The Hindu Business Line : Bapu, Ba Bollywood struck

Standing outside Raghuleela multiplex, Gandhiji and Kasturba were laughing, holding their tummies while their old-fashioned glasses slipped off their faces. "Saroo che (good)," exclaimed Ba to Gandhiji. They had just stepped out after seeing the 12.30 afternoon show of Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Ba pleaded with Gandhiji to buy two tickets for the 6 p.m. show and Gandhiji went back to the counter where a young lady informed it was House Full.

The Old Man then went up to a young tout and offered to pay Rs 300 (against the face value of Rs 140) each for two tickets when the tout said in Hindi, "Kaka, tickets nahin hai (Kaka, no tickets)." Ba was disappointed and chided Gandhiji, "I am ashamed. You can't even get two tickets in black after watching Lage Raho Munna Bhai." Ba was fascinated by the elevator and the two went up and down the electronic staircase, while the public watched curiously. Somebody in the crowd remarked in Gujarati, "Pagal che (They are mad)," but that did not bother Ba and Bapu. Gandhiji was sweating and Ba took out a towel from a big jute-lined bag and handed it to him. Other than the towel, the bag bulged with sev, bhel puri, samosa, Haldiram's sonpapdi and two big bottles of water for any emergency. Yet, Ba got Bapu to buy her a Coke and a packet of popcorn, while the Old Man picked up a Jani sandwich for himself before taking their seats in the hall. "So you liked the Coke or Sanjay Dutt more," asked Gandhi of Ba and she got back with, "What were you doing? Chewing a Jain sandwich or admiring Arshad Warsi."

The Old Man appealed for truce and the two walked over to a restaurant to enjoy Gujarati thalis. The Gandhi couple had made it to Kandivili a day before to stay with an old friend and this gentleman had booked the tickets for Lage Raho at Rs 140 per head. Gandhi was in his traditional dress, while Ba had wrapped herself in a Kanchipuram sari and it was years since they had seen a film together. The two got to discussing the film.

Gandhiji popped a dhokla into his mouth and said, "The National Anthem was done well with many musicians taking part. Starting with Lata and ending with A.R. Rehman, it is a good way to popularise the Anthem." Tasting a rosogulla, Ba chipped in: "Lage Raho is better than Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. I liked the scene where Sanjay Dutt tells Warsi, "Jab ek gale me chata lagta hai, to doosra dikha. Bapu ne bola. (Gandhiji asked us to show the second cheek when slapped on the first)." That prompts Warsi to ask, "Doosra dikha ne bad kya (What, after showing the second cheek)," and Sanjay replies, "Wo Gandhi ne nahin bola. (That Gandhi did not tell)." Bapu fell off the chair as Ba went on and on with Sanju's tapori dialogues, derived from Mumbai's underworld.

As the pooris were served, Sanjay Dutt, Warsi and Boman Irani walked in. Some TV channel had broken the news that the Gandhi couple were at Raghuleela watching Lage Raho Munna Bhai.

As usual the channel twisted the news saying Gandhiji had bought the tickets in the black market. They spotted Bapu and Ba in a corner, walked up to them and touched their feet. "Please Sanjubhai don't touch my feet. While coming to the theatre I stepped into a crater on the road filled with ditch water. Wonder what Joseph the municipal commissioner is doing," pleaded Bapu with Sanjay Dutt.

That did not deter them from their feet-touching act. "Bapu, without you there would not have been a Lage Raho. You know we have made a few crores and plan to deposit the proceeds in the PM Relief Fund. Tell me Bapu, did you do all those things for this country as the history books say," Sanju asked when Bapu invited them to join the table.

For a few minutes Warsi stared at Bapu and then touched him to be sure that he was real and not the haunting presence in the film. Ba was Bollywood struck.

After bumping into ill-dressed, saintly freedom fighters pouting independence and the Gita all her life, Sanjay and Warsi were a major makeover. "Why did you not bring the director Rajkumar Hirani and Vidya Balan," Ba inquired of Warsi.

"Apan abhi layega, (I will bring them immediately)," Warsi said in tapori Hindi and Sanjay held him back as they were not in town.

Sipping a coke, Irani was keen on knowing how the Gandhi couple had turned filmgoers.

"If I recollect correctly, the first film we saw was Sant Tukkaram. Ba walked out half way. Those days, there were floor and bench tickets and we were too poor to buy bench. We have seen all the Chaplin and Raj Kapoor films. Now I can say it. I swooned watching Nargis. No doubt Sanjay is good. From Khalnayak with that song Choli ke peeche, to Lage Rago. But we try to keep off dishun-dishun films as that is not Gandhigiri by any means," Bapu mused.

"Are bhai, Bapu still does a jig when he hears the song, Choli ke neeche.., Ba added ribbing her famous husband and the Old Man took it sportingly. Lunch was over and Irani said: "We plan to sell free CDs of Lage Raho in schools. Tell me, Bapu are you a Gandhiwad or do you practice, like us, Gandhigiri."

Gandhi got up and said: "If you pay my bill it is Gandhiwad. If we can get the hotel to waive the bill non-violently it is Gandhigiri."

P. Devarajan

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