First a preview..
Munnabhai MBBS is produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who in the past has given us classics like Parinda and 1942 - A love story. However, in the recent times, his quality has dipped a little, what with Kareeb and Mission Kashmir(was quite good I thought) taking a beating. The star cast(if you can call it that) of the movie boasts(??!??) of Sanjay Dutt(no hits in the recent past), Gracy Singh(nothing since Lagaan), Arshad Warsi(nothing ever!!), Sunil Dutt making a comeback and a relatively new face to the silver screen that goes by the name of Boman Irani.. Basically, all a recipe for a perfect dud.. Man, was I surprised??
The review
Munnabhai MBBS relates the story of Murli Prasad Sharma(Sanjay Dutt), aka Munna. He comes to Mumbai from his village, and in the galis of dhobi ghaat, becomes Munnabhai.. His basic work consists of, woh bole to, hafta vasuli, mandvali karna(settlements), haath pair todna(breaking hands and legs).. Basically he, along with his sidekick, Circuit(Arshad Warsi) are really upto no good.. Though Munnabhai calls himself a ’’social worker’’, because after all he is concerned with the society at large, is it not? However, Munna being golden at heart, does not want his father(Sunil Dutt) to know what he is upto, because he loves and respects his father and does not want to put his father into shame by telling him his real occupation. So he lies to his father that he is a doctor in Mumbai.
When Munna’s parents come to Mumbai to visit him, Munna converts his house into a clinic and puts up a board announcing that he is a doctor and acts along to protect his true identity. Munna’s father, one day, meets up with his childhood friend in Mumbai, Dr.Asthana(Boman Irani) and upon learning that Asthana’s daughther(Gracy Singh) is also a doctor, proposes marriage between their children.. Dr.Asthana agrees to this proposal and expresses his wish to meet Munna. Somehow, Dr.Asthana learns of Munna’s true identity and upon meeting him, reveals his true identity in front of his parents..
Sunil Dutt, angered by his son’s deeds, leaves Mumbai with tears in his eyes. Munna, helpless at this turn of events, decides to become a doctor to make his father proud, because he had let his father down and if it required him to become a doctor to redeem himself, he would go ahead and do so...
What follows is the hilarious situations Munna encounters in fulfilling this cause of his..
The movie, supposedly, has traces of Robin Williams’ starrer Patch Adams. Directed brilliantly by debutant director Rajkumar Hirani(amazing job on debut), the movie conveys a message. What is the responsibility of doctors to the society? Should patients be regarded only as objects of study and income or should a patient be cared for, as one cares for one’s own..
Scriptwise, the movie revolves around the two characters of Munna and Dr.Asthana, and the scenes of confrontation between these two have been deftly handled, with sufficient zing and humour in them.
The only weak point in the movie is the music, which serves more as a distraction than as a pleasing freshner.
Performance-wise Sanjay Dutt has come up with an excellent performance, reiterating the fact that he can handle comedy very efficiently. I can’t think of anyone else being in Munna’s shoes. I heard that Vidhu Vinod Chopra had planned to make this movie initially with SRK and Ash, instead of Sunju baba and Gracy Singh. Thank God it did not work out that way.
Gracy Singh looks lovely and has come up with a competent performance. Arshad Warsi, as Circuit, is highly impressive and he manages to tickle the funny bone everytime he has a screen presence. Sunil Dutt is efficient as ever, so are Jimmy Shergill and Rohini Hattangadi as Munna mother.
But, the performance of the movie comes from Boman Irani, as Dr.Asthana. He is downright funny with his nervous laugh, he is serious with his calculative moves against Munna, and lovable in wholesome. I hope that the film industry gives more roles to artists like him, who are able to live the performance rather than giving roles to other people, who just contort their faces and babble their dialogues.. Amazing performance Boman.
An excellent movie overall, one of the best movies seen in the recent times. I felt this was the best movie made last year, because of its treatment and the story content. Keep them coming guys!!