Review of Lagey Raho Munna Bhai
(This is
the second movie in a sequel. See my
review of Munna Bhai
MBBS before proceeding.)
This movie
is not really about Munna. It is about
the relevance of Gandhi- not the statesman depicted in the Attenborough version, but
the philosopher who championed non-violent individual and collective
action. At a time when the Indian
government is pushing for a nuclear deal, corruption is rampant and
globalization is the mantra among corporate executives, this is an optimistic attempt at
re-establishing Gandhi in people’s lives.
This movie
adds an important word to the desi lexicon- “Gandhigiri” (roughly
speaking, actionable Gandhism with attitude) as opposed to the more common and
objectionable “Goonda-giri” (rowdyism).
It has been interesting to see reports of the movie in the West that has
largely not followed the waning influence of Gandhi among Indians. There have been reports in outlets such as The
Boston Globe (“How Gandhi got his mojo back”) and Open Source
Radio. There is even a Wikipedia page on Gandhigiri
and a grassroots Gandhigiri campaign
inspired by the movie.
The movie
has made Gandhi accessible to a whole generation of Indians who have largely
viewed the “father of the nation” as a distant figure buried in a dull history
textbook. In utter contrast, the movie
portrays Gandhi as a cool cat with interesting ideas. Rather than focusing on historic fact, the
movie focuses on conflict resolution techniques. This is what makes it accessible.
Munna
learns Gandhigiri gradually. His
first impulse is to hit an opponent and to resolve the conflict through violent
action. Over time, he learns the
effectiveness of simple Gandhian techniques and then, fully embraces them. He even commandeers a radio show and
convinces others to react to others’ negative acts through consistent positive
actions. Just as the first movie in
this series, this movie operates at multiple levels. At one level, it is an entertaining thriller
and at another, it is a philosophical tale.
Viewers who liked the first Munna Bhai will not be disappointed.
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