Lage Raho Munna Bhai' - Runtime: 144 mins 37 secs - UK Rated: PG Produced by: Vidhu Vinod Chopra - Written & Directed by: Rajkumar Hirani *ing - Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani, Jimmy Shergill, Dilip Prabhavalkar Guest Appearances: Abhishek Bachchan & Diya Mirza

Synopsis:
Munnabhai (Sanjay Dutt) our local Bombay goon, and his reliable buddy Circuit (Arshad Warsi) are back!
Munna is in love... with the voice of popular Radio Jockey Jhanvi (Vidya Balan). Her effervescent greeting of "Good Morrrning Mumbai" on her daily radio show makes Munna's heart skip a beat each time he listens to her. Life is beautiful for Munna - his "dadagiri" (debt collecting, stealing stones, breaking bones, all that) business is flourishing, he listens besottedly to the radio for hours every day, he dreams of marrying Jhanvi...

There is just one minor problem. Jhanvi thinks Munna is a 'Professor of History' and in all her innocence she even invites him to give a history lecture to her family (She looks after some sweet old pensioners, who have vowed to live their 2nd Innings in smiles rather than regretting all the time wasted in the 1st with their careers and families that have deserted them).

Poor Munna! What should he do?!
As Munna tries to sort out this minor entanglement in his otherwise perfect life, Circuit comes up with a bright solution, and then the most unusual thing occurs in Munna's life... What happens when the 'Present' meets the 'Past'? What happens when our 'Professor of History' encounters a 'Figure from History'?

Review:
Skimming over the first film the plot was such that Munna is a goon, his father believed that his son moved to Mumbai and is a successful and well respected doctor who even owns his own hospital for the service of the poor. Everybody knew his name and only had good things to say about him, little did he know this latter part was true, but not through respect, but by fear. When the father decides to visit him in Mumbai, Munna with his loyal friend Circuit uses his resources to emulate the life of a doctor. Eventually the inevitable happens and all truths are unleashed, consequently the film was about how he earns his father's forgiveness and shows him that though he may not be a doctor, he is a good human being at heart.

This sequel (or further adventures of) Munna Bhai M.B.B.S was initially titled 'Munnabhai meets Mahatma Gandhi', later renamed 'Munnabhai 2nd Innings' .. & finally the title settled as Lage Raho Munna Bhai.

The first thing I will say about this is it certainly is by far the most inspired, original and inspiring feel-good film I have seen in a very long time. As with its predecessor the lingo is the kind of slang you hear in the streets of the Indian cities and I thought this perhaps would not come across so well in the English subtitles but they have done a pretty good job with them.

The moments shared between Munna & Circuit in the 1st-half are witty, humorous and do total justice to the character we began to love in the first film. However its pretty clear the selling point of the film will most definitely be the chats between Mahatma Gandhi and Munna, which has been written carefully, concisely and shot with equal care and perfection. Without a doubt, the writer/director (Hirani) has invested a lot of thought and time on this script. 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' doesn't bear any similarity to any released film that I've seen and that's saying a lot.

The second half sees Munna take on Gandhi's approach (peace) to resolve the problems he's created for himself. They are inspiring and true to Gandhi's teachings historically. You do miss the banter between Circuit and Munna a little but it is compensated with the interactions with the radio audience, as the focus shifts more on Munna's love story and in essence the problems Munna helps with for the entire country through his Radio Jockeying. In the pre-climax when Gandhi refrains from speaking momentarily and you realise what is happening it is a little shocking but it is certainly compensated for in the very end. I'll avoid spoilers, but mention it has been handled with great honour for the Father of the Nation.

Music:
Title song - spot on, it reminds you a little of 'M Bole To' from M.B.B.S whether this was intentional or not it works a treat & works with the anticipation of meeting Jhanvi yet also showing us the strong brotherly love between Circuit & Munna.

Pal Pal Har Pal - a situational song timed perfectly, it strengthens the wait for the following morning as opposed to the generic sunrise scene you would expect to see in this kind of moment in a film.

Performances:
Sanjay Dutt got an award for Munna in M.B.B.S and this film certainly reminds you why. His performance is so natural, it simply can't be faulted - I can't picture anybody else pulling off this role with such strength with a child-like subtle charm. Arshad Warsi may be playing the character of a sidekick here but no way does he appear second fiddle, a top performance once again as Sarkeshwar (Circuit), his comic timing and dialogue delivery got loud laughs and much an applause from the crowd. Vidya Balan in her second film (after Parineeta) is proving a point, she's not merely eye-candy, this girl can act. You would not believe she's a relatively Junior artiste. Dilip Prabhavalkar as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is surprisingly convincing.

Boman Irani is almost too convincing as a quirky & sly old man trying to usurp the home of the pensioners, his punjabi look is refreshing & he also adds some light moments as he poses to the camera for a photo shoot ending in pictures of him with The Queen & Aishwarya Rai (Miss World 1994) amongst other celebrities. The rest of the pensioners play their small bit parts as well as required. Diya Mirza & Jimmy Shergill make their presence noticed in their tiny roles, Abhishek was a pleasure to see for a second but pointless.

Overall Impressions:
At no point was I looking at my watch in this film, I think it is wise that they kept the 2nd half only an hour or so long getting the longer half done before intermission, as a two and a half hour film its a perfect all-rounder, watch it with your mates, family or your hot date :-P you'll be delighted you did. It has a very cultural hindustani feel to it, but this is no criticism, it works for it. It'll hopefully show the future generation that westernising our thoughts and films isn't necessarily the only way to progress, like some may think. If you're considering going to see your first Bollywood film, this is a safe bet. It shows a whole new generation reliving the teachings of the Father of the Nation (Mahatma Gandhi).

Preaching a message of peace without being preachy, they don't make many good flicks like this anymore - Novel, funny, heart-warming & thoroughly entertaining. An absolute must watch! - (7.5 out of 10)