"Lets book tickets for next week again..." said my daughter as we were filing out after watching Lage Raho Munnabhai. Under normal circumstances I would have chided her for a request like this, but these were not normal circumstances.
We were transfixed souls being delivered from the dark womb of the theatre. Some were laughing, some like the lady to my right - sobbing, but most were like me...quiet. It was like someone had tickled your funny bone and while you laughted your head off  deliveres a stinging slap that leaves you bewildered and introspecting at the same time.

I remembered the quote used by the director of the film in an interview on
rediff.com "You will laugh through the film with moist eyes." Given the penchant for loud and over the top execution of what passes for comedy in our country I was skeptical of his ability to transform such a complex mix of sentiments on celluloid. But he proved me wrong and I am really glad about it.

The sound of the standing ovation, as the titles came up, was still ringing in my ears. The applause was both thunderous and spontaneous. Like all human beings we had stood up as one and reacted to the stirring of a very basic sentiment - humanity. And who better to deliver that sentiment but the saint of Sabarmati himself. What a brilliant ploy of using an icon so symbolic and pervasive that the creidibility of the message being delivered can never be questioned.

In times where producers and stars tend to outdo each other to promote the USP of their movies here is a great example of how to pleasantly surprise viewers. By not showing the character of Gandhi who embodies the 'voice of God' or the 'sutradhaar' of the movie in any promos or interviews, the makers of this film have pulled off a sucker punch that has created a very strong word of mouth buzz.

While the story last time focused on the apathy of the medical system it tackles a wider theme this time - that of finding the courage within us to walk the path of truth against all adversities. Using Gandhi and his methods of satyagrah and non violence as a medium creates a familiar backdrop which touches some corners of the mind that we have long forgotten to visit. Bapu's ideals clear the accumulated dust on the good side within us. We eagerly identify ourselves with the travails of Munna and participate in his fight prodding him and ultimately ourselves to win the battle at hand.

Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi have fully capitalised on the lifeline Munna and Circuit have provided to their careers. Both have amazing on screen chemistry and effrotless comic timing. Its like they were born to play these roles. Boman Irani with his colored turbans plays the unscruplous builder with aplomb. Vidya Balan is very charming and looks fresh on screen. But the surprising package is Dilip Prabhavalkar who plays the role of the Mahatma. He has played the role well within himself, focusing on the message without trying to get too close to the mannerisms of the personlaity.

Munna will add more cult words to the dictionary of our daily lives. Last time he gave us 'Maamu' and 'Jaadu ki jhappi'. This time it is 'Gandhigiri' and 'Chemical Locha'. I guess it will also (though temporarily) give us a feeling of compassion. I realised it when on the way back home an autorickshaw driver, in his typical way, cut lanes forcing me to brake suddenly. In the normal course I would have made a dash for the errant driver, overtaken him and rolled down my window to let out my favorite explitives that are specially reserved for auto drivers. But this time I surprised myself by keeping calm and thought about the futility of the act since it would not change the way auto drivers plied the roads and continued driving as if nothing had happened. Mind you this lasted precisely for one day, and now I am back to my abusive best.

This movie can be truly termed as India's first successful franchise. I call it a franchise because it is not a sequel as there is no continuation of the story from the previous film. The writers have created two characters who can be placed in any situation and come out trumps, leave you charmed and get the box office registers ringing.





"Three bullets cannot stop my ideals from being followed" says the Mahatma in the movie. Similarly you cannot stop the Munna juggernaut that has been unleashed on the Indian movie audiences.

Lage Raho Munnabhai, Dekhte Raho Munnabhai.