Lage Raho is a complete original-Rajkumar Hirani
Courtesy: IndiaFM
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Starting of his career as a film editor, Rajkumar Hirani had moved into advertising. He directed a few ad films and also acted in some. He however, got back to film editing again. Having edited films like Jazbaat and Mission Kashmir, Rajkumar Hirani finally moved into film direction. His very first film Munnabhai MBBS rocked the Box Office. The comic tale of Munnabhai and his sidekick Circuit charmed the audiences in 2003. And now, Hirani has brought them back with Lage Raho Munnbhai which is set to release this September.
Is
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai
a
continuation
of
Munnabhai
MBBS?
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai
is
not
a
continuation
of
Munnabhai
MBBS.
It
in
fact
is
a
whole
new
episode
in
Munna
and
Circuit's
life.
Like
in
any
Charlie
Chaplin
or
James
Bond
movies,
the
central
characters
stay
the
same
and
there
is
another
story
in
every
film.
So
it's
basically
like
that.
The
tagline
says
"They
are
back
.........and
they
are
not
alone!"
Yes.
There
is
Vidya
Balan,
Dia
Mirza
,
Jimmy
Shergill
apart
from
Boman
Irani
with
them.
What
role
does
Boman
Irani
play
in
the
film?
Boman
is
playing
a
completely
different
role
this
time.
Last
time
he
played
Dr.
Asthana.
But
now
only
two
characters
from
the
last
film
stay
the
same
which
is
Sanjay
Dutt
and
Arshad
Warsi's.
Rest
of
the
characters
have
changed.
So
Boman
is
playing
an
entirely
different
character
this
time.
He
is
playing
a
Punjabi
Builder.
Eventually
you'll
see
him
in
the
promos
as
they
come
out.
Can
you
give
us
the
gist
of
the
film?
Gist
of
the
film...
I
won't
really
like
to
talk
about
because
then
you
lose
the
flavor
of
the
film.
Why
is
Gracy
Singh
replaced
by
Vidya
Balan?
See
only
two
characters
of
Munnabhai
and
Circuit
had
to
be
retained
in
the
film.
Rest
of
the
actors
from
Munnabhai
MBBS
are
in
different
characters
altogether.
Boman
is
not
Dr.
Asthana
anymore
and
Jimmy
Shergill
is
not
Zaheer.
Also,
Gracy
had
to
be
changed
but
she
didn't
fit
well
in
another
character.
Besides,
we
wanted
someone
to
play
a
Radio
Jockey
which
Vidya
Balan
suited
well
in.
Hence,
we
went
for
Vidya.
How
was
it
working
with
Sanjay
Dutt
and
Arshad
Warsi
once
again?
Last
time
when
they
were
doing
the
film,
for
them
it
was
just
another
film
they
were
acting
in.
This
time
they
have
come
back
much
more
motivated
and
more
engrossed
in
their
performances.
There
was
more
detailing
that
they
had
done
for
their
characters.
So
it
was
a
tremendous
pleasure
to
work
with
them.
What
was
it
about
Arshad
Warsi
forgetting
his
original
character
of
Circuit
on
the
first
day
of
shoot?
On
the
first
day
of
the
shoot,
we
were
shooting
a
scene
at
the
dhobi
ghat
which
has
Arshad
and
Sanjay
sitting
at
the
same
dhobi
ghat
like
in
the
last
film.
Sanjay
started
saying
his
lines
and
did
exceedingly
well.
And
then
came
Arshad's
turn.
And
when
Arshad
said
his
first
line,
he
didn't
sound
like
Circuit
at
all.
He
sounded
like
Arshad
Warsi
speaking
with
an
accent.
He
continued
4-5
lines
like
that.
He
was
wearing
that
black
kurta
but
he
was
a
different
person.
Then
we
did
a
retake
but
he
couldn't
do
it.
We
then
did
some
five
retakes
but
he
was
the
same.
Then
I
went
to
him
and
had
a
chat
with
him.
I
told
him
you
are
not
sounding
like
Circuit.
He
asked
me
"How
was
Circuit?" Arshad
had
completely
forgotten
how
he
had
played
Circuit.
We
tried
to
remind
him
but
he
couldn't.
He
said
I
play
a
character
and
then
I
forget
about
it.
So
we
stopped
the
shoot.
I
gave
him
a
DVD
of
Munnabhai
MBBS.
This
was
night
shoot,
so
next
whole
day
he
saw
the
film
about
three
times,
then
he
came
on
the
sets
and
finally
did
it
right.
I
was
initially
worried
thinking
whether
he'll
become
Circuit
again
or
not.
But
he
did.
Sanjay
Dutt
then
later
told
me
that
he
had
also
seen
the
film
some
8-9
times
before
coming
for
shoot,
just
to
sink
into
the
same
character.
