15 Years of 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai': Things to learn from the blockbuster

A still from `Lage Raho Munna Bhai`, Picture Courtesy: Mid-day Archives

It has been 15 years since Rajkumar Hirani's ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai', a film that marked the return of two very popular and impressionable celluloid characters, Munna and Circuit. Every sidekick ever since then has been compared to Arshad Warsi's unique and unforgettable role that he nailed with absolute precision. There's barely any other star who can be the embodiment of grit and goodness, both. Sanjay Dutt is your Munna Bhai and the other way round too.

But this isn't a sequel, two characters are thrown in a new world in the same city - Mumbai. In the first one that came out in 2003, it was a medical college and a conflict with the dean, this time, it was about Mahatma Gandhi and reforming the crooked with his two weapons - truth and non-violence. Dutt's Murli Prasad Sharma in the new film was less bullish and more of a buffoon in all the saccharine ways. Circuit got the traits from the 2003 blockbuster retained.

There were a lot of takeaways from ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai', here are some of them:

Choose your words wisely

Vidya Balan was a radio jockey who interviews Dutt on Mahatma Gandhi. Warsi advises him to choose his words wisely and communicate in pure Hindi. Avoid the word vaat, go for durgati. The plan works and so does the interview.

Go for violence when needed

Aatmaram is an aging man who wishes to celebrate his birthday with his son who just wouldn't budge. Enters Munna, who puts out the request with utmost harmony, the head wouldn't nod even now. Cut to the son hanging upside down from his office balcony. The plan works, and so does the father's birthday.

Non-violence is the key

Again, an aging man, struggling with his pension. A bespectacled resident infuriated with the paan stains on his entrance wall. A son who's lost a huge chunk of money in shares. Too many conflicts and confessions, too little time. But Munna and Mahatma have a solution for them all. The son bravely confesses his sins, the aging man hilariously embarrasses the man who refuses to pay him his rightful amount, and the resident smiles and cleans the stains everyday. Any guesses? Yes, the plans work. All three of them.

Say sorry

In an expected moment for the audience and unexpected for Circuit, Munna slaps him after a mishap. He breaks down and so does Munna. Gandhi Ji advises him to apologise. That's more daring than slapping anyone. The two don't even see eye to eye when this scene plays out, and Munna shares some alarming and amusing anecdotes to recount their priceless moments of friendship. Of course, Circuit forgives Munna, or else there would be no movie ahead.

Say no to blind faith and astrology

Another conflict of the story is the character of Saurabh Shukla, an astrologer who predicts the death of his client's son if he marries the daughter of Boman Irani. In the finale, Dutt busts the myth behind blind faith and astrological mumbo jumbo. The son doesn't care about his supposed doomed future either, he goes ahead and marries the woman he loves. He stays alive, and Shukla's astrology lays dead. There's nothing Munna and Circuit can't do. Except for giving us Munna Bhai 3. For that, they need to storm into the office of Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi, and Rajkumar Hirani. Also, what would they do if they were thrown into this pandemic? Now that's something the nation would want to know.

Also Read: Vidhu Vinod Chopra: Won't ever make a substandard Munna Bhai