Munnabhai and the Mahatma
"Nothing Gandhian about It" (October 1) may be justified but "Lage raho Munnabhai" may influence youngsters to rethink the contemporary relevance of Gandhian principles. It is wrong to assume that a film will mislead. There is a need to communicate the ideals and principles of Gandhiji as the basics will strike a chord in many.
Udaya S. Mishra,
Thiruvananathapuram
Ajit Duara has clearly shown the idiocy of the movie. The Mahatma's ideology should not have been projected in such a cheap manner. But the impact of Munnabhai is such that the youth in north India have started peaceful agitations in contrast to usual vandalism. The Mahatma's name is at least able to subdue the violent protests.
V.K. Joshi,
Lucknow
I often wondered if Gandhian technique of passive resistance and civil disobedience would have worked if the rulers were not British. Without being an apologist for British rule, I am convinced that it worked because the British had a liberal tradition of governance rooted in the rule of law. As for "Lage raho munnabhai" it conveys a wrong message about Gandhiji's great moral leadership as the film dumbs down Gandhiji's methodologyto the point of ridicule.
C.P. Srinivasan,
Chennai
A commercial film is not expected to make a revolutionary change in the mindset of a people who remember the Mahatma only on October 2 and January30, without any obligation or intention to follow the Gandhian ethics in their life. Using entertainment, "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" has resurrected Gandhi in more ways than one. The film has also redefined Gandhism as a more pragmatic "Gandhigiri" in today's environment.
Dr. R.K. Malhotra,
New Delhi
I was extremely pained to read such an article. If we go by the author's assumption that we all know about what Gandhi really stood for, since it has been "well disseminated" in our education system then I'm sure that we would all be trying to apply what he had preached in our daily lives. Sadly that does not seem to be the case. Gandhiji's genius enforced old values in a novel way through such concepts as civil obedience, Satyagraha and ahimsa. The film implores you to think on the same lines and not deviate from the basic principles.
S. Somasundaram,
By e-mail
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