What
was
the
story
behind
'Jaadu
Ki
Jhapi'?
Munnabhai's
was
a
character
who
helps
people
in
the
film.
So,
one
was
looking
at
something
humane
which
he
does.
For
a
longtime
I
didn't
have
this
'Jadoo
Ki
Jhapi'
in
the
film.
I
was
very
close
to
the
shoot
and
I
was
looking
for
this
one
little
thing
that
would
suggest
that
he
is
a
man
who
believes
in
alternate
therapy.
There
was
a
time
that
I
remember
when
Vinod
(Chopra)
used
to
give
me
a
hug
whenever
I
used
to
do
something
good,
so
'Jaadu
Ki
Jhapi'
came
from
there.
Tell
us
about
the
music
of
the
film.
Yes,
the
music
in
fact
has
just
released.
Shantanu
Moitra
has
done
the
music
of
the
film
and
Swanand
Kirkire
has
written
the
lyrics.
Even
Vidhu
Vinod
Chopra
has
contributed
to
the
lyrics.
Then
there
is
Sajid,
Farhad
who
have
written
one
song.
Talking
about
the
songs,
I
personally
feel
that
music
is
of
two
types
generally.
One
is
very
album
centric
which
sounds
great
but
when
you
watch
the
songs
in
the
film,
they
seem
very
out
of
place.
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai's
music
like
last
time
is
very
film
centric.
The
songs
have
been
written
and
composed
in
a
way
to
help
the
film.
So
the
film's
story
is
constantly
moving
with
the
song.
Also,
Shantanu
has
got
interesting
melody
in
the
songs.
Making
Bhaigiri
songs
melodious
is
a
very
difficult
task.
But
I
guess
Shantanu
has
achieved
great
balance
between
the
two.
Even
Sanjay
Dutt
and
Arshad
Warsi
sang
a
song.
Yes
there
was
song
which
had
lot
of
dialogues
in
it.
So,
we
thought
it
would
be
great
if
Sanjay
and
Arshad
could
sing
it.
Sanju
has
sung
earlier
so
it
wasn't
difficult
for
him
but
Arshad
panicked.
The
moment
he
heard
he
had
to
sing
a
song,
he
panicked
big
time.
His
wife
(Maria
Goretti)
called
me
up
asking
'Are
you
sure
you
want
to
make
him
sing.
He
is
the
most
besura
guy
I've
ever
heard
in
my
life.
Don't
make
him
sing.
You'll
ruin
his
career.'
I
said
let
him
give
it
a
shot,
Shantanu
is
here
and
we'll
see.
So
Arshad
was
very
scared
and
Sanju
kind
of
pacified
him
saying
'don't
worry,
hum
log
gaayenge
yaar,
saath
mein
gaayenge.
I'm
here
with
you.'
Then
we
started
recording
the
song
and
Sanju
finished
the
parts
in
half
an
hour
and
he
pushed
out.
Arshad
was
suddenly
left
alone
in
the
studio
wearing
a
headphone,
so
he
panicked
big
time.
But
then
Shantanu
helped
him.
And
he
was
good.
He
sang
very
well.
The
song
is
a
nice
buddy
track,
two
friends
drunk
in
the
night,
walking
on
a
lonely
street
and
narrating
a
story
to
each
other.
How
has
the
association
with
Mr.
Vidhu
Vinod
Chopra
been?
The
kind
of
comfort
level
one
gets
working
with
Vinod
is
absolutely
stunning.
You
never
feel
that
you
are
doing
a
job
here.
You
never
feel
that
you
are
here
to
finish
a
film
and
go
away.
Usually
when
a
film
ends
after
one
or
two
years,
the
producer
and
director
might
end
up
fighting
with
each
other
or
there
is
a
problem
with
the
unit
members
and
all
of
them
are
on
their
edge
and
want
to
finish
the
film
off
and
leave
away.
However,
here,
as
the
film
is
getting
over,
I
could
see
the
unit
members
becoming
sad.
So
the
whole
process
of
film
making
is
a
very
joyful
process
with
Vinod.
Be
it
myself,
Shantanu
or
Swanand
(Kirkire),
everybody
who
has
been
associated
with
Vinod
has
a
sense
of
belonging.
You
always
have
this
feeling
that
there
is
guy
who
instills
the
right
ethics.
A
sense
of
honesty
towards
film
making!
Never
ever
have
I
heard
Vinod
say
'do
this
because
this
will
make
commercial
sense
or
put
an
item
song
because
somebody
out
there
will
like
it'.
He'll
never
say
that.
In
fact
last
time
when
I
had
a
song
in
the
hospital
he
was
worried.
He
said
why
you
want
to
do
it.
So,
films
are
made
here
because
of
the
good
script
and
because
he
wants
to
make
good
films.
A
film
is
never
made
here
thinking
that
it
will
make
money.
