Did you ever imagine the film would make such a huge impact worldwide?
I will tell you this in 2-3 words. Everywhere in the world people call me Sanju baba. But after Munnabhai MBBS it all changed. They call me Munnabhai. So it’s that kind of an effect.

Why do you think it did so well?
Munnabhai MBBS is an honest film. You are not trying to prove a point. I feel that’s complete cinema. It’s so honest.

What did it feel like, doing a sequel?
See I didn’t have the kind of pressure that Raju must have had. For him to make a sequel and to make it better than MBBS was a big challenge. And you know how many drafts he went through. Munnabhai was a lawyer sometimes, and some thing else…. till the time this Gandhi thing came up. For him to even think and make a script like this is unbelievable. Vinod and him and whoever is involved, are unbelievable.

How does the sequel compare to the first one?
Lage Raho, like MBBS has a message of non-violence. It’s hilarious. It’s fun. It’s a full film I mean. It’s rare to see a film like that. A friend of mine in Chicago saw MBBS 200 times. And for him to say Lage Raho is even better than MBBS after watching a preview with me is unbelievable.

Can you tell us a little about the story?
Well, Munna falls in love with the voice of R.J. Jhanvi and cuts corners to meet her. Tells her he’s a professor of History. He needs someone to help him out of this lie. And he finds it. The rest you’ll have to watch.

Was the biggest challenge of acting in the sequel meeting up to the high expectations?
When you have a great team working with you, the task is not difficult. The director really knew what he wanted so I was able to make it happen for him. Since the chemistry between all of us was so nice, we could bounce ideas off each other when performing all the funny bits in the film.

You have such a natural chemistry with Arshad on screen, what is the secret behind it?
Arshad and I share a good chemistry off-screen as well. I think that’s very important. I really loved the dubbing sessions we had. We were having more fun than we had on set because we were able to watch our antics on the screen. Arshad and I laughed so much during some takes, that the dubbing operators became really annoyed with us. So I know for a fact that this film is funny and will blow your mind.

What’s your take on Munnabhai MBBS being remade in Hollywood?
Oh yeah! I wish they start shooting and I could be there on the sets, you know it would be a great moment for me just to be there… to see Chris Tucker be the Munna.

You’re more associated with action films, yet Munnabhai is seen by many as one of your career defining roles. What’s your opinion on that?
I do agree that I have played all kinds of characters. But I would love to do more great characters like Munna Bhai or even something more serious. An actor needs a role that he can really get into. Then the audience believes in the actor. I have achieved this a few times in my career where I felt like I was connecting with someone.

Source: Movietalkies.com

Comments (2)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Great movie!
written by Fardin, May 08, 2009

Aik dam Chakas! Muna bhai!!!

Great Movie!
written by Shamoon, May 08, 2009

Aik Dam Chakas Muna Bhai! look nice like me,

Name

Title

Comment

Add Comment