How should I classify myself? Though I admit, I am impressed by the Mahatma and his philosophy of Non-Violence, to be brutally frank, I am no adherent of the Mahatma and his philosophy; I mean I do agree that his philosophy seems to be sound and strong, but I do not think I would ever be able to stand up on the path as envisaged by him… And Yet, I have spent a substantial amount of my time trying to understand the man and his beliefs though, it's also true that I have always been at a loss to understand him.
How can one even imagine to understand someone who defies logic but still is so logical in his approach that my logic goes for a complete toss?
No… I do not try to follow him… I cannot!
There can not be a man more opposite to Gandhi in temperament and firmament than me and as East and West never meet, neither can we…We are simply different… If he stands for the Truth, I stand for everything but the Truth… If He stands for Ethics, I think it’s an outdated concept ….. He talks of Internal Peace, for me External Position beckons. We are simply opposites … And Yet today I am confused, not because I have suddenly turned into an avid fan of Mr. Gandhi but because I am today faced with a very difficult question… a question that for my intellect has a foregone conclusion but a question, that still haunts my heart!
Does the Mahatma, or can the Gandhi of 1900's survive in the environment of the current century? Can his ideals still be useful and as successful as they were with the earlier generation or have we lost the capabilities to face Truth? Do his ideals still exist? Does Gandhi have a solution for today's concerns?
Youth of my generation, who are prone to only ridiculing his personage, would find it a rhetorical and foolish question, a question already answered in denail and rejection; but if you really think about it deep down, it’s a question that simmers within our conscience, questions our deeds and at times plays havoc with our emotions…….
‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ attempts to answer this question in the best manner it can. Although this movie is a sequel of one of the best comedies of Hindi Cinema, Munnabhai MBBS, it is as different from the precursor as chalk from cheese..... in fact, all that can be said, in comparison with the earlier mentioned classic, is that, it can be considered to be a worthy successor to its prequel – it's very unlike the many other sequels that have invested the movie market like rats in a flea market; and to add to it, it also has a more profound and deeper meaning than the prequel… the challenge of living upto a prequel is a daunting affair, as any artist would tell you (Ramesh Sippy spent his life trying to live down the curse of Sholay) but to actually make the sequel tackle a contemporary subject in a philosophy that has been reviled and cursed by a major chunk of today’s generation is commendable even if considered a bit too risky. To the credit of the director, it has also been speactacularly successful........
Lage Raho Munnabhai is a brilliant movie, a movie which will make you sit back and notice and maybe think at least once after the arcs have dimmed and when all the Munnabhais and Circuits have been relegated to the back of the mind and therein lies the charm of the movie and the power of the philosophy that guides it. It's a film that will, on a tranquil evening, make you dust your conscience from the attic of the consciousness and face upto it - though the doubt many would come out of it with flying colours........
Sanjay Dutt in the best performance of his life, yet again proves that he is no less an actor than the Khans and Kumars of the industry, even though he may not have the kind of clout they command - the Deadly Dutt has always been a lonely warrior and it really hurts to see an actor of his calibre, one who has given strong performances like Naam, Vaastav and the Munnabhai series, is not considered among the leading lights of the current era... Coming back to this movie, the actor simply continues in the same verve as in the previous film but what actually takes the cake is the fact that the actor has not tried to rest on his laurels but has worked on his character and brought about a brilliant amalgamation of a soft and emotional heart to a tough exterior and an innocent faith that can shake mountains. The man has come a long way from his Vidhaata days when he needed to be propped up by stalwarts and the scene wherein he faces the truth behind his faith is enough to move mountains. Brilliant acting, sir!
Arshad Warsi dazzles in the role that’s destined to become his calling card in the industry. The guy has always been an excellent, even if underrated, actor and with this film it lends credence to the theory that no Munnabhai can ever be complete without his Circuit. But more than anything, the guy leaves you speechless with his performance in the scene wherein Munnabhai comes to apologize to him after slapping him the previous night.
Boman Irani again proves a worthy antagonist to our heroes. As the loud but business-minded Lucky Singh, the guy is in full bloom. In fact, I would say that it’s very difficult to play a villain with positive attributes in our hero-obsessed and villain-bashing society but to the credit of Boman, the actor manages to play the role evenly and ensures that at no time does the audience hate him as the evil man. He’s a great actor and I am sure Boman Irani will prove that to be successful, you need to be an actor and nothing else...... Hindi Cinema needs to understand that it's future is not in those multi-million demanding star-sons, star-daughter and star network cliques but in forwarding the interests of these actors who are what made the industry so strong..........
The great Dilip Prabhavalkar, an actor of the caliber of a Sanjeev Kumar or Naseeruddin Shah, but rarely given his due, has been roped in to play Mahatma Gandhi and that is indeed a great treat for the connoisseur. Dilip, like his namesake, the legend Dilip Kumar, keeps the audience firmly glued to the seat with his excellent performance to such an extent that sometimes the distinction between the actor and his role gets blurred and we are left with a sinking feeling that perhaps the Mahatma has come back between us........... Everything about Dilip is extraordinary, the ease with which he makes a difficult character come alive in so simple a way is what makes me salute him as an actor - Undoubtedly a diamond in the world of Acting.........
Vidya Balan as Munnabhai’s love interest plays her role with conviction but the influence of Preity Zinta from Salaam Namaste is pretty obvious.There is little doubt that the actress has it in within her to be a front-lining actress but I think she would do well to study her performances and prepare a career plan rather than try and make lucky choices - Every film can not e Parineeta or Lage Raho Munnabhai - Hence, the need for serious introspection..........
Diya Mirza as Simran plays her role with gusto and gay abandon. Jimmy Shergill is exceptional in his two-bit role. The actor has a lot of potential and it’s sad that he has to keep appearing in itsy-bitsy roles when he has the potential and can carry a film on his shoulders. Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Saurabh Shukla and Parikshit Sahni all perform to the best of their abilities. Abhishek Bachchan is fantastic in his cameo appearance.
I appreciate Rajkumar Hirani for his guts in making a sequel with such a deep and profound meaning. He is a brilliant writer-director and I personally feel he will be one day considered as an institution in himself. Unlike a few other directors who go to town broadcasting about their nonsensical films with clumsy and bold subjects and shoot in every place other than the country where the film is made and made for, the director has made an excellent use of Bombay and its locales. It’s after a long time that Bombay looks so beautiful. Every scene is well-conceived and directed and the director actually ensures that the audience does not go home with an improbable fantasy in their mind but with their feet firmly planted in the ground. I especially like the Press conference scene and the scene in the prison cell and the drunken Sanjay in the Worldspace office. Two films – Two classics! What more can I say for him than ‘keep it up’
And of course, who can forget the senior kids of 2nd Innings - everything about them was just awesome ........ it reminds me of a gang of old guys from my childhood who would get together in the evening at the benches and have a rocking time, ogling at some buxom belle and laughing at memories of a life gone by.........
You may insult him, make fun of him but the man does not mind… why should he? He very well knows an empire that did the same to him…today the empire is no more, it has been relegated to the footnotes of History but the ‘Nanga Fakir’ still survives… even after being shot dead.....
The answer is out there… Gandhi is dead but he still lives on… his philosophy still exists and surprisingly it exists in the minds of those who hardly care whether he lives or dies…. But then he was always a man of contradictions… great contradictions!
Lage Raho Gandhiji……….
As for me, well, I am waiting desperately for the next installment of this franchise… Phir Milenge Munnabhai!
