Lage Raho Munna Bhai

• Film Director: Rajkumar Hirani
• Year: 2006
• Main Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani, Jimmy Shergill, Diya Mirza
• Music Director: Shantanu Moitra

Movie Synopsis

Lage Raho Munna Bhai ; English: Carry on Munna Bhai) is a 2006 Indian musical comedy film directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It is the second film in the popular Munna Bhai series of Bollywood. Sanjay Dutt stars in this film as Munna Bhai, a Mumbai underworld don, who begins to see the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi. Through his interactions with the image of Gandhi, Munna Bhai begins to practice what he calls Gandhigiri to help ordinary people solve their problems. His sidekick, Circuit, is portrayed by Arshad Warsi. Lage Raho Munna Bhai has had a strong cultural impact in India, popularising Gandhism under Munna Bhai's notion of Gandhigiri. As noted by critics, the film has "stirred the popular imagination," leading to a number of Gandhigiri protests in India and in the United States: "For generations born after Gandhi's assassination, Munnabhai, the eponymous hero of the film, has rendered 'Gandhism' passé and 'Gandhian' arcane. The new buzzword is 'Gandhigiri,' a value, and valuable, addition to the lexicon of a culture suffused with every abominable kind of 'Dadagiri' and 'Goondagiri.' " The film was generally well-received by both critics and the mass audience. It was a box office success and was elevated to a "blockbuster" rating on Box Office India after grossing over Rs. 720 million. It is the recipient of a number of awards, including four National Film Awards. Lage Raho Munna Bhai is the first Hindi film to be shown at the United Nations, and also played to a packed house of mostly French students who "clapped till the credits were finished" during the Tous Les Cinema du Monde section of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, praised the film, stating that it "captures Bapu's message about the power of truth and humanism."