Lage Raho Munna Bhai Movie Reviews

Bande Mein Tha Dum€¦Vande Matram. It is that time of the year when students are killing their teachers (in Ujjain), political parties are fighting over the singing of €˜Vande Matram€™, floods have trampled the length and breadth of this country and no one is bothered about the relief work. And Members of Parliament are hurling fist cuffs at each other in the Parliament (Considered to be the Temple of Democracy). That€™s when we need the messages of Gandhiji the most. And Bapu has found an unusual messenger€¦Apna Munnabhai, with Circuit in tow. Together they are making an effort to do the most difficult thing€¦Speak the Truth and admit their sins without bothering about the consequences. And the whole world is echoing in unison: €˜Lage Raho Munnabhai€™.

Raj Kumar Hirani, the director of trendsetting €˜Munnabhai MBBS€™ is back with a remarkable new film, supported-to-the-hilt by a courageous producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra with their latest offering €˜Lage Raho Munnabhai€™ where the immaculately chiseled chemistry of Murli Prasad Sharma aka Munnabhai (Sanjay Dutt) and Circuit (Arshad Warsi) Sizzles the screen. Like €˜Phir Hera Pheri€™ and €˜Krrish€™, €˜LRMB€™ isn€™t a sequel that starts off from where €˜Munnabhai MBBS€™ had ended. Instead, the legend of Munnabhai continues to indulge in toporigiri with his trusted aide Circuit. Rest of the setting is jhakaas-n-new. Builder Sardar Lucky Singh (Boman Irani) wants to get possession of a sea view bungalow for his daughter Simran€™s (Dia Mirza) wedding gift. The bungalow is leased to Jahnvi€™s grandfather who calls it €˜Second Innings House€™ for that€™s where all his senior citizen friends (Who€™ve been thrown out by their children) stay enjoying the second innings of their life.

But who€™s this Jahnvi? Well€¦.Munnabhai had to fall in love with her voice for when she said Goodmorning Mumbai! on Worldspace Radio (Surrogate advertising at its best)€¦.Then like an uninhibited wave, lovely emotions completely shored Munnabhai. Each morning. Jahnvi (Vidya Balan) is a full-of-life Radio Jockey something on the lines of Preity Zinta in €˜Salaam Namaste€™ (I would say she makes a much better RJ than Preity). She asks ten questions on Mahatma Gandhi that Professor Murli Prasad Sharma manages to blurt out correctly (With the aid of genuine professors€¦If you remember Dr Rustam€¦Then you€™d know what I€™m talkin about). Love prospers on first sight. And Jahnvi invites Munna to her Second Innings Home to give a lecture to the Senior Citizens on the morals of Gandhi Ji. A love struck Munnabhai parks himself in a library on Bapu (Deserted€¦No one comes there€¦.As no one considers Gandhi relevant in a cut-throat world).

Munnabhai Meets Mahatma (Dilip Prabhawalkar) in the library. The world calls him a lunatic, but Munna is awestruck by the magical appeal of The Father Of The Nation. No one sees Gandhi except him (Not even Circuit). There€™s a gradual change in the total outlook of a duffer tapori. He organizes a peaceful satyagrah to protest against Lucky Singh after the Second Innings Home is forcibly taken over. Instead of breaking bones, he mobilizes support from the ordinary citizens through his programme on Radio where he listens to plight of common folk who till then wasted no opportunity to resort to violence in day to day life.

All this bhashan baazi has its many entertaining moments, especially when Bapu speaks in Munnabhai lingo. Thank You Raj Kumar Hirani for reviving the greatness of Mahatma Gandhi once again. And, for coining a new term €˜Gandhigiri€™ to combat €˜Dadagiri€™. His ideals are more relevant today than ever before. Like €˜Rang De Basanti€™, €˜Lage Raho Munnabhai€™ shall make the youth realize the importance of €˜Freedom€™ that all of us have been presented with on a silver platter. If €˜RDB€™ can have such a massive impact on the Anti-Reservation movement of the Medical Students across the country or the candle marches opposing the injustice in the Jessica Lal murder case, then €˜LRMB€™ shall pinch the conscience of each and everyone who watches this movie.

Writer-Director Raj Kumar Hirani€¦Take a bow for making a beautiful film that talks about morals. Not by being a pedant and screaming from a pedestal. But, by talking about humility, simplicity and following the path of truth howsoever difficult it might be. All this while the editor-director in him doesn€™t compromise on the entertainment quotient as he pens such lines (Alongwith Abhijit Joshi, the fellow dialogue writer) as €˜Leakage€™ (For you know what), Vinamr€¦(Right word is vinamrata€¦But the sheer comical element emanating out of it is hilarious). A lot of credit goes to Vinod Chopra for producing an unconventional subject with such diligent passion. His production house is emerging to be a power to reckon with.

In the acting department, Sanjay Dutt has never looked so charged up about any of his characters ever before. He is BRILLIANT from the word go. Be it the funny moments, the somber ones or the romantic ones, Sanju breathes a magician€™s feel. He is right when he said in an interview recently that people will remember him as Munnabhai when he is no more. Arshad Warsi seems to have become synonymous with Circuit too. In the first half he has some of the best lines and his natural ease is magnificent. Dilip Prabhawalkar as Gandhi is exceptional. One of the most adorable Gandhi (Even better than Naseeruddin Shah in Hey Ram) in recent times.

Vidya Balan is like a spotless moon that glistens with charming beauty. She makes an effortless transition from the Period Lolita of €˜Parineeta€™ to Jahnvi of €˜Lage Raho€¦€™ The chemistry between her and Sanju is Special. Boman Irani is a matchless Sardar except for that patchy beard (Sack the make up man now). Boman€™s acting is faultless. You just can€™t decipher if he is an actual Panju or not. In the remaining cast, it€™s not Jimmy Shergil, Dia Mirza and Abhishek Bachchan€™s cameo that steal the show. Instead, the entire team of Second Innings Home is smashing. Music by Shantanu Moitra is notable for €˜Bande Mein Tha Dum€™, €˜Aye Hua Kya€™, €˜Bara Aane€¦€™ and €˜Pal Pal€¦€™ The rapping of Sanju and Arshad in €˜Aye Hua Kya€™ is glorious to say the least. Swanand Kirkire€™s lyrics are innovative, especially in €˜Bara Aane€™. €˜Lage Raho Munnabhai€™ is a fabulous cinematic experience that shall have a good time at the Box Office. It€™s a film for anyone and everyone. Smaller or Bigger centers alike. Watch it today€¦It shall make a difference in your life.