Ace director Rajkumar Hirani is currently busy shooting for Sanjay Dutt's biopic starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead. The director wants to finish shooting for the film by June and is looking to release the film during Christmas. However, post the completion of Sanjay Dutt's biopic, Hirani will start work on 'Munna Bhai 3' confirms the filmmaker.
'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' released in 2006 which was three years later 'Munna Bhai M.B.B.S' released. Post the release of 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' Rajkumar had already announced a third film in the instalment. Talking to a leading tabloid, Rajkumar admitted that he had five half-written scripts for the third film in the franchise. Hirani said, "I could've taken any of them and released another film, knowing people would watch it. But I don't want to make a Munna Bhai which is not as good, if not better, than the previous two. I'm going to make just one more after which someone else can take the franchise forward and it has to be equally good."
Midway the filmmaker directed two popular hits - 'PK' and '3 Idiots', and it is when he was still basking in the glory of 'PK' that the filmmaker thought of returning to the on screen with 'Munna Bhai 3'. That is when Sanjay Dut was on parole, the filmmaker went and met the actor and Sanjay would talk about his life to Hirani. For 25 days, Rajkumar dropped by at Sanjay's resident and would talk to him till 3 am in the morning. By the time Sanjay's parole was over, Hirani had 200 hours of recorded conversations. And the conversations inspired Rajkumar to make a film on Sanjay's life as he thought to make a real story will be better than making a fiction. He asked Sanjay for permissions and asked him he could tell his story with utmost honesty and without glorifying him.
It is after Dutt agreed that Rajkumar asked his writer-partner Abhijat Joshi to start working on the script. Hirani further adds, "Now, while I am shooting this film, Abhijat is working on the script of 'Munna Bhai 3'. Hopefully, by the time I'm done with the biopic, it'll be ready and I can jump into it in the New Year. It's a great idea and in the same territory as the other two, but still just a half-worked idea."
Rajkumar wanted to make the third film right after 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai released, but didn't want to go wrong with the film. "We started on it immediately after finishing 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai'. We even shot a trailer. It was a funny script but the second half didn't work out. I will surely make one more Munna Bhai," says Raju, quick to add that this is not that script but a new journey. "It's too early to say where it is going, but I had a great time working with Sanjay and Arshad earlier and I wanted to continue with them. The topic is such that it will suit an older Sanjay and Arshad. Physically Munna and Circuit might change a bit but they will continue to be my divine fools," states Hirani.
