The making of Munnabhai MBBS 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, October 29, 2003 - 02:19 IST
Sanjay Dutt yet again plays a bhai in his upcoming film. But this bhai is different for he's Munnabhai. Munnabhai MBBS to be precise! Munnabhai MBBS is a hilarious and a heart warming story of a local goon's journey into the medical world – a place he neither belongs to nor he believes in. It is a classic story of a right man in a wrong place.
This Vidhu Vinod Chopra production is directed by debutante Raju Hirani and also stars Sunil Dutt, Gracy Singh, Arshad Warsi, Jimmy Shergill and Boman Irani.
Here's presenting the sweet and sour tit bits that went into the making of this film
The Casting Coup – Dutt Naturally
The casting of the actor to play Sanjay Dutt's reel father was being discussed. As various names were considered, Vinod and Hirani wondered aloud that wouldn't it be wonderful to have Mr Sunil Dutt himself to play this role? The thought was almost immediately cast aside since it was well known that the Senior Mr Dutt had voluntarily withdrawn from films for a more active public life.
But the thought wouldn't go away. Then Vinod, in his irrepressible style, said there was no harm in taking a shot and asking Dutt Saab. He fixed a meet with him, narrated the story, and...without batting an eyelid, Dutt Saab said he loved the story and would certainly want to do the role! Of course, he was making an exception for Vinod Chopra and for Munnabhai, because he's refused many other offers which have come his way since.
Sunil Dutt – The Legend
The Return
Everyone was looking forward to Mr Sunil Dutt's first day on the sets of 'Munnabhai' - he was returning to filmdom after a 16-year gap. He came, he saw, and with his genial and unassuming manner, he conquered.
As the unit marveled at his dedication and professionalism and got bowled over by his humility, they were witnesses to some quaint observations he made. For Dutt Saab, the shoot was like a journey in a time machine. He saw and absorbed the activity on the sets and tried to relate it to "his times", as he put it. He was fascinated by the vanity van or the make-up van for artists that's ever present on any shoot nowadays. As he gingerly stepped inside the van, he recalled "We did our make-up in the shade of the closest tree!”
The other gadget he had to get used to was the video assist monitor - a relatively new device the director and cinematographer use to set the frame and monitor the shot. Naturally, the director's attention was always focussed on the monitor during the shot. After the first few shots, Dutt Saab couldn't resist telling Raju "In my days, the director looked at me when I gave the shot!
The Jitters
Dutt Saab's easy bearing could easily relax everyone in the crew, but there was one group of people who were like cats on hot tin roofs when he was around - his co-actors. Their nervousness on having to act opposite such a senior actor was palpable. When giving his first shot with Dutt Saab, Boman Irani looked for every possible excuse to delay the shot. He had to virtually be dragged to the camera. Arshad Warsi, normally a picture of confidence, fumbled through 12 takes before the shot was canned. As they spent more time with him, they relaxed and then his presence actually brought out the best in them. But, as they were to come and tell the director later, they were simply overawed.
Most unforgettable was Sanjay Dutt's first shot ever as an adult with his father. The scene required Sanjay to be nervous, deliberately well groomed and neatly dressed as he faced his screen Babuji. Everything fitted to a T as Sanjay, perhaps sub-consciously gave a perfect take opposite the only man on earth who could make him feel like an errant child.
The Dedicated Actor
Dutt Saab's scenes were given to him well before the shoot - with the dialogues handwritten in Urdu, as that was the way he'd worked all along. That file stayed with him right through the shoot, spread over three months. He never had to be given his lines again. Every day of the shoot that he attended, he astonished Hirani with the level of preparation he'd done. Even with his busy schedule and myriad other commitments, he always made the time to prepare himself. The icing on the cake was when he turned up for the dubbing, a full three months later, the file was still with him, and he'd re-read his lines again.
The shot that was being taken was critical - it appeared towards the climax of the film and put in perspective Sanjay's relationship with his screen father. The clock was pushing 11 p.m. and Dutt saab's shoulder injury from his air crash had re-surfaced, causing him severe pain. He had to hug Sanjay tightly, but his arm just wouldn't move - any attempt to lift it sent shooting pain through his shoulder. Sanjay urged him to go home and rest. Someone called a doctor. Even as the unit decided to take the shot another day, Dutt saab persisted, saying he would do it. Applications of hot compresses and electric massages followed, Dutt Saab resumed his position with a steely resolve and completed the shot. All eyes which watched this were moist - an indelible experience.
