20 Years of Munna Bhai MBBS EXCLUSIVE: Khurshed Lawyer talks about playing Swami in the Sanjay Dutt-starrer: “The film got delayed for nearly 10 months due to Shah Rukh Khan’s back injury”

Munna Bhai MBBS (2003) completed 20 years last month, on December 19. It’s a film that revived Arshad Warsi’s career and made director Rajkumar Hirani and actors Boman Irani, Kurush Deboo, Yatin Karyekar, etc known personalities across the country. Another actor who got fame through the Sanjay Dutt-starrer was Khurshed Lawyer. He played the role of Nagarajan Swami, Munna’s roommate. Despite limited screen time, he left a mark and is also a part of the now famous ‘Mast hai; apun ko bhi karne ka hai’ meme. As Munna Bhai MBBS celebrated its 20th anniversary, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke with Khurshed Lawyer about the film and a lot more.

What were you doing before you landed the role in Munna Bhai MBBS? After I graduated from college in 1996, I started working with Tinkle Comics. I was the sub-editor in Amar Chitra Katha. Then I was an information analyst at The Indian Express. We started with having news on the web. This was in the year 1998 when the internet was new. Hence, the experience was thrilling. Then I underwent laser surgery for my eyes. This gave me the confidence to get into acting. Until then, main bahut hi darr raha tha. The number in my eyes was -16 or 17. I used to look funny wearing the soda bottle glasses.

After the surgery, I spent my savings and made my portfolio. In 2000, I worked in three ads. One of them was for Channel V. Since the director liked me a lot, he offered me two more assignments. So in all, I worked on five projects. In 2001, I didn’t get any work. My bank balance was low. Those were the days when we used to have only hard copies of the photographs. So, once you gave the pictures to someone, we had to make another copy and that used to add to the financial burden. Nevertheless, I decided that I’d do one big project and then I would quit. Then one day, I got a call to audition for Munna Bhai MBBS.

What was the audition process like? I got a call from Rajkumar Hirani’s office. I was told to not just get ragged but also rag a student. Dono karna tha. Later, I was told on call that I had been selected. At first, I thought they had wrongly called me because the person who called me was from Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s office. Aur maine toh unki office dekhi bhi nahin thi! I felt ‘Main wahan jaunga aur pappu ho jaayega’! I told them that they had dialled the wrong person’s number. This is when they explained the whole situation to me. And I was like ‘Toh fir right number lagaya hai aapne’!

How did you get the audition call? There was a casting coordinator in those days. Also, I had gone to Rajkumar Hirani’s office, Canvas Films, many times for auditions. So, they had my photographs. Those days, directors would meet people. They would have an interaction with actors. It was unlike the chaotic, undisciplined scene that exists today. There were limited people and there was a system in place. Tab aisa nahin hota tha ