Lage Raho, champion for Ghandianism

Friday, September 08, 2006

New Delhi (UNI): It is a sight which would have the Father of the Nation smiling in his grave! Gandhiji's gospels of truth, non-violence and satyagraha for long confined to the history tomes gathering dust in shelves of libraries, seem to be suddenly back in focus with arshad warsi,bollywood movie lage raho munnabhai,bollywood movies promoting ghandian principles,ghandian principles in india,lage raho munnabhai,movies by sanjay dutt and arshad warsi,sanjay dutt,vidya balan, which seeks to emphasise the continued relevance of Gandhian philosophy in modern India. If in Munnabhai MBBS, the lovable don Munnabhai struck a chord with the cinegoers with his remedy of 'Jadoo ki Jhappi' as the panacea of all ills, in arshad warsi,bollywood movie lage raho munnabhai,bollywood movies promoting ghandian principles,ghandian principles in india,lage raho munnabhai,movies by sanjay dutt and arshad warsi,sanjay dutt,vidya balan too, he seems to have warmed his way into the hearts of the cinegoers, making the Gandhian principles of truth, non-violence and satyagraha the new anthems of a nation plagued by consumerism and violence.

The audience seems to have fallen in love with Munnabhai in his new 'avatar' as a radio jockey advocating the Gandhian philosophy of truth and satyagraha as a solution to the day-to-day problems of the common man, be it in helping an old man securing his long-pending pension, reforming a youngster habituated to squandering his father's hard-earned money in shares or making a 'perpetual spitter' realize his mistake. Trade sources said the film, released on Sep 1, has met with an overwhelming response with people of all ages and groups turning out in droves to the theatres to watch Munnabhai's take on Gandhian philosophy. Infact, many of those who liked the film have been seen going in for repeat viewings which goes to show how the film has left audiences deeply moved by the Gandhian ideals propagated by Sanjay Dutt as Munnabhai.

In this context, trade sources said a couple had bought a house in Ahmedabad and had been consulting a vaastu expert before shifting in. But they abandoned the plans the moment they watched arshad warsi,bollywood movie lage raho munnabhai,bollywood movies promoting ghandian principles,ghandian principles in india,lage raho munnabhai,movies by sanjay dutt and arshad warsi,sanjay dutt,vidya balan. Analysts say the amazing chemistry between the characters of Munnabhai and Circuit (played by Arshad Warsi), on the one hand and the engaging interactions between Munnbhai and the character of Gandhiji (played by Dilip Prabhavalkar) have been loved by the audience. More importantly, arshad warsi,bollywood movie lage raho munnabhai,bollywood movies promoting ghandian principles,ghandian principles in india,lage raho munnabhai,movies by sanjay dutt and arshad warsi,sanjay dutt,vidya balan has done what many other films on Gandhiji's life and ideals like Richard Attenborough's Gandhi, Ketan Mehta's Making of the Mahatma and, more recently, Maine Gandhi ko Nahin Maara have failed to do, bring public focus back on the long-forgotten ideals of the Father of the Nation. The film is probably the first lesson on Gandhi, having managed to even wow kids with the message of truth, non-violence and satyagraha, which form the basic ethos of the Gandhian philosophy.

Analysts say arshad warsi,bollywood movie lage raho munnabhai,bollywood movies promoting ghandian principles,ghandian principles in india,lage raho munnabhai,movies by sanjay dutt and arshad warsi,sanjay dutt,vidya balan is perhaps the second film this year, after Rang De Basanti that has gone down well with the masses as well as critics. Also, it is the first time that the sequel of a film has done better than the original. For example, as against a lukewarm response for Munnabhai MBBS overseas, 'arshad warsi,bollywood movie lage raho munnabhai,bollywood movies promoting ghandian principles,ghandian principles in india,lage raho munnabhai,movies by sanjay dutt and arshad warsi,sanjay dutt,vidya balan', has wowed audiences in the overseas markets, specially in the United States and the United Kingdom. Trade sources said the film has already grossed 10 lakh dollars in the US in just five days. In the United Kingdom too, the film has earned 6,00,000 Pounds (nearly Rs 4 crore) during its opening weekend. Infact, the trade sources say the film is the first hit for Sanjay Dutt overseas.

Coming close on the heels of Rakyesh Mehra's Rang De Basanti, which sought to propagate the spirit of idealism in today's youth, "arshad warsi,bollywood movie lage raho munnabhai,bollywood movies promoting ghandian principles,ghandian principles in india,lage raho munnabhai,movies by sanjay dutt and arshad warsi,sanjay dutt,vidya balan succeeds in combining entertainment with a brilliant message for the viewer, an aspect which, analysts feel, makes it a worthy nominee for the National awards and even the Oscars. For, like Rang De Basanti and, before it, Iqbal and Lagaan, arshad warsi,bollywood movie lage raho munnabhai,bollywood movies promoting ghandian principles,ghandian principles in india,lage raho munnabhai,movies by sanjay dutt and arshad warsi,sanjay dutt,vidya balan too is about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of numerous hurdles posed by the atmosphere of materialism and self-gratification prevailing in society, something that cuts across nations and communities.