|  Munnabhai
MBBS Movie Review
Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and debutant director Rajkumar
Hirani's film Munnabhai MBBS is total value for money!
And if Munnabhai had to ask us 'Bole to?' it simply
means 'fultu timepass picture hai bhai!'
Murli Prasad Sharma aka Munnabhai (Sanjay
Dutt) runs a small gang, which help businessmen and
other sundry people to settle financial scores. Everything
goes well for Munna, his chief ally Circuit (Arshad
Warsi) and the others till Hari Prasad Sharma, Munna's
righteous father (Sunil Dutt) makes his annual visit
with his wife Parvati (Rohini Hattangadi). The facade
of the gang breaks away transforming Munna and his cronies
to unqualified doctors. The gullible parents have been
made to believe their son who ran away from home at
the age of 12 is now Dr Murli Prasad Sharma who runs
a charitable hospital. Munna's lie would have never
been caught if Hari Prasad hadn't bumped into old friend
and doctor, Dr Asthana (Boman Irani). Both pals decide
to marry off their respective children who are doctors.
But the truth about Munna is revealed and Dr Asthana
spills the beans to Hari Prasad. The hurt parents go
back to their village while Munna now decides to become
a doctor himself and beat Dr Asthana in his own game.
Dr Suman aka Chinky (Gracy Singh) is by the way Dr Asthana's
daughter.
The film is a tragic-comic tale of Munna's
antics in the process of becoming a doctor and thereby
laying bare the way the medical fraternity functions.
Emotions play an important role in this film and while
the first half is a laugh riot - primarily because of
Munna, Circuit and Dr Asthana - the second half has
some weepy moments. But the film with the original story
by Hirani and co-written by Chopra works largely because
it's a good, clean, entertaining film. The plot more
or less stays on the track barring a few song sequences,
which slow down the proceedings. Anu Malik's music is
a letdown though everything else about the film is good
enough.
Munnabhai MBBS was initially to be made
with Shah Rukh Khan but now after we have seen the film
with Sanjay Dutt in the lead role, we think nobody but
Sanju could have made Munna - the bhai with a heart
of gold - endearing and absolutely adorable in a way
only he could. Complimenting his performance are two
key actors - Boman Irani as Dr Asthana who is a hoot
with his act of 'laughter therapy' and Arshad Warsi
as Munna's trusted aide who can do anything for his
bhai. With a remarkable comic timing, Warsi deserves
good, meaty roles in future. Gracy Singh and Jimmy Sheirgill
as the cancer patient too play their parts sincerely.
Last but not the least, Dutt Senior
brings a certain dignity to his character and truly
brings a lump in the throat in the climax when he hugs
his errant son. Truly a Kodak moment!
All in all, Munnabhai MBBS is just the
film the doctor prescribed for viewing pleasure! |
