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Sanjay Dutt revived interest in Gandhian principles
02nd Aug 2007 10.51 IST
By Agencies

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt , who inspired a whole generation to follow the principles of Mahatma Gandhi with his blockbuster Lage Raho Munnabhai , has hit another low in his roller-coaster life.

Dutt, 48, who believes "Gandhigiri is better than dadagiri", was Tuesday sentenced to six years rigorous imprisonment for illegal possession of arms by a special TADA court in Mumbai.

Dutt played the lovable Munnabhai in the mega-hit and encouraged people to return to the Gandhian philosophy in the film. And within weeks of the release of ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’, bookstalls across the country started stocking up on Gandhiji's books and forums sprang up on the Internet espousing the "cool" non-violent principles of India's founding father. From talking about the film to what exactly were Gandhiji's principles, these forums had it all.

Dutt, who has always believed in 'Gandhigiri', has acknowledged many a time that ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ renewed interest in Gandhiji.

"Gandhigiri became famous because of 'Lage Raho Munnabhai'. Otherwise, everyone would have forgotten what Gandhiji said." Dutt, who hit an all-time high in his career with the Munnabhai series, gave way to his "spoilt brat" image by playing the lovable "bhai".

The impact of the film was so tremendous that protesters across the country started showing their angst by adopting non-violent and peaceful means. When there was a crisis at AIIMS, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss received a bouquet of roses with a message "Get well soon". Several such bouquets were received by authorities throughout the country.

Another spin-off of the movie was that a group of professionals and students from Mumbai formed the ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai Fan Club’ to promote the Mahatma's message of peace and justice.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray told reporters shortly after Dutt was charged with possessing arms, "Even the soul of Mahatma Gandhi would have wanted Sanjay to be freed." "Gandhigiri has helped Sanjay," Thackeray had said.

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