From 'Munna Bhai' To 'PK', How Just 5 Films Turned Rajkumar Hirani Into A Bollywood Heavyweight
Rajkumar Hirani, the man who forged the most surreal oeuvre of cinematic excellence with merely five films to his name. An industry outsider who happened to be a crazed possessor of commendable directorial vision, it took this 'five-film wonder' just one shot to create a niche for himself in Bollywood.
Today Rajkumar Hirani is nothing less than an industry giant who has produced unique tales of love, life and fathered modern fables which have stood the test of time to this day.
It all started back in 2000 when Rajkumar Hirani got the 'big break' of his career. Having unsuccessfully dabbled with film editing and advertising for years, Hirani finally got a chance to edit Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Mission Kashmir. Though the film failed to make an impact at the box office, it succeeded to Hirani on the map.
His directorial debut came soon after in 2003 with Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and thus began Rajkumar Hirani's unmissable journey to becoming Bollywood's 'five-film wonder' with five consecutive blockbusters at the box office.
From Munna Bhai to Sanju, Rajkumar Hirani weaved the most convincing tales which tied the audience to his narrative and got them hooked for more.
With Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. Hirani furnished a side of Indian consciousness that thrives on titles and accomplishments. A shared dream every Indian wants to bite into - a distinguished job title and a possibility of climbing up the social ladder. But Hirani managed to unveil the futility of this rat race when placed against the facade people try to keep up by crushing personal dreams. A splendid tale of life and dreams that may or may not come to pass in a lifetime.
Lago Raho Munna Bhai almost came through as a modernised refurbishing of Gandhigiri. With this comedy-drama, Hirani brought forth the timelessness of a way of a forgotten way of life that rests of calls for peace and togetherness. The 'Get Well Soon(s)', call for honesty and non-violence were seen to be valid even decades after the passing of Gandhi and Hirani sent out that message loud and clear with every antic Munna pulls off in the film.
The glory that is 3 Idiots needs no introduction. The story may have been inspired by Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Someone, but the final product was far more indulging and cathartic thanks to the indisputable vision of Rajkumar Hirani. The coming-of-age tale of three mates, and the numerous sub-plots held so many life lessons, even a life coach would fail to come up with them all in under three hours of runtime.
PK, on the other hand, was a different matter altogether. The all-consuming yet simple ways in which Hirani manages to logically uncover the loopholes in the Indian belief system, as well as the workings of blind faith and superstitions, is nothing short of marvellous! The flawed sense of God that mankind has come to practise, lay bare as PK attacks the culprits oh-so-subtly in this film. It hit many a nail on the head and received honest critical acclaim it deserved.
Most recently, it was Ranbir Kapoor starrer Sanju which added the final feather to Hirani's hat. The film and its narrative enthralled the audience as they beheld a contemporary biographical film based on the life of a controversial personality. It might be true when people said that Hirani tried to “repaint” Sanjay Dutt's public image with this film, but we must give the man credit where it's due because he does leave ample space for the audience to come to their own conclusion despite his personal inclinations - what else could make for a great trait in a director?
Rajkumar Hirani is a storyteller in the truest right. One who creates not with a pen and paper, but weaves tales in frames, sitting behind a camera.