CAST-Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Dilip Prabhawalkar, Boman Irani and Vidya Balan
Director-Raju Hirani
Dubai Release Date-30th August , 2006
I managed to grab a front row seat an hour prior to the third show of Lage Raho Munnabhai in a premium multiplex in Dubai. And going by the rocking public response to this sequel, I am quite sure the house full board will be a permanent fixture in the days ahead.
LRMB is sequel to munnabhai MBBS that actually gave new lease of life to situational comedies and almost put a full stop on the slapstick comedies that were favor of the film industry at a time when it was released .So does the movie live up to expectations? YES for the most part!
The sequel does not start from where Munnabhai ended but rather tells a new story on Munna and circuit ’s life . Life is beautiful for Munna and his ’dadagiri’ business is flourishing, he listens to the radio for hours every day and what Munna wants, Circuit gets it.
In this perfect world of a simple life devoid of any tension bhola Munnabhai encounters a trouble. A trouble that goes by the name ’Jhanvi’ [Vidya Balan], a RJ [Radio Jockey] who appears in her daily radio show!
From her opening greeting of ’Good Morning Mumbai’ or the rest of the words that flow from her, Munna loves just about everything about her. And now he wants to marry her!
The trouble starts when Jhanvi, thinking that Munna is a ’Professor of History’ and in all her innocence, invites him to give a history lecture to her family. As Munna tries to sort out this minor mess in his otherwise perfect life, Circuit comes up with a bright solution.
Munnabhai begins well and the director manages to capture the inimitable chemistry between his two protagonists quite well. The screenplay is fast-paced; the story moves swiftly and the film has all the masala ingredients to make the proceedings light and frothy .Though second half tends to get dramatic , both halves are just as funy.
Attempting a sequel is no mean task, especially when you have Munnabhai as a benchmark. But Hirani manages to sail through LRMB in a fun-filling manner; well, at least for most of it.But behind all the entertainment packaged in this film, there lies a strong social message that’s precisely the film’s USP! Esecially the transition of Sanju is done in the most convincing manner.
Music may not be a chartbuster, but gels well with the mood of the film. Cinematography [C.K. Muraleedharan] is first-rate. The film looks visually rich.
LRMB belongs to Arshad. He brings back circuit and all his antics and adds so much life to the character that we can’t imagine anyone else in that role. His timing is absolutely perfect and his expressions, body language and the manner in which he emotes his lines will have you laughing till it almost hurts.
Sanju proves his mentle yet again . The actor is extremely likeable in light moments, as also in sequences when his heart beats for Vidya. His presence alone lights up even an ordinary sequence.
Vidya is elegance personified and plays the part convincingly.Both Jimmy and Boman are incredibly competent in the respective roles, although Boman does go overboard in the initial portions. Diya is nice.
LRMB is a film for everyone and leaves you refreshed.