15 Years Of Lage Raho Munna Bhai: "Mujhe paan khaana Rajkumar Hirani ne sikhaaya. Thookna bhi unhone hi sikhaaya" - Sajid Samji

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Exactly 15 years ago, one of the greatest films of not just Indian cinema but cinema in general, Lage Raho Munna Bhai released, and wowed audiences like never before. Audiences went repeatedly, that too with their whole families, leading to a massive box office collection of Rs. 72.47 crores.

The first part (Munnabhai MBBS; 2003) was about a friendly, lovable goon trying to survive in a medical college. The second part showed the goon bringing a change in society by getting influenced with Mahatma Gandhi while fighting a greedy builder. How Munna Bhai uses the radio to solve people’s problems is one of the film’s biggest USPs. One of the best scenes of the film is when a disgruntled caller complains that a resident in his building would always spit paan outside his door. Munna advises him not to fight him but to clean his spit in front of him. At first, the spitting man doesn’t even care. But on the 4th day, he has a change of heart. Theatres erupted with applause and whistles across the nation at this point. Till now, audiences reacted similarly when the heroes bashed the villain. Here, a similar effect was achieved through non-violence means.

The credit for it of course goes to writer-director Rajkumar Hirani and his co-writer Abhijat Joshi, along with the great teachings of the Mahatma. But Sajid Samji, the popular writer of Sajid-Farhad duo, who played the spitting man, also deserves credit for playing the part so well.

Bollywood Hungama caught up with him to speak about his unforgettable cameo. He had done a cameo in Munnabhai MBBS as well. Sajid said, “For Lage Raho Munna Bhai, mujhe Raju ji (Rajkumar Hirani) ka saamne se phone aaya. Farhad and I wrote the song ‘Samjho Ho Hi Gaya’ in the film. Again, he offered me a role and said ‘Arre, tu mota hai. Tu ek role karega?’ Last time (for Munnabhai MBBS, he had said I look like a goonda. I got confused. Raju ji mujhe gaali de rahe hai ya role de rahe hai?!”

Sajid Samji further said, “It was a small role but I had no idea it’ll come out so brilliantly and leave a deep mark. Mujhe paan khaane ko hi nahi aata tha. Mujhe paan khaana Raju ji ne sikhaaya. Thookna bhi Raju ji ne hi sikhaaya.”

Sajid Samji then narrated an interesting anecdote from the sets, “Chirag Vohra was supposed to clean my spit. We gave around 16-17 takes but Raju ji was not satisfied. I was scared. I thought I am not acting well. Then, we realized that Chirag Vohra was not looking happy when he was cleaning my ‘pichkari’. It was obvious; khushi kaise aayegi? Raju ji then took over. He told me ‘Chal Sajid, tu aa aur thook yahan pe’. I came and I spat. And then Raju ji cleaned and showed the actor what is that he wanted. Then in 2 or 3 takes, we got it right. No wonder, Rajkumar Hirani is one of the finest directors today. This experience helped me later on as a writer and director. Humne Raju ji ke talent ka 20% bhi le liya na, toh zindagi bhar kaju khaayenge!”

In an earlier interview, Sajid Samji had told us that he always visits cinema halls to get feedback from audiences. When asked if he went to see Lage Raho Munna Bhai on the big screen, Sajid Samji replied, “You won’t believe but I didn’t go to the theatre to see the reaction of the audience! I don’t know why. I have gone to see all the films in which I have worked. Like I have no reason to give as to why I didn’t watch a film where I have not only written but also acted. I had seen the film earlier at a private screening.”

The sequence of Sajid Samji had a positive effect on his building residents, albeit temporarily. He said, “Do din take mere building ke staircase ke kone saaf ho gaye the! Sadly, from the third day, everyone resumed spitting. Kutte ki duum tedhi ki tedhi hi rehti hai!”

Since the time Lage Raho Munna Bhai became a hit, there have been talks that a third part will be made. Sajid Samji admitted that he’s ready to once again play a memorable special appearance part, “Yes, I’d love to be a part of Munna Bhai 3. Everytime, Rajkumar Hirani has called me and offered me a role. Iss baar nahi bulaya toh main saamne se phone karunga. Aur unko bolunga ki jis bande ne thooka hai aur batwe chor ko pakda hai, woh banda toh aapki film mein hona hi chahiye na!”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sajid Samji signed by Zee Studios, Viacom18 and Sony Pictures for his directorial ventures

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