The Hindu : New Delhi News : A pat on the back for `Lage Raho Munnabhai'

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Tuesday, Sep 12, 2006
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New Delhi

A pat on the back for `Lage Raho Munnabhai'

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Declared tax-free in the Capital now

KEEP GOING: "Lage Raho Munnabhai".

New Delhi: On Monday, as the nation celebrated the centenary of the birth of Gandhiji's potent weapon of "Satyagraha'' that got India freedom from British rule, the Delhi Government decided to laud the contribution of "Lage Raho Munnabhai" - the latest release from Bollywood that has revived focus on the gospels of the Mahatma -- by according it tax-free status in the Capital.

Rajkumar Hirani's "Lage Raho Munnabhai", whose huge success has renewed public interest in Gandhiji's ideals, confined for long to the tombs of history gathering dust in shelves of libraries, has been granted tax-free status by the Delhi Government, a spokesperson said.

This was for beautifully bringing across to the audience the social message of non-violence and satyagraha, he added.

A sequel to the hugely successful "Munnabhai MBBS", "Lage Raho Munnabhai", starring Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani and Jimmy Shergill, has made Gandhiji's gospels of truth, non-violence and satyagraha the new anthems of a nation plagued by consumerism and violence.

The film seeks to emphasise the continued relevance of Gandhian philosophy in modern India with the main protagonist Munnabhai, played once again by Sanjay Dutt, advocating the Gandhian philosophy of truth and satyagraha as a solution to the day-to-day problems of the common man, be it in helping an old man securing his long-pending pension, reforming a youngster habituated to squandering his father's hard-earned money on shares, or making a "perpetual spitter" realise his mistake.

Trade sources say the film, released on September 1, has evoked an overwhelming response with people of all ages and groups turning out in droves to the theatres to watch Munnabhai's take on Gandhian philosophy.

The much talked about film has left audiences deeply moved by the Gandhian ideals propagated by Sanjay Dutt as Munnabhai.

For example, a couple had bought a house in Ahmedabad and had been consulting a vaastu expert before shifting in. But they abandoned the plans the moment they watched "Lage Raho Munnabhai".

More importantly, "Lage Raho Munnabhai" has done what many other films on Gandhiji's life and ideals like Richard Attenborough's monumental "Gandhi", Ketan Mehta's "Making of the Mahatma" and, more recently, "Maine Gandhi ko Nahin Maara" could not do: bring public focus back on the long-forgotten ideals of the Father of the Nation.

The latest film is probably the first lesson on Gandhi, having managed to wow even kids with the message of truth, non-violence and satyagraha that form the basic ethos of Gandhian philosophy.

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