Lage Raho Munna Bhai

"They're back... and they're not alone!"

2006 2h 24m HI

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 241

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Lovable goon Munna falls for a morning radio host by the name of Jahnvi, who also runs an elders' home which an unscrupulous builder seeks to attain. In order to gain Jahnvi’s attention, he cheats his way to winning a Mahatma Gandhi radio quiz. When Jahnvi consequently expresses interest in Munna, he and his best friend Circuit attempt to keep up the facade.

“They're back... and they're not alone!”

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Cast

Sanjay Dutt
Murli Prasad Sharma "Munna Bhai"
Arshad Warsi
Sankeswar "Circuit"
Vidya Balan
Jhanvi
Boman Irani
Lucky Singh
Dilip Prabhavalkar
Mahatma Gandhi
Dia Mirza
Simran
Supriya Shukla
Lucky's wife
Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Kkhurana

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Writers: Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi, Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Languages: Hindi
Countries: India

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $32M — a 17.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Munna Bhai Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, shot by C.K. Muraleedharan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Rajkumar Hirani shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They're back... and they're not alone!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rajkumar Hirani directs. C.K. Muraleedharan behind the camera. Rajkumar Hirani cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in India. Dialogue in Hindi.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $32M — a 17.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
3Released 20 years ago.
4Part of the "Munna Bhai Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, shot by C.K. Muraleedharan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Rajkumar Hirani shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They're back... and they're not alone!".
9IMDB entry: tt0456144 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: C.K. Muraleedharan
Editing: Rajkumar Hirani
Costume design: Sheena Parikh
Runtime: 144 min · 2h 24m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,800,000
Box office: $31,517,561
Return: 1751% of budget
Original language: HI
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)

Awards

Stardust Award for Dream Director
IIFA Award for Best Story
IIFA Award for Best Dialogue
Bollywood Movie Award – Best Film
Zee Cine Award – Critics' Choice Best Actor
Zee Cine Award for Best Screenplay
Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role
Zee Cine Award for Best Dialogue
Zee Cine Award for Best Story
National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Munna Bhai Collection

Murli Prasad Sharma (Munna Bhai) is portrayed by Sanjay Dutt. He is a "Bhai" - a leader in the Mumbai underworld. His nickname, Munna Bhai has a double meaning. It could refer to the form of "Bhai" as an honorific, as the word traditionally translates as "brother"; however, within the context of Mumbai slang, "Bhai" has also come to refer to a hoodlum. His sidekick, or consigliere is Circuit (portrayed by Arshad Warsi). They both speak in Bambaiya Hindi, a dialect specific to Mumbai, India.