The Dead Bodies
For the hospital scenes in the film the buzzword was authenticity. So, for the dissection room scene, Rajkumar Hirani did a personal round-up of the dissection room at J. J. Hospital long before the shoot, along with the production, art direction and camera teams. As Raju moved about inside the dissection room, taking in the ambience, everyone else squeamishly lingered outside, unable to drag themselves in.
Just before the shoot, the location co-ordinator was asked to ensure all details were worked out. He trotted along dutifully back to J. J. and returned with all info for an authentic shoot - dissection room hire, table layout, instruments used, costumes worn and… cadaver (dead body) hire charges - full body, part body, the works. He passed on this macabre info to the direction team, who doubled up with laughter saying "Ah! This is the ultimate in method filming. We're shooting in a real dissection room with real dead bodies!” Their jaws dropped when they saw that he had got the information in all earnestness since "Hirani wanted all details!". They dropped still further when the director's only reaction to it was "How much do the bodies cost?"
Of course, with due deference to everyone's feelings, the scene was finally shot in a set-up dissection room with live humans doubling up as cadavers. Finally, the only crib came from the Production in-charge, who whined, "Real dead bodies were cheaper!”
Junior artists
Even background artists from the junior artist supplier were handpicked after scanning hundreds of faces. The assistants went on other shoots where the junior artists were present, saw them and finally gave their requirements by name. The exasperated Jr. artist supplier finally complained to the Production in-charge, "Sirji aapke assistant bahut pareshaan karte hai - aisa selection aaj tak kisi film ke liye nahin hua". The result shows.
Baara Baj Gaye!
In the Pune schedule, Sanjay was giving a shot, which required him to run with a wheel chair patient across a lawn. Giving it his all, he stumbled on one take and took a nasty gash on his foot. A doctor was summoned to the set. All it needs is a tetanus shot, said the doc. The doc was a Sardar and coincidentally, the time was approaching mid day. Sanjay, in unstoppable leg pulling mood, glanced at his watch, made a panic stricken face and refused to take a tetanus shot from THIS doc at THIS time.
The assistants were at their wits' end. With a puzzled doc in the background, Sanjay Dutt, still pulling a straight face, announced that he would take the shot if someone took it before him. A harried camera assistant volunteered, fearing that any delay would mean hell for her as the lighting would change. Only then did a chuckling Sanjay relent, take the shot and continue with the shoot.
A Smashing Location
Everyone just stood and gasped. They were in the Anatomy Hall of Grant Medical College in the J. J. Hospital premises. The oldest (built in 1865) and easily the grandest classroom in Asia dwarfed them, its stepped seating towering 20 feet above them, the carefully crafted wooden ceiling much above that. The semi circular hall was dotted with giant 15 feet windows, all their panes painted black.
Cinematographer Binod Pradhan studied the room, working out the lighting in his mind and said he wanted the window panes to be removed to let in light. The art direction assistant, without batting an eyelid said, "Yes sir". The lighting was to start within a few hours. A while later, people standing in the compound began to hear crashing and tinkling noises. Rushing in, they found the art direction team happily smashing in all the panes. The glasses had been fixed with putty, which was now rock-hard and couldn't be removed. Breaking them open was the only option.
All production hands first slapped their foreheads, then instinctively reached for their calculators - 1,500 square feet of glass to be replaced and painted black after the shoot.
A New Face
It was a challenge to work on Boman Irani's look on the film. He could just so easily mould himself to any get-up and melt into it. Various moustaches, beards and aging effects were tried and they all seemed to work. But neither the director nor Boman felt they had quite got it. One day Boman walked in for a script session with Hirani with a shaven head - this was for some other role. It then struck both of them - why not a bald Dr. Asthana?
The next day, Boman came to the office for a make-up trial. He was given a small wig that gave him an egg shaped bald head and specs. He then donned his suit, and just to see how he felt in public, walked out of the office. Just outside the gate he crossed the director, who was returning to the office after some morning meetings. Hirani didn't so much as give him a second look and proceeded in. Boman then called the director on his cell and told him he was waiting for him at the gate. Rajkumar Hirani retraced his steps, and stood, squinting towards the gate, still unable to recognize the suited gentleman. It was only when Boman walked up to him purposefully that he recognized him.
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“Small people with big egos, not for me!” - Vidhu Vinod Chopra
