LAGE RAHO MUNNA BHAI Produced by: Vinod Chopra Directed by: Raju Hirani Starring : Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani, Jimmy Shergil and Diya Mirza Language: Hindi Classification: U UK Release 1 Sept 2006

One of the most-awaited films of the year, the sequel to Munna Bhai MBBS sees the original cast, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani along with Dia Mirza and Vidya Balan (of Parineeta fame). Like the original, the sequel is directed by Raju Hirani, and produced by film veteran Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Much hype was created around deciding the name of the film. Initially titled 'Munna Bhai meets Mahatma Gandhi', and later 'Munna Bhai 2nd Innings', Vidhu Vinod Chopra steered clear of controversy and conducted a poll for selecting the film's name. An astounding 83% voted for Lage Raho Munna Bhai.

The film promises to be a heart-warming, rib-tickling laugh riot. Dutt plays the philosophical 'Bhai', Warsi is the hilarious and touchingly loyal 'Circuit', and Vidhya Balan plays 'Jhanvi', the radio jockey Munna has lost his heart to, even before he could set his eyes on her. Boman Irani ('Lucky Singh') is once again Munnabhai's adversary as a rich builder, whose Gurdaspur roots are very much evident in his lingo and his demeanor. The battle between Lucky Singh and his nemesis Munna has all the ingredients of a laughathon as Lucky pits himself unsuccessfully against Munna.

The twist in the tale comes when Munnabhai comes face to face with Mahatma Gandhi (played by Dilip Prabhawalkar) and both stick to their respective philosophies even while they are compelled to work together for the same goal. The film releases worldwide in theaters on September 1, 2006.