Friday, February 24, 2023

TRACING GANDHIAN IDEAS THROUGH THE FILM ‘LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI’ by Khyati Kallianpur


Introduction:

 “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” – Mahatma Gandhi

 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was a lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who rose to prominence as a leader of the nationalist movement opposing British colonial rule in India.

He played an important role in influencing India's struggle for independence. With his non- violence-based policy of non-cooperation, his slogan 'Do or Die' inspired the Quit India movement, and he transformed the freedom movement into a broad-based mass movement.

Over the years, several Indian filmmakers have tried to portray the life of Gandhi and his ideals through films such as ‘The Making of the Mahatma’ (1996), ‘Hey Ram’ (2000), ‘Maine Gandhi ko Nahin Mara’ (2005), etc. However, one film that struck a chord with the masses was ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ (2006), directed by Rajkumar Hirani.

The film follows the journey of a local don, Murli (Munnabhai) who is used to resorting to means of violence to get what he wants. It is only after studying Gandhian principles and visualizing his conscience in the form of Gandhi himself that he decides to imbibe them in his own life. He goes on to advocate how Gandhian philosophy can be applied to people's everyday lives in the 21st century.

Gandhian Principles Depicted in the Film:

 Satya (Truth)

 

'Satya' (Truth) derives from the Sanskrit word 'Sat', meaning 'being'. According to Gandhi, reality is made up of nothing but Truth. Rather than saying that God is Truth, it is more accurate to say that Truth is God. Which is why, ‘Satya’ became the foundation for Gandhian philosophy.

There has been an emphasis on truth and the conscience of people throughout the film. For instance, Murli is constantly living with guilt and the fear of losing Janvi if she finds out that he was responsible for her suffering. He is time and again advised to tell her the truth himself by Gandhi in his hallucinations. When he finally does, he goes on to fight the rest of the battle with a renewed sense of courage and determination.

Further, we see Lucky go through the same guilt and fear when he arranges his daughter’s marriage on the basis of a lie. The flowers he receives every day because of Murli and Janvi’s

‘Satyagraha’ remind him of this and we finally see an outburst of his guilt in the store when he sees a woman wearing a ‘gajra’ (garland).

Moreover, through their radio show, Murli and Janvi save a man from almost committing suicide by advising him to confess his mistake to his father and rectify it by working hard.

Ahimsa (Non-Violence)

 According to Gandhi, ‘Ahimsa’ or non-violence refers to abstinence from using physical force that could harm a person physically or even mentally. Gandhi's interpretation of ‘Ahimsa’ developed further in spite of the fact that he admittedly wasn't able to define it fully.

As Gandhi promoted in his fight for freedom, ‘Ahimsa’ involved marches, protests and other non-violent acts against the British dominance and discriminatory laws. Often, it was done through non-cooperation and nonviolent interventions. The act of civil disobedience proved more effective than forceful or violent agitation.

We see the principle of ‘Ahimsa’ bring about a drastic change in Murli’s character in the film. He was initially someone whose job entails violence on a daily basis. However, we later see him tell Lucky that instead of getting the house back through means of coercion, he would follow the Gandhian principles of ‘Ahimsa’ and ‘Satyagraha’ to make him realise his fault, which he eventually does. We therefore see Murli emerge victorious in the end without resorting to any means of force or brutality.

Further, we also see Murli and Janvi help two more people by solving their problems through ‘Ahimsa’. First was the caller who was troubled by his neighbour constantly spitting tobacco near his door. Instead of resorting to physical or verbal abuse, he was advised to react non- violently which finally made his neighbour feel guilty and apologise for his behaviour. Second was another caller who fought corruption and got his pension by interacting non-violently with the government officer.

Satyagraha (Passive Resistance)

 The term ‘Satyagraha’ is based on ‘satya’, which in Sanskrit means ‘truth.’ ‘Agraha’ is also used to refer to persistence. In the socio-political sphere, ‘satyagraha’ was more of a resistance movement against unfair laws. Instead of using the English term ‘Passive Resistance’ to characterize this campaign that the Indians could not easily understand, Gandhi created the term ‘satyagraha.’ ‘Satyagraha’ results naturally from the concept of truth at its core. According

to Gandhi, having an unwavering commitment to spiritual values and moral principles was also essential.

In the film, ‘Satyagraha’ plays an important role for the characters in winning their battle against Lucky’s misuse of power. When Lucky illegally takes away the house from Janvi and her family, Murli, Circuit and the rest of them start living on the road in front of Lucky’s house as a part of their non-violent resistance. Murli and Janvi also start their radio show and request their listeners to send flowers to Lucky to gather support in their resistance. This eventually works in their favour and Lucky, having realised his mistake, returns their house to them.

Gandhian Principles in the 21st Century

 

Gandhi envisioned a state free from corruption and hypocrisy. However, in his view, a moral person and an immoral society cannot live together harmoniously. It is the duty of the other to resist non-violently when either fails. In order to regulate the relationship between individuals and societies, moral resistance must be based on non-violence.

There are several instances in the film that call out the corrupt practices in our society in a humorous way. The first scene itself shows Murli’s friends kidnapping and threatening a government officer to make a choice between ‘a wallet’ and ‘a bullet’, indicating how common bribery and misuse of power have become in society today.

Moreover, in another scene, Janvi approaches a lawyer to fight a case against Lucky. In order to get hired, the lawyer does not disclose entire information about the duration of the case. But when he thinks there is another lawyer who is trying to influence them by disclosing the truth, he beats him up right under Gandhi’s photo. This scene points out the irony of getting beaten for supposedly speaking the truth.

However, later in the film Murli begins advocating Gandhian philosophy of ‘Satya’, ‘Ahimsa’ and ‘Satyagraha’ in the form of ‘Gandhigiri’, a way in which these principles could be applied in people’s routine lives. Gandhi’s philosophy was based on his conception of human nature, which was in fact well-balanced. Which is why we see that even after several decades people related to it. We see this when Murli goes on to win support of the entire city because the ideology connected with common people even in contemporary society.

Conclusion:

A major part of the philosophy advocated by Gandhi was not invented by him, rather it has been in existence since the ancient times. In contrast, these principles lacked universality and significance. His new interpretation and reaffirmation of these fundamental principles of human behaviour demonstrated their universality.

Further, Gandhi’s well-balanced perception towards human nature helped his ideology connect with the people of his time and evoked mass participation, even from people of the minority communities. Since then, his ideas have influenced several global leaders and are remembered by people across the world till date.

References:

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