Lage Raho Munnabhai!!!

I have been looking forward to the release of 'laho raho munnabhai'. Munnabhai MBBS was one of the most beautiful, heart-warming movies I had seen in a long time. The simple message of love, hte 'pyaar ki jhappi' was such a novel approach to life which somehow disappeared from this fast-paced, chaotic-techno savvy existence of Man. So with apprehension I waited for the sequel.

WILL THE DIRECTOR DO IT AGAIN THIS TIME? And with sheer delight I say 'YES'.

I watched the movie yesterday and 'WOW!!'. Munna being able to see 'Gandhiji' and then planning to live his life 'non-violence' way, was a beautiful approach, which Munna calls 'Gandhigiri' opposite of 'Gundagiri'. SOme simple things like having the guy clean the paan spit of his neighbour on his wall with a smile everyday. It is when the guy completely drops the idea that the neighbor will ever change that the neighbor stops spitting and even apologizes. SImple message 'TO always speak the truth' and how Munna chooses to go around talking about 'Satya & AHimsa' to ebveryone around really moistened the eye and the heart.

To think of it, today movies no longer bring out simpler joys of life and those are the things that tug the heart. SOme scenes in the movie are so heart warming. When Mumma apologizes to Circuit and realises that to fight is easy but to apologize or seek forgiveness is a strength and not a defeat. When Munna encourages the young man who squandered all of his dad's savings on stocks to tell the truth to his dad, and when he does Munna tells the dad not to slap or get angry at his son because he told you the truth. ANd if he did so, no child would ever feel comfortable telling the truth. It made me look at so many things in life.

I know we often equate Ahimsa and Truth to action but it has nothing ot do with action. 'Ahimsa' is a state of the mind - it is the intention behind the action. Actyion could be non-violent but if violence reigns in the mind & the heart as negative tendencies, it is never ahimsa. TRUE ahimsa is a state of our being and it can come ONLY through pure unconditional love for oneself & the other. And that is where Munna & Circuit win over the masses. Their intention & love is so pure - amazing goons they are. We could do with more goons like them. Arshad Warsi & Sanjay Dutt were made for these roles. I completely forget them and only see circuit & munna shining through. Kudos to the director for his successfull atempt in portraying GandhiGIri for this Generation.

Merely erecting Gandhi's statues and putting his pictures on the wall is not enough, we need to awaken the Gandhi in each one of us.

As we were driving back home, we saw these young group of Indians who I presume were just returning from watching this movie, park on the roadside and get out. We saw just then 'No Parking' sign next to the parking. Me & my husband smiled - It will take soem time for GandhiGiri to sink in!!