Aamir Khan reveals he was offered Lage Raho Munnabhai before Munnabhai MBBS existed; recalls original concept of Sanjay Dutt-starrer sequel : Bollywood News

Actor Aamir Khan recently shared a fascinating behind-the-scenes story about how he was almost part of the iconic Munnabhai franchise. Speaking at the press conference for PVR-INOX’s “Aamir Khan: Cinema Ka Jadugar”, Aamir narrated an intriguing tale about the origins of Lage Raho Munnabhai. The event, attended by veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar, shed light on an untold chapter of Bollywood history.

Aamir Khan reveals he was offered Lage Raho Munnabhai before Munnabhai MBBS existed; recalls original concept of Sanjay Dutt-starrer sequel

The Untold Story of the First Munnabhai Film

Aamir Khan disclosed that director Rajkumar Hirani had initially approached him with a script that was meant to be the first Munnabhai film. At the time, Munnabhai MBBS—the 2003 blockbuster that introduced Sanjay Dutt as the lovable gangster-turned-doctor wasn’t even conceived. However, the script Hirani narrated to Aamir underwent significant changes and eventually evolved into Lage Raho Munnabhai, the 2006 sequel that popularized the concept of Gandhigiri.

Recalling the moment, Aamir said, “The day he [Hirani] came to narrate the script to me, he said, ‘The script I was narrating to you has changed, and that has become Munna Bhai 2, and I don’t have anything else to narrate to you.’ I said, ‘Even I agree. You should make it as Munna Bhai 2.’ I don’t have any regrets.” His gracious response reflected his confidence in Hirani’s vision, even though it meant he wouldn’t star in the film.

Aamir Khan reveals original concept of Lage Raho Munnabhai

Sharing further details of the first draft of Lage Raho Munnabhai, Aamir said, “The original story was of a young freedom fighter, who gets hit during laathi charge and slips into a coma. Then he wakes up 40-45 years later; India has got independence and we are in the 90s. The world has moved on, but he is stuck. That’s why he chats with Gandhi because he doesn’t know that Gandhi has passed away. That was the original concept.”

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While Aamir missed out on the Munnabhai series, his collaboration with Hirani proved to be a game-changer for Indian cinema. The duo later teamed up for the 2009 blockbuster 3 Idiots, which remains one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, and the 2014 satirical sci-fi drama PK.

Also Read: Aamir Khan opens up about turning down Darr, which eventually went to Shah Rukh Khan: “Agar woh main karta toh kuch aur hi ho jata”