
munnabhai is off to America, in director Rajkumar Hirani8217;s third part of the Munnabhai series, titled Munnabhai Chala Amrika. It is in the scripting stage. So, predictably the Big Apple will be at the receiving end of Munnabhai8217;s and Circuit8217;s madness.
Rajkumar Hirani also writing a satire on the education system because he is angry about what is happening in that sphere. When something bothers Hirani a lot, he does what he does best 8211; make a film. He8217;s writing this script too.
Says Hirani, 8220;I don8217;t understand why we learn what we do for most of it is of no use to us in our careers. To get a grade, students learn just about everything and later none of this is relevant. Grades become more important than learning.8221;
Will Munnabhai, the goon with a golden heart, who gave Hirani a famous address in filmdom, don the mantle of rehauling the education system in the country? 8220;No,8221; says Hirani. 8220;I will be casting three boys as students instead.8221; So, will Munabhai pip the students to the film post? 8220;I don8217;t know. Whichever script finishes first will get on the floors.8221;
What dictates the subject of a Hirani film? 8220;Anything that I feel intensely from within does; and if that feeling persists while I am writing, then I go with it. One8217;s experiences in life, be it first-hand, or even from books are all put back into whatever creative process one is involved with.8221; The MBBS students in Nagur, the city that Hirani hails from, were the point of reference for his maiden film Munnabhai MBBS.
Both his films were written by him. Is it important for a director to write his own screenplay? 8220;Not at all. I would love to work with an original script. I get so many scripts a day but none of them inspires me. If I get a good inspiring script, then I will be most happy to make it into a film. Writing a script consumes so much of time. It would be so much easier to get a good script and then work on the film.8221;
Serious subjects with a humorous twist is a Hirani trademark. So is he aiming at creating a social impact? 8220;It is never a conscious move,8221; he says. 8220;I don8217;t see myself as a crusader who is out to give a message to the world. When I make a film, the yardstick is my mind. If I laugh at the jokes and feel sad at the serious undersides, then the subject works. I go by my instinct.8221;
Though he admits that social impact is not a blip on his mental radar, the stupendous applause that follows his films must be heartening.
He laughs and admits, 8220;Of course it is. Any art form must be appreciated. However, I don8217;t want to do anything and everything to get it. I would never put a joke that is in bad taste, or a line with double-meaning or an 8216;item8217; song to perk the film. For me, making a film is a matter of finding a right mix that is entertaining and touches one8217;s heart. I am not on a trip to change the world.8221; But he sure can8217;t help doing just that with every film.