Sequels are alien to Bollywood , but if this is any indication of things to come then i think i there might be quite a few movies to watch out for in the future.Its been three years since the movie 'Munnabhai MBBS' hit the screens and wooed our hearts.Following it up with another episode, which is no less charismatic than the prequel,is no easy task and the creators of 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' has done more than that.
Munnabhai once again plays agony unc to the common man,but this time he manages to get the support from The Mahatma along with his aide, the inimitable 'Circuit'.The term 'Gandhigiri' is already a hit with the masses and it tells us how the preachings of a man who led the freedom movement is relevant even today.It makes the viewer empathise with the Father of The Nation without showing footages of a dhoti clad,bald,bespectacled old man being beaten up or jailed by the British police as one would normally expect.Munnabhai also shatters the conviction (thanks to films like No Entry,Kya kool hai hum,Kal ho naa ho etc) that comic scenes should be laden with adult jokes or double entredes.And I never knew that the mumbai lingo was so rich until i heard circuit saying "Bhabhiji toh pichhu hai" (meaning-behind you) or Munna referring to the cause for his hallucination as "dimaag mein chemical ka locha".
Kudos to both Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani for not repeating the characters from the original.Bomaan Irani once again steals the show,this time as Lakhan Singh.Arshad Warsi may don many other roles in years to come but he will be remembered most by many moviegoers for his role of 'Circuit'.And Sujay Dutt manages to turn the viewers into splits every time he utters something.
I think there is only one scene in the movie where i'm able to accuse the makers of plagiarism.Thats when Munna holds the son of a senile upside down so that he is forced to make a word on celebrating the old man's birthday.The shot evokes a laugh riot but it is a straight lift from the movie 'A fish called Wanda'.But then, that movie was copied in its entireity by one of the most accomplished (really ???) directors in India,Priyadarshan,into a disastrous Malayalam flick titled 'Kakkakuyil'.
I also suggest that we start a quiz on Munnabhai and Circuit with questions ranging from,"Munna aur circuit ne kitne haddiyan thodi hai"? to "Which name do you think is more suitable for a city 'Munna Nagar' or 'Circuitabad'"?.Lage Raho...
