Lage Raho Munnabhai

As usual I am so late in trying to write about the movie that much has already been written about it. I would have said that it probably is better than Munnabhai MBBS – but that has been said. I would have commented about a rather odd occurance of a ’sequel’ living upto the precedence (and even surpassing it), but even that has been said. Although I would not have done it myself, and I do not understand much of this one, but there are some attempts at criticisms around too.

There is only one thing that remains to be said from my side. After seeing this one, I found a new perspective on the purpose of the first movie (Munnabhai MBBS) too. Earlier I had thought that to be just a nice, entertaining movie, which capitalized on the desire of the youth today to appear carefree, cool yet nice and lovable. But putting these two of them together, they appear more like reviving an ancient art of story-telling where morales were taught by simple stories providing good entertainment too. Such stories do not go into nuances too much. They simply convey the idea. And this is something that both the movies have done very well. Although I do not know if the writer/director had the idea of doing a sequel in mind while doing the first movie, but a series makes a lot more sense now. One dose of “some nice thing in life” in each of the movies! If Munnabhai MBBS advocated the human aspect in a profession like medicine, this one is for an idea which we find difficult to talk about non-cynically otherwise. Continuing with the same idea of the art of story-telling, the movies are symbolic. They aren’t to be taken as something that really mean much in real life as such. Like all those Panchatantra stories having animals as their cast. Yes! You aren’t going to have item songs in a hospital for getting that human aspect in the profession. Nor is a corrupt builder going to be reformed with a radio programme But they are a gentle reminders, to be a little more compassionate, to be a little more tolerant.

And although I have already confessed that much has been written about it, I can not help mentioning. Several things that have been beautifully tied together in the story as well as in the presentation leaves no doubt that it has been a superb piece of story-telling. Touching everything from superstitions, love, friendship, psychological problems, family problems without getting cynical about any of these is the beauty of the story. And giving good humour without letting it make the mockery of serious message is the beauty of the presentation.

A brilliant, brilliant work. Rang de Basanti and Corporate are the kind of movies which I admire for their ability to present fine picture of human behaviour and those are tough to do in this stereotype stricken world. But despite conveying the idea in a less fine-tuned manner, a piece like “Lage Raho Munnabhai” is much, much more difficult to do, beause of the way it mingles the pure entertainment with a serious message.

Technorati : Bollywood, Hindi Movie, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Movie