So
it's
a
great
environment
to
work
in.
Why
has
the
title
of
the
film
changed
twice?
When
MBBS
was
made,
we
thought
of
making
a
film
called
BA.LLB.
We
thought
that
now
we
are
done
with
doctors,
now
we
should
take
Munna
to
the
courtroom.
But
that
was
a
script
we
gave
up
pretty
soon
because
we
thought
it
wasn't
very
funny.
So
people
thought
that
there
is
a
BA.LLB
coming
but
it
never
happened.
Then we started working on another script and only when we thought it reached a particular standard, we decided that it should be made into a film. But when we were working on it, we had a working title called Munnabhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi. It was always a working title and never a title which was finalized. Even our clapboard said Munnabhai 2.
Only title which we had finalized at one point was Munnabhai 2nd Innings which was close to the film. Only when we finalized Munnabhai 2nd innings, surprisingly we got backlash from the audiences. There is something strange about this film. People tend to think that it's their own film. In fact whenever I walk on the streets people come and thank me. They say thank you for giving us this film. So people didn't like the title 2nd innings. Finally there was a time when we thought it should be called Lage Raho Munnabhai. So there was a poll which we did and surprisingly, 87% people said Lage Raho Munnabhai, so we said ok.
You
acted
in
ad
films
at
one
point...
When
I
passed
out
from
film
institute
I
came
to
Bombay.
I
edited
a
couple
of
feature
films
here.
I
had
specialized
in
editing.
But
unfortunately
my
experience
with
feature
films
was
not
very
happy.
I
never
got
paid
and
had
a
disastrous
time.
So
I
kind
of
drifted
away
into
advertising
and
started
editing
ad
films.
So
while
I
was
editing
ad
films,
there
was
this
ad
film
Piyush
Pandey
was
making,
directed
by
Meena
Bakshi
and
at
the
last
moment
there
was
a
model
who
vanished
and
they
caught
me
saying
'hey
you
are
the
right
guy'.
So
I
modeled
for
that
ad
and
very
surprisingly
I
got
lots
of
offers
to
act
than
to
edit.
There
is
a
series
of
ad
films
that
I
acted
in
until
one
day
I
thought
enough
is
enough.
This
is
not
what
I
came
for
in
Bombay.
I
want
to
make
films.
Then
gradually
I
started
making
ad
films
then
one
day
I
decided
I
want
to
make
feature
films.
So
then
I
started
here.
Which
noted
ad
films
did
you
make?
I
have
made
lots
of
ad
films.
I
have
done
brands
from
Parachute
to
Vim
to
Dalda
to
Cinthol.
Lots
actually,
variety
of
them.
I
did
that
for
almost
5-6
years.
If
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai
also
becomes
successful,
do
you
plan
to
continue
with
the
series?
Earlier
I
used
to
think
why
make
a
sequel.
But
now,
that
the
sequel
has
turned
out
to
be
pretty
good,
so
I
am
more
confident.
I
feel
they
are
loveable
characters
and
loveable
characters
might
as
well
have
long
innings.
Let
them
live
as
long
as
they
can.
Any
plans
for
future
projects?
No.
I've
actually
worked
back
to
back
on
these
two
films.
After
I
finished
Munnabhai
MBBS,
I
straight
got
into
this
film.
It
has
been
5
yrs
that
I'm
working
continuously,
so
for
couple
of
months
I
want
to
go
back
to
my
family
and
spend
some
time
with
them.
I
do
have
a
couple
of
ideas
and
I'm
working
on
them.
One
of
them
was
Munnabhai
and
there
is
another
I'm
working
on.
I'm
in
no
rush
to
make
another
film.
Maybe
after
two
yrs
I
will.
Finally,
what
are
your
expectations
from
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai?
See,
the
film
has
been
made.
We
are
very
happy
with
the
film.
Vinod
has
seen
it
and
is
very
happy
with
the
film.
And
now
I'm
at
peace
with
myself.
Because
there
was
a
time
when
I
was
scared
while
scripting
it.
I
thought
there
would
be
comparisons
made
between
the
two
films.
Now
I
don't
care
because
I
know
that
we
have
done
an
honest
effort.
It
is
a
very
unusual
film.
There
is
no
reference
to
such
kind
of
film,
forget
in
India
but
across
continents.
I
have
never
seen
a
film
that
has
a
script
like
this
so
nobody
can
pinpoint
it
saying
this
is
a
copy.
Last
time
some
people
said
that
Munnabhai
MBBS
is
inspired
from
Patch
Adams
but
finally
Munnabhai
got
picked
up
by
Hollywood.
So
people
knew
that
it
wasn't
Patch
Adams
copy.
Finally,
I
would
say
that
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai
is
a
film
I'm
very
proud
of,
irrespective
of
what
happens
at
the
Box
Office.