LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI – A GOOD COMBO OF HILARITY, ROMANCE AND A POSITIVE MESSAGE

Rating:- * * *1/2

Mostly people fall in love with a girl’s beauty, but Munna [Sanjay Dutt] is besotted with radio jockey Jhanvi’s voice, her stylish greeting (Good Morning, Mumbai) on her daily radio show. Reminds one of “Meri Soorat Teri Aankhen”. Here it is “mera dhanda teri aawaaz”.Amazing that a person who’s into dadagiri keeps his ear glued to the radio daily. Not only that, he even thinks of marrying her one day. A dada marrying a radio jockey who mistakes him for a professor of history. And lo, one day, she even invites him to give a lecture on history to her family. Poor Munna! What should he do? When he’s at a loss what to do, his friend Circuit [Arshad Warsi] comes up with a solution. And then, the most unusual thing occurs in Munna's life. He comes face to face with Mahatma Gandhi.

The novelty of the script of the film lies in the fact that it can well be described as hat-ke and does not bear similarity to any released film [Hindi or Hollywood] . In fact, the USP of the film are portions between Mahatma Gandhi and Munna which is a brilliant stroke from the writing point of view.

Not that the film is flawless: Munna's transition to a radio jockey and playing the role of a counselor is a little far-fetched. Nevertheless the sequences between Sanju and Jimmy-Parikshit Sahni and also with Dia Mirza subsequently keep your interest in the film alive.

After the interval the film focuses on romance between Munna and Jhanvi, and the romantic portions are well executed.

Hirani's command over humor, drama and emotions is exemplary. Note the sequence when Munna slaps Circuit and tenders an apology after Mahatma Gandhi tells him to; it brings tears to your eyes instantly. While the sequences between Munna and Circuit are the mainstay of the film, sequences showing Munna & Circuit landing up behind bars are hilarious. It goes to the credit of Hirani that he treats the sequel as competently as he did the original.

Shantanu Moitra's music is soothing. 'Samjho Ho Hi Gaya' and 'Bole To Bole Kaisi Hogi Hai… Lage Raho Munna Bhai' are the best tracks.Cinematography [Muraleedharan C.K.] is eye-arresting and dialogues marked by wit & hilarity.

Performances? Sanjay Dutt lives the character of Munna. Arshad Warsi is superb, more because of comic timing. Boman Irani proves yet again that he's an actor with an infinite range. Vidya Balan acts like a complete pro in her second outing. Also, she looks extremely photogenic in a glam role. Dilip Prabhavalkar [in the role of Mahatma Gandhi] & others are okay.

In totality, the film is not only entertaining, it also reminds one of the teachings of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.