Munnabhai MBBS review

[Guest guest]

Here is my article, to be published in the April issue of Journal of

Medical Ethics:

MEDICINE IS THE BEST LAUGHTER

How do they depict a doctor in Hindi films or TV serials? He is either

a grave faced, heavy spectacled, didactic person, sombrely announcing

that either the mother or the child will survive, but not both, or he

is a buffoon, who is acted out by ny Lever, or some other comedian

with outlandish mannerisms and remedies.

‘Munnabhai MBBS’ comes across as a breath of fresh air. It is a

medical comedy, which does not laugh at doctors, rather it laughs with

doctors at the medical education system.

This recently released Hindi film can be viewed from different levels.

At the basic level, it is a gut-comedy in which a local Don pretends

that he is a doctor to please his father. When his trickery is

exposed, he vows to become a real doctor more by crook than by hook!

There is some excellent acting by Sanjay Dutt and his illustrious

father, acting as Munnabhai and his father. Arshad Warsi as the right

hand man of the don is superb in the role of the criminal sidekick

‘Circuit’. However, the surprise packet of the whole movie is Boman

Irani, who delights you with his understated role as Dean of the

medical college and father of Munnabhai’s ladylove. (He has just

received this year’s Star-Screen award for best comedian.)

However, as a doctor, I viewed the movie as a message for the medical

fraternity. Munnabhai manages to get admission into a prestigious

medical college by cheating in the exams. This would have been

hilarious if it had not been true. Unfortunately, our daily headlines

scream about how the various entrance tests are manipulated and how

medical admission has become less of a competition and more of an

auction.

Thje scene where juniors are made to strip and dance as a part of

ragging are straight oyut of the newspapers. Munnabhai tries to view

the dissection from behind a large flock of students and suddenly I

was transported back to my Medical student days, where we had to crane

our heads to watch a patient. Our colleges today are as over-crowded

as ever. Munnabhai grabs a mobile and orders his sidekick to get a

separate and fresh body for himself. I clapped at the dark humour of

this scene.

A part of the movie becomes unnecessarily heavy and pedantic, when it

advices doctors to treat patients as individuals and not as diseases

or a bunch of symptoms. Though this is perfectly true, it comes across

as a dreary speech. Just like Robin in the Hollywood movie

‘Patch ’, Munnabhai also treats the patients with a hug and a

kiss and a little bit of understanding.

Munnabhai communicates with the lowly sweeper by just asking him his

name. This scene made me poause and wonder if I knew the names of all

the ward boys and Ayahs who helped run the hospitals where I work. I

am sure that I would be found sorely wanting.

The ease with which the Dean / Professor can make or break Munnabhai’s

medical career brought chills to my heart. I recollected all the PG

students who scurried to the market to buy vegetables for their PG

guides, just to remain in their good books. Is it right; Is it safe to

give such a life and death power over another person to anyone, even

if he is a senior doctor? Should we not ensure an influence free exam,

where only merit is evaluated?

There is one scene in the movie, which is just fantastic! Boman Irani

suffers from hypertension. He uses laughter therapy to lower his blood

pressure whenever he gets angry. Due to various misunderstandings,

Munnabhai tells him that he no longer loves Chinki, his childhood

sweet heart and Irani’s daughter. Irani pretends to commiserate with

Munna, whilst secretly bubbling with joy. Then Munnabhai explodes the

bombshell. He tells Irani that now he actually loves Dr. Suman, the

real name of Chinki / Irani’s daughter. The play of emotions on Irani’

s face, who does not speak a single word, is stupendous. For a period

of two minutes, this man does not utter a single syllable, and yet he

conveys his futile attempt to laugh his hypertension away and his

frustration at the irony of fate. The whole audience rolls with

laughter in the aisles during this part. This one sequence alone makes

the whole movie worth watching.

When you leave the cinema hall, there is a smile on your lips. Most of

the movie is couched in Bollywood hyperbole. However, somewhere deep

down, you realize that beneath the laughter lie so many short comings

of our Medical education system, which Munnabhai has subtly pointed

out to us.

Kishore Shah 1974

[Guest guest]

Agreed,Kishore,This movie is definitely worth watching...taking us

medicos to the days of nostalgia of Anat D.Hall,the scenes of

ragging,lecture halls,wards and ....and not to miss the funny scene

of hostelroom,Ha,when this poor spectsy scholar roommate of

Munnabhai repeatedly keeps asking Dean,whats the procedure of

changing his room ............!!

Despite numerous funny sequences like laughter therapy,chumma

therapy/hug therapy,secrets of success in the entrance and

qualifying exams......the movie surely hits the nail on the head

while pointing to the futility of procedural formalities in the

emergency rooms for medicolegal cases.....when the patient is

hanging b/w life and death.

