chakut

This is the story of how Gandhi became the "Mahatma" ("Great Soul") --- a very realistic portrayal of the incidents that led to a determined effort for the betterment of people of non-European origin in South Africa. The make-up and acting of Rajit Kapoor as Gandhi is commendable. Pallavi Joshi plays her part, as Kasturba Gandhi, almost to perfection. The other actors and actresses in the movie are good, too. A very good cinematography and excellent back-ground score make the movie a superior one. Plus, of course, Shyam Benegal proves once more that he is one of the greatest directors in Indian cinema. It is a shame that his movies do not get the attention they should in the world film scenario.

Really good Hindi comedies are few and far between. Lage Raho Munna Bhai is by far one of the best in recent times. You will laugh till your sides ache, and you will be forced to think about truth and non-violence on your way back to reality. The movie starts with a music that will tell you it is a sequel to Munna Bhai MBBS, but goes off as an independent story, with only the main characters (Munna Bhai, Circuit and the other "dhobis") coming back. Boman Irani is in this "sequal", but in a totally different role, to which he does justice AND MORE.

The story is woven well, the music is hummable and meaningful (something which Hindi films lack a lot), the choreography is pleasing, the directing is wonderful and the acting is superb. Boman Irani (Lucky Singh) and Arshad Varsi (Circuit) steal the show, and Sanjay Dutt (Munna) and Vidya Balan (Janvi) are not far behind.

Even when the plot gets a little "serious", the film holds the audience (this is what Hindi films mostly mess up).

After you have watched it once and laughed a lot, watch it again: there will be bits and pieces of comedy and thought-provoking dialogue and actions to notice the second time, which will make sense.

This is a movie to treasure. I hope more movies like this hit the screens.