Happy Birthday Rajkumar Hirani: Some films of the director that are a must watch!

There's no film buff in the country who is not familiar with Rajkumar Hirani. His parents wanted him to become a Chartered Accountant, but life had other plans in store for him.
An active participant in Hindi theatre in his school days, Hirani enrolled at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. After graduating, Hirani struggled for many years in Mumbai, then shifted to advertising, where he slowly and steadily established himself as the man behind some very popular ad campaigns.

Very few know that Hirani is the brain behind the insanely popular Fevicol ad where some people and elephants are trying to pull apart a fevicol plank.

The winner of four National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards, Rajkumar Hirani is now synonymous with good cinema. Here are some films of Rajkumar Hirani you must watch.

Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. | 2003

Rajkumar Hirani's directorial debut was in 2002 with the hugely popular comedy drama film, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S starring Sanjay Dutt, Gracy Singh, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani and Jimmy Shergill. The comedy film moved away from the stereotypical romances that were common in Bollywood films at the time. The film earned him his first National Award for Best Director. Commercially also, the film was a huge hit, raking in a total of ₹1 billion worldwide. The director followed the success of 'Munna Bhai M.B.B.S' with another blockbuster film 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' in 2006, which was the second instalment in the Munna Bhai series.

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Three Idiots | 2009

In 2009, after a gap of about 3 years, Rajkumar Hirani made a strong comeback with '3 Idiots' starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi.
The coming-of-age comedy-drama, which was based on a novel by Chetan Bhagat emerged to be one of the highest-grossing films that year. The film which highlighted the shortcoming of the Indian education system won several awards including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. '3 Idiots' earned ₹4.60 billion in global ticket sales, establishing Hirani as one of Hindi cinema's most prolific filmmakers.

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PK | 2014

Rajkumar Hirani delivered yet another blockbuster in 2014 called PK. Starring Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, the film became an instant hit. People appreciated Aamir Khan's quirky avatar as a humanoid alien, while Anushka Sharma also slayed in her role as a television reporter. One of the last films to have been shot on celluloid, PK grossed more than Rs 630 crore INR.

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Sanju | 2018

In 2018, Rajkumar Hirani's 'Sanju' released, a biographical drama based on the controversial life of Sanjay Dutt featuring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role. 'Sanju' took fans through Sanjay Dutt's career, his mother’s illness, his drug addiction, his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, his arrest on terror charges and eventually his release.

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What next for Rajkumar Hirani?

Earlier this year, reports confirmed that Hirani has locked in Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol for his next project. Bollywood's favourite pair will reportedly team up for a social comedy, which will also star Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Manoj Bajpayee and Boman Irani. Co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, the film’s shooting might begin in April, 2022.

Well, we can't wait to see Rajkumar Hirani's genius on screen.

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