Kya Jhakaas Film Hai, Mamu!

They say lightning never strikes twice at the same place. I beg to differ. In January Aamir Khan’s brilliant Rang De Basanti floored audiences and reaffirmed my faith that Indian cinema can be both classy and commercial at the same time. And for the second time in the year, another film has managed to do just that – Munnabhai, we love you!
Well, what can I say. Just a few weeks ago I posted that there was a lack of quality family films these days. Lage Raho Munnabhai has effectively shut me up. This masterpiece from the Vidhu Chopra stable is a veritable gem of a movie; a movie that does everything that a movie must do – it makes you laugh, cry, sit back ad think, and most importantly have a good time. Comedy can so easily be overdone, but it takes great writers of this caliber to make a subtle blend of both slapstick and classy humour, and that’s what Munnabhai has successfully done – again. Sanjay Dutt IS Munnabhai, and it would be unimaginable to think that someone else could possible replicate his character.
And wait a minute… when was the last time you went for a comedy movie and ended up learning valuable lessons in life? To be honest, I gawked the first time I heard that Munna would be advocating Gandhian principles in the movie – it sounded so unrealistic and heavy handed. But I was just thrown back by the sheer ingenuity by which the makers of the film incorporated the Mahatma into the scheme of things. For a world which has increasingly got to accept that Gandhian principles are outdated, its weird how it takes a mass market commercial film to hammer the truth, which it so effectively does without for an instant sounding preachy.
Alright, so it may be a bit unrealistic at times (that live acion-and-reaction radio show a *little* bit over the top) but who’s complaining? Munnabhai is exactly why we go to the movies – to cut ourselves out of the real world, while enjoying a few hours of unadulterated and quality fun. I have no hesitation in saying that the Munnabhai series will become a cult classic in no time, an icon that generations of Indians would venerate, the same way that our parents talk about Sholay and Gabbar Singh. Its India’s very own cult character, an export to the outside world, something that Amitabh Bacchan’s “Angry Young Man” was in the 70s. No kidding – a Hollywood movie based on Munnabhai MBBS called “Gangsta MD” is in the works with Chris Tucker in the lead role. Looks like we have come a full circle.
Who needs accolades from old grey haired American geysers to tell us that Lage Raho Munnabhai is a great piece of cinema? We don’t need your Oscars or Golden Globes or BAFTAs. – you can keep them yourself. If this is the quality of movies that Indian cinema is churning out, we can only say Lage Raho!
Rating: 4½ on 5