Lage Raho Munna Bhai - the Joke goes on....
Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raj Kumar Hirani’s Munna Bhai M.B.B.S set unparallel records for a comedy. So when they decided to continue the joyride, it didn’t take much to convince audiences to join in on the bandwagon! Here’s the outcome on Lage Raho Munna Bhai!
Lage Raho Munna Bhai was surely up for a challenge. The team had to do something new but still maintain the resilience of the original. Fully aware that audiences would snarl at a rehash but be disappointed if the same flavor wasn’t there, Hirani, Chopra, and co-screenwriter Abhijat Joshi, pen a witty screenplay. They breakaway from a sequel pattern and form an entirely new story keeping the same characterization and style. Where as the sequel of Koi Mil Gaya, Krissh, tied into the previous to explain the present, Lage Raho Munna Bhai completely abandons that concept and starts fresh with a new love, new plot, new mission, and new lesson.
So in other words if you really liked the first one and were hoping to pick up from where it left off, you can start frowning now cause that’s not happening. If anything, to make a correlation there are some scenarios that seem to be taken from the original. The connection is in the language, in the relationship between Munna and Circuit, and in their uncanny ways to get the job done. So you won’t be frowning for long because Lage Raho Munna Bhai will make sure it turns that frown upside down.
It’s difficult not to compare, but in a way you almost have to given the preset standards. What seems to be the case the second time around with first time debut directorial wonders is the same here. It happened with Karan Johar, it happened with Faran Akthar, and now it happens with Rajkumar Hirani. While he’s still good in this feature, he’s not as solid or in form as the previous. M.B.B.S had a unique magic, it was spontaneous and unpredictable. Lage Raho…comes across calculated with a lack of natural flow and more force. However it compensates in other areas squaring out evenly.
A beautiful plot with a key message is shared. Viewers are taught a valuable lesson without even realizing they’re being schooled. As you laugh all through, in actuality your being seeded with the thought of leading a life of “Gunda-giri” or “Gandhi-giri”.
The film is a highly recommended watch for children but serves as a good reminder for all ages, as it teaches the morals set by Mahatma Gandhi.
Sanjay Dutt walks through his role with a blank look, but with ease given its a simple continuation. Circuit and Arshad Warsi go hand in hand. He’s incomplete without the character and the character’s incomplete without him. A superb job, he earns double the praise. Alongside Arshad is Booman Irani who also wins twice around. The new Munna Bhai would not be the same without his character Lucky. Where Vidhu Vinod Chopra had yet to repeat any of his heroines, record breaker Vidya Balan after his Parineeta is repeated once again. This astonishing actress brightens the screen with her presence and adds warmth with her million-dollar smile. Lago Raho Munna Bhai is truly a family atmosphere; even many of the cameos are invited back. The Parsi’s, Jimmy Shergill, and a host of new members as Diya Mirza are a part of the pleasurable adventure, along with a surprise guest!
Truthfully speaking, on the whole the film does not match up to the spark Munna Bhai M.B.B.S was able to ignite. Most of the comical sequences seem borrowed from the first to familiarize audiences and appease them with a given successful formula. The plot doesn't come alive till the middle half and the moral of the story would've had more momentum had the film been released on Gandhi Jayanti, October, 2nd.
As a sequel this film doesn’t work, but as a stand-alone product it satisfies. A wholesome family entertainer that stems from the roots of good old clean Indian cinema is the base of Lago Raho Munna Bhai. Bole tho a mast film with 3 1/2 stars.
A film like this can show you a path, but it can’t give you the courage to take it. That…you have to find with in yourself. So if any of you decide to lead a life of “Gandhi-giri” and have a story to share, I’d love to hear! Be sure to leave a comment!