Tuesday,
September
12,
2006
New
Delhi
(UNI):
On
a
day
when
the
nation
celebrates
the
centenary
of
the
birth
of
Gandhiji's
'potent
weapon'
of
'Satyagraha'
which
got
India
freedom
from
British
rule,
the
Delhi
Government
today
decided
to
laud
the
contribution
of
a
film
that
has
revived
focus
on
the
gospels
of
the
Mahatma.
Rajkumar
Hirani's
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai,
whose
huge
success
has
renewed
focus
on
Gandhiji's
ideals,
which
have
for
long
been
confined
to
the
tombs
of
history
gathering
dust
in
shelves
of
libraries,
was
granted
tax-free
status
by
the
Delhi
Government,
a
spokesperson
of
the
state
Government
said.
The
film
was
granted
tax-free
status
for
beautifully
bringing
across
to
the
audience
the
social
message
of
Non-violence
and
Satyagraha.
A
sequel
to
the
hugely
successful
Munnabhai
MBBS,
Lage
raho
Munnabhai,
starring
Bollywood
actors
Sanjay
Dutt,
Arshad
Warsi,
Vidya
Balan,
Boman
Irani
and
Jimmy
Shergill,
has
made
Gandhiji's
gospels
of
truth,
non-violence
and
satyagraha
the
new
anthems
of
a
nation
plagued
by
consumerism
and
violence.
The
film
seeks
to
emphasise
the
continued
relevance
of
Gandhian
philosophy
in
modern
India
with
the
main
protagonist
Munnabhai,
played
by
Sanjay
Dutt,
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'
realise
his
mistake.
Trade
sources
said
the
film,
released
on
September
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.
The
film
has
left
audiences
deeply
moved
by
the
Gandhian
ideals
propagated
by
Sanjay
Dutt
as
Munnabhai.
For
example,
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
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai.
More
importantly,
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai
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.