmy Shergill

Rating :- 4.5/5

As per a recent survey by the Economic times,on "who is the biggest icon of our times",Mahatma Gandhi was at position 2 just after Bill gates, followed by Mother Teresa at number 3.The poll was conducted among the corporate honchos and management students from among the country's leading B-schools.The majority said that they had no time for Gandhiji and didn't subscribe to his philosophies.They said that they believed in the idea of making amends on the spot-- an eye for an eye--if wronged-- as opposed to Gandhiji's ideals of Non-violence.

Most of the people had a problem identifying with him in today's scenario.Tushar A Gandhi, 46, the Bapu’s great grandson, puts it in perspective.-- “The reason why Indians feel Gandhi is a medicine past its due by date is because we have only grudgingly studied him as a chapter in history textbooks... We want to be identified with the icons of mammon, Bill Gates, and his tribe.”

Perhaps he is right.So are the people.But after the watching out Rajkumar Hirani's "Lage raho Munnabhai",these people might want to reconsider their opinions !!

"Ravage every single statue, every bust mounted in every park and staircase lobby. Take down every painting, photograph or picture of Gandhi put up on the walls. Bring down every signboard on every street that bears his name. Carry him in your hearts if you can ."--Go the dialogues at the outset.In other words admiring Gandhiji is not just about having his photograph on the walls,and his bust mounted at public places,its about appreciating his philosophies and actualizing them in your day-to-day life.--The movie accentuates on this simple but meaningful bottomline.

"Lage Raho Munnabhai" which can better be called as the next comical sequence of Munnabhai MBBS(not literally a sequel of Munnabhai MBBS) attempts to preach Gandhian principles of 'truth' and 'Non violence' without sounding didactic at the same time.It exemplifies how 'Gandhigiri' can be applied to anything and everything in today's scenario -- whether it is about choosing your right partner or facing the blow-off for your own misdeeds.It, in fact, redefines Gandhian principles for modern times and helps us realize how these principles can assist us to be better individuals.It kindles the hope for a 'utopia' in the minds of the viewers.

Munnabhai who spends his day listening to Radio Jockey Jhanvi's vivacious voice is hopelessly smitten by her.Enamoured by the way she greets 'good morning' he hatches a plot to meet her by winning a competition on-air,which is about Gandhi.Using his typical hooligan techniques,he manages to win the competition.In order to impress her he even presents himself as a history professor having a deep knowledge of Gandhian principles.But he finds himself in the soup,when she invites him to her house to deliver a lecture on Gandhi, for her grandfather and some of his friends.Realizing that he can't fake it this time,he puts himself through an intensive period of study in a library devoted to the life and works of Gandhi.

This is the point where his subconscious meets his conscious and a figure from the past meets his present -- Gandhiji arrives in the form of a divine intervention.Soon he realizes that everytime he calls his name to his mind,he appears in the corporeal form to extend his helping hand.Having Gandhiji with him,he wins Jhanvi's heart and as well,starts helping the society solve its prolems..

Signing an account, with ICICI even, takes a cup of coffee,but the girl doesn't even have to wait that longer to decide,whether the person she meets at the coffee pub is the right match for her or not.Simply by the way he beckons the waitor--Munnabhai helps her arrive at the conclusion that there is someone definitely better for her. "Judge a person,by the way he behaves with his subordinates"--asserts Munnabhai when the girl asks for an advice.

He is in his 'utopia' living with Gandhiji and solving problems for the people when one day the psychiatrist makes him realize that having Gandhi with him was nothing but mere hallucinations of his demented mind."He would only answer questions that you already know"--emphasizes the doctor -- making him realize in a way that you don't expect of bollywood movies.

Along with such enlightening instances,the movie also has a lot of rip-roaring moments.When the whispy security guard slaps him on his right cheek he puts forward his left cheek abiding by Gandhian principles.But when the guard whacks the left side even harder,Munnabhai turns back and bangs the opponent flat on the ground and elucidates -- “Dono gaal pe padi, to Bapu ne nahin kaha tha ki kya karna hai!”

The songs of the movie also blend well with the situation.The song "samjho ho hi gaya" literally drives the audience yodelling along.So the movie sermonizes,enlightens,amuses,titillates--all at the same time.

In a nutshell,'Lage Raho Munnabhai' is a must watch,and should be a big success.And hope that's enough of a motivation for my wesern culture-amorous-Indian friends who pushed Gandhiji to No 2.For those,for whom the dose was not enough,and still hold bill gates at no 1,there's more to it :))

"almost all the top league colleges and universities in the US are incorporating Gandhian studies in their curriculum. Harvard acknowledged Mahatma Gandhi as an eminent management icon of our times. The police in Brazil read Gandhi literature to de-stress and serve the people better"

What seems to follow further is the US getting a patent for 'Gandhigiri' publications(!!) and Indians buying in US publications epitomizing how Mahatma Gandhi displayed admirable qualities of an efficient event manager and how astutely he blended the response of his opponents to his own benefit(for the nation).

So time to wake up and smell the (taxfree) coffee(by Rajkumar Hirani) now. Or wait for US to sell the same coffee someday, at 'starbucks' outlets in India, at Dollar rates !!