Munna Bhai (film series)
| Munna Bhai | |
|---|---|
 Series logo | |
| Created by | Rajkumar Hirani |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | |
| Short film(s) | Munna Bhai Chale Amerika |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | |
Munna Bhai is an Indian Hindi language film series co-written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra under Vinod Chopra Productions banner. It consists of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. released in 2003 and its sequel Lage Raho Munna Bhai in 2006. In June 2018, it was confirmed that a third untitled installment is in development with Hirani attached to direct again.[1]
Films
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003)
Murli Prasad Sharma, nicknamed "Munna Bhai" ("Bhai" is a word for Don in India) is a good-hearted local gangster who engages in criminal activities. Munna Bhai pretends to be a doctor in order to impress his father, but after being revealed as a gangster, he decides to go to a medical college to obtain an M.B.B.S. degree to prove he can become a real doctor. The film follows Munna's struggle as he learns about the medical system and makes his way through medical college run by dean Dr. Asthana, the very man who insulted his father.
Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)
In the second installment of the series, Munna Bhai poses as a professor of history in order to meet with a radio jockey whose voice he has fallen in love with. She asks him to give a lecture on Mahatma Gandhi, and as a result, he becomes a proponent of Gandhism and uses it to solve modern life problems of the people.
Untitled Munna Bhai Sequel
On 25 February 2016, Sanjay Dutt was released from Yerwada Central Jail after completing his sentence (2013–2016) for illegal possession of firearms in 1993. Vidhu Vinod Chopra announced on 29 September 2016 that production on the third Munna Bhai film starring Dutt in the title role may begin in 2017.[2] But the project got delayed again because Hirani decided to instead work on Sanjay Dutt's biopic, titled Sanju.
In June 2018, Hirani confirmed his future plans for films which included 'Munna Bhai 3' and he has confirmed to have begun working on story with his co-writer Abhijat Joshi. It will be his next project after 'Sanju' is released.[3]
Short film
Munna Bhai Chale America (2007)
After the success of the first two films, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra planned to make a third film titled Munna Bhai Chale Amerika.[4] The short film was released in 2007 as an announcement teaser which followed the characters of Munna Bhai and Circuit learning English. But the project got nowhere and the idea was cancelled altogether after Sanjay Dutt's conviction and subsequent imprisonment.
Recurring cast and characters
| Character | Film | Short film | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) |
Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) |
Untitled third Munna Bhai film |
Munna Bhai Chale Amerika teaser (2007) | |
| Murli Prasad Sharma / Munna Bhai | Sanjay Dutt | |||
| Sarkeshwar / Circuit | Arshad Warsi | |||
| Dr. JC Asthana / Lucky Singh | Boman Irani | |||
| Zaheer / Victor D'Souza | Jimmy Shergill | |||
Release and revenue
| Film | Release date | Budget | Box office revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. | 19 December 2003 | ₹100 million (US$1.4 million)[5] | ₹307.5 million (US$4.3 million)[6] |
| Lage Raho Munna Bhai | 1 September 2006 | ₹120 million (US$1.7 million)[7] | ₹1.19 billion (US$17 million)[8] |
| Total | ₹220 million (US$3.1 million) | ₹1.50 billion (US$21 million) | |
Awards
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. was the recipient of a number of awards. At the 2004 Filmfare awards, it received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie, the Filmfare Best Screenplay Award, the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award, and the Filmfare Best Comedian Award in addition to four other nominations. It won a number of awards at the 2004 Zee Cine Awards including Best Debuting Director, Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role, Best Cinematography, and Best Dialogue.
Other ceremonies include the 2004 National Film Awards where it won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and the 2004 International Indian Film Academy Awards where it won the IIFA Best Comedian Award.
Lage Raho Munna Bhai
Lage Raho Munna Bhai is the recipient of four National Film Awards in addition to other awards. Some speculated that it would represent India as an entry for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.[9] Although ultimately losing to Rang De Basanti as India's official submission, the producers submitted it as an independent entry. However, neither film received an Oscar nomination.[10]
References
- ↑ HT City Editorial Team (June 21, 2018). "Director Rajkumar Hirani Reveals Plan About Munnabhai 3 And The Sequel Of 3 Idiots!". Desi Martini.
- ↑ Work on Munnabhai 3 to begin next year: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
- ↑ Director Rajkumar Hirani Reveals Plan About Munnabhai 3 And The Sequel Of 3 Idiots!
- ↑ "'Munnabhai Chale Amerika' drops America setting". IMDb. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ↑ "A runaway success". The Hindu. 6 August 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ↑ Box Office India. "Top Earners 2003". boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ↑ "Lage Raho Munnabhai". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- ↑ "Top Lifetime Grossers Worldwide (IND Rs)". BoxOffice India. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ↑ Adarsh, Taran (1 November 2006). "Munna's tryst with Oscars begins". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 1 November 2006.
- ↑ Saxena, Kashika (25 September 2012). "India's Oscar race: Losers weepers?". The Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved 6 December 2012.