Looking from the perspective of a doc,the movie has failed

miserably in depicting the clinical facts and ethical issues of a

brain dead patients.......,where the whole medical faculty takes the

reflexes of a vegetative patient as signs of brain recovery....only

to confuse many inexperienced medicos/students/graduates,who never

get to face those kinds of cases in reality.On a funny note,

i,however, actually missed the much needed pesence of people like

Munna-bhai in the US of A when the Terry's case was making

international headlines.Poor Terry wasn't as lucky as .......that

Keshu bhai Patel(if i remember it correctly)of Munna bhai.....Things

like that can only happen in India/Indian movies!....and before this

topic gets diverted into the another never-ending debate of des-

pardes,

Audios folks,

Neeti'86

> Here is my article, to be published in the April issue of Journal

of

> Medical Ethics:

>

> MEDICINE IS THE BEST LAUGHTER

>

> How do they depict a doctor in Hindi films or TV serials? He is

either

> a grave faced, heavy spectacled, didactic person, sombrely

announcing

> that either the mother or the child will survive, but not both, or

he

> is a buffoon, who is acted out by ny Lever, or some other

comedian

> with outlandish mannerisms and remedies.

>

> `Munnabhai MBBS' comes across as a breath of fresh air. It is a

> medical comedy, which does not laugh at doctors, rather it laughs

with

> doctors at the medical education system.

>

> This recently released Hindi film can be viewed from different

levels.

> At the basic level, it is a gut-comedy in which a local Don

pretends

> that he is a doctor to please his father. When his trickery is

> exposed, he vows to become a real doctor more by crook than by

hook!

>

> There is some excellent acting by Sanjay Dutt and his illustrious

> father, acting as Munnabhai and his father. Arshad Warsi as the

right

> hand man of the don is superb in the role of the criminal sidekick

> `Circuit'. However, the surprise packet of the whole movie is Boman

> Irani, who delights you with his understated role as Dean of the

> medical college and father of Munnabhai's ladylove. (He has just

> received this year's Star-Screen award for best comedian.)

>

> However, as a doctor, I viewed the movie as a message for the

medical

> fraternity. Munnabhai manages to get admission into a prestigious

> medical college by cheating in the exams. This would have been

> hilarious if it had not been true. Unfortunately, our daily

headlines

> scream about how the various entrance tests are manipulated and how

> medical admission has become less of a competition and more of an

> auction.

>

> Thje scene where juniors are made to strip and dance as a part of

> ragging are straight oyut of the newspapers. Munnabhai tries to

view

> the dissection from behind a large flock of students and suddenly I

> was transported back to my Medical student days, where we had to

crane

> our heads to watch a patient. Our colleges today are as over-

crowded

> as ever. Munnabhai grabs a mobile and orders his sidekick to get a

> separate and fresh body for himself. I clapped at the dark humour

of

> this scene.

>

> A part of the movie becomes unnecessarily heavy and pedantic, when

it

> advices doctors to treat patients as individuals and not as

diseases

> or a bunch of symptoms. Though this is perfectly true, it comes

across

> as a dreary speech. Just like Robin in the Hollywood movie

> `Patch ', Munnabhai also treats the patients with a hug and a

> kiss and a little bit of understanding.

>

> Munnabhai communicates with the lowly sweeper by just asking him

his

> name. This scene made me poause and wonder if I knew the names of

all

> the ward boys and Ayahs who helped run the hospitals where I work.

I

> am sure that I would be found sorely wanting.

>

> The ease with which the Dean / Professor can make or break

Munnabhai's

> medical career brought chills to my heart. I recollected all the PG

> students who scurried to the market to buy vegetables for their PG

> guides, just to remain in their good books. Is it right; Is it

safe to

> give such a life and death power over another person to anyone,

even

> if he is a senior doctor? Should we not ensure an influence free

exam,

> where only merit is evaluated?

>

> There is one scene in the movie, which is just fantastic! Boman

Irani

> suffers from hypertension. He uses laughter therapy to lower his

blood

> pressure whenever he gets angry. Due to various misunderstandings,

> Munnabhai tells him that he no longer loves Chinki, his childhood

> sweet heart and Irani's daughter. Irani pretends to commiserate

with

> Munna, whilst secretly bubbling with joy. Then Munnabhai explodes

the

> bombshell. He tells Irani that now he actually loves Dr. Suman, the

> real name of Chinki / Irani's daughter. The play of emotions on

Irani'

> s face, who does not speak a single word, is stupendous. For a

period

> of two minutes, this man does not utter a single syllable, and yet

he

> conveys his futile attempt to laugh his hypertension away and his

> frustration at the irony of fate. The whole audience rolls with

> laughter in the aisles during this part. This one sequence alone

makes

> the whole movie worth watching.

>

> When you leave the cinema hall, there is a smile on your lips.

Most of

> the movie is couched in Bollywood hyperbole. However, somewhere

deep

> down, you realize that beneath the laughter lie so many short

comings

> of our Medical education system, which Munnabhai has subtly pointed

> out to us.

>

> Kishore Shah 1974

[Guest guest]

<<< The ease with which the Dean / Professor can make or break

Munnabhai's

medical career brought chills to my heart. I recollected all the PG

students who scurried to the market to buy vegetables for their PG

guides, just to remain in their good books. Is it right; Is it safe

to give such a life and death power over another person to anyone,

even if he is a senior doctor? Should we not ensure an influence

free exam,where only merit is evaluated? >>>

Excellent job on the honest and a candid review on this

part,Kishore,..........and lets hope the message gets

dispersed .......!!!

Neeti'86

PS:BTW after reading the review of the movie if u guys r thinking

Sanjay Dutt is the Star..............nope,u r wrong,The Star of the

movie...happens to be the guy with unparallelled acting skills,the

guy who practices innovative laughter therapy.........BOMAN IRANI,I

loved this guys acting and expressions!!