2 hours Ago By Fengyen Chiu
Rajkumar Hirani’s Munna Bhai MBBS is iconic for many reasons, one of them being its role in reviving Sanjay Dutt’s career. However, what many might not know is that the titular role of Munna was initially signed by none other than Shah Rukh Khan. In a recent interview, Abbas Tyrewala, the dialogue writer of Munna Bhai MBBS, revealed some fascinating tidbits about how the casting and characters evolved during the early stages of the film.
Speaking on Cyrus Broacha’s YouTube channel Cyrus Says, Abbas shared that when Shah Rukh Khan was set to play Munna, the beloved sidekick Circuit—famously portrayed by Arshad Warsi—was initially named Khujli and was supposed to be played by actor Makrand Deshpande. “When Shah Rukh was doing it, Circuit was going to be Khujli,” Abbas shared, adding that the name was far more in tune with a roadside character. However, once Sanjay Dutt took over the lead role and Arshad Warsi joined the cast, the name and personality of Circuit evolved.
According to Abbas, Arshad Warsi gave a new dimension to Circuit, suggesting that the character's quick temper could be attributed to having a “short circuit” in his brain, hence the name. Tyrewala admitted that he only learned about this change while watching the final version of the movie and called it an “excellent decision” by Rajkumar Hirani, adding that Circuit was a much more evocative name than Khujli, which sounded generic. Abbas also pointed out that while he doesn’t interfere with a film once he’s done writing, there’s always a 50-50 chance that changes made on set can either benefit or harm the final product.
In the case of Munna Bhai MBBS, the changes clearly helped the film become “infinitely memorable.” The chemistry between Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi, along with the script’s sharp writing, made Munna Bhai MBBS a cult classic, and it’s hard to imagine the film any other way today..
