munna bahi legacy not like kyunki-article

James Bond — 007 to millions of fans — is on to actor number seven. In the process, Commander Bond has become the biggest film franchise in the history of Hollywood, even as actors playing him have come and gone. Similarly, movie acolytes couldn't imagine anyone other than Amitabh Bachchan as Don.

Not only did Shah Rukh Khan re-invent the character, he's also set to star in a sequel. So could the same happen to Munna Bhai, the beloved gangster with a heart of gold?

At this stage, few may be willing to imagine anyone other than Sanjay Dutt in the role. After all, the verdict against him is still fresh in the mind and there's a good deal of public sympathy for him. But as time goes by and passions cool, could there be a greater willingness to see other actors play the character? Opinion on that varies.

"Sanjay was never the star attraction of the Munna Bhai franchise," says Delhi-based Yuri Banerjee, an avid movie buff. "The script is the hero of both Munna Bhai films, not Sanjay. In fact, I find Arshad Warsi the more natural actor compared to Sanjay."

Agrees Vishal Samant: "I believe Shah Rukh Khan was the original choice to play Munna Bhai. It may not be a bad idea to revert to him, as long as Arshad continues to be Circuit."

But Sanjay has his die-hard fans too, who believe that the combination of the 'little boy lost' look and the tough guy physique is what makes him such a fabulous Munna Bhai. Priya Narain from Mumbai, who's seen both Munna Bhai films many times over, says: "There can be no one better than Sanju to play Munna, the hulk with the childlike soul. It's reel life meeting real, because that's what Sanjay Dutt personifies."

Little wonder then, Bollywood too is rallying behind Sanjay. Award-winning directors Madhur Bhandarkar and Sudhir Mishra both insist it'll either have to be Sanjay or no one. "I don't think another Munna Bhai film can be made without Sanjay. It will always be incomplete without Sanju who is indispensable to the film," says Bhandarkar. Prod him about a new Munna, and Bhandarkar is emphatic: "I cannot imagine anyone else playing Munna other than Sanju."

As Sudhir Mishra warns: "No one else should step in his shoes, because he was wonderful in the film." Mishra, in fact, goes a step forward and demands that Sanjay be allowed to work. "People want to see him in the sequel because he set a benchmark. The legal system should allow him to work."

Even critics, for once, are singing the Bollywood tune. According to Taran Adarsh, "It's not a 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', where you can replace Smriti Irani with Gautami as Tulsi. Munna Bhai is an emotional film and for people Munna only means Sanjay Dutt and Circuit only Arshad Warsi."

Of course, the entire question may be moot. After all, the actor's appeal might get a favourable verdict. In which case, one can look forward to seeing him collecting Circuit and winging off to Amrika!