Rajkumar Hirani reveals a director told him ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ would be a disaster. “He said what have you made?”
Published: June 20, 2026, 10:23 AM IST
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Munna Bhai MBBS (PC – Poster)
Today, Munna Bhai MBBS is considered one of Bollywood’s most loved films, but before its release, not everyone believed in Rajkumar Hirani’s vision. The filmmaker recently revealed that after watching a trial screening, one director was convinced the film would fail. Hirani recalled how the filmmaker questioned his decision to cast Sanjay Dutt in such an unconventional role. At the time, Dutt was widely known for his action-hero image, making the hospital-based setting seem risky to some. “I remember when the film was completed, and we were holding a trial show. A few people had come to watch it, including a director. After seeing it, he told me, ‘What have you done? You’ve made a disaster. Sanjay Dutt is an action hero, and you’re making a film with him set in a hospital? And you’ve even shot the songs here. At least one song should have been filmed at a foreign location,”, said Hirani in a chat with Sanjay Arora.
Munna Bhai MBBS had a slow start at the box office
Hirani also opened up about his nervous experience on the film’s opening day. He visited Mumbai’s Gaiety Galaxy theatre to gauge audience reactions and initially feared the worst when the gatekeeper signalled a thumbs down. He later realised the gesture was only about ticket sales, as the theatre was around 50 per cent occupied and not housefull. However, once inside, Hirani noticed the audience was thoroughly enjoying the film. By the evening, theatres had started putting up Housefull boards. He added, “He also said, ‘This should have been a colourful film. The characters should have been dressed in colourful clothes. What is this? You’ve put everyone in hospital uniforms.’” Rajkumar Hirani also said, “We went to Gaiety Galaxy (on the film’s opening day), and while entering the theatre, I asked the gatekeeper what the reaction to the film was like. He gave me a thumbs-down sign, and at that moment, my heart sank a little.”
Starring Sanjay Dutt in the lead, the film marked Rajkumar Hirani’s directorial debut and was produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It also became Sunil Dutt’s final film appearance, with the veteran actor playing the father of his real-life son on screen.
Featuring Arshad Warsi and Gracy Singh alongside Dutt, the film went on to become both a commercial and critical success and won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film. It was later followed by the 2006 sequel, “Lage Raho Munna Bhai”.
Hirani is currently working on the sequel to “3 Idiots”, and recently shared that the story will explore the mid-life crisis of its three lead characters – Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi.
