THIS was the original story of 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai'
What's the story
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) and its 2006 sequel, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, are among the biggest blockbusters of Bollywood.
Interestingly, acclaimed actor Aamir Khan has now revealed he was initially approached by director Rajkumar Hirani with a script meant for the first Munna Bhai franchise film.
However, it eventually underwent several major changes and evolved into Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which popularized Gandhigiri.
Khan shared this anecdote at a recent press conference for PVR-INOX's Aamir Khan: Cinema Ka Jadugar.
Support
Khan's confidence in Hirani's vision
Though he didn't feature in the 2006 film, Khan said he had faith in Hirani's vision.
"I don't have any regrets," he said, recalling how Hirani came up with a reworked script.
Khan added, "The day [Hirani] came to narrate...he said, 'The script I was narrating to you has changed, and that has become Munna Bhai 2, and I don't have anything else to narrate to you.' I said, 'Even I agree. You should make it as Munna Bhai 2.'"
Initial concept
Khan on initial idea of 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai'
Khan also revealed the original concept of Lage Raho Munna Bhai.
He said, "The original story was of a young freedom fighter who gets hit during a lathi charge and slips into a coma."
"Then he wakes up 40-45 years later; India has got independence...we are in the '90s. The world has moved on, but he is stuck. That's why he chats with Gandhi because he doesn't know that Gandhi has passed away. That was the original concept," Khan shared.
Partnerships
Khan and Hirani's successful collaborations
Even though Khan missed the Munna Bhai train, Khan and Hirani's association has been one of the most important ones in his career.
The duo later joined hands for the 2009 blockbuster 3 Idiots, which remains one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
They also teamed up for the 2014 satirical sci-fi drama PK.
Their collaborations have always been commercially successful and critically acclaimed.