Munna bhai and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the architect of India’s independence from the British and the bearer of the sobriquet “Mahatma” is omnipresent in India. You see him looking up at you from the currency notes, the postage stamps, the picture frames in government banks and offices; almost every big city has a road named after him. History books are an ode to his greatness, and the world salutes the man for his ideals of nonviolence; yet, the youth of the country which accounts for almost 50% of its billion strong population doesn’t seem to have much use for Gandhi or his ideals. 2nd October, Gandhi’s birthday which is a national holiday is remembered more as an inconvenience as it is a dry day and liquor sale is prohibited.

With his movie “Lage Raho Munna bhai”, Director Rajkumar Hirani changed this indifference and inspired a spark of interest in the youth. Munna bhai the central character of the movie is a thug with a heart of gold. His love for radio jockey Jhanvi leads him to research the life of Gandhi in order to keep up his initial deception that he’s a history professor. “Lage Raho Munna bhai” appeals to the audience better because Hirani treats Gandhi with an affectionate irreverence, making Gandhi more likable. The spirit of Gandhi manifests itself to Munna bhai and Circuit, his sidekick, and they are changed forever. They renounce their gangster life and choose to make nonviolence and honesty their motto. The spirit of Gandhi spouting out Gandhisms with wit and charm versus the uncouth and wasted Munna bhai and Circuit who for the most part utter profanities strike a perfect balance making this movie and its message endearing to its audiences.

‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ hit a nerve in its audience and its message that Gandhism is as relevant today as it was way back then is what makes this movie really special. ‘Gandhism’ couldn’t have been marketed in a better way today. Honesty and nonviolence matter more today than they did back then. India with its new economic growth and its youth power needs to be in touch with its roots, its heritage and its history. We are a great nation and ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ pays not—just Gandhi—but our great land _fitting_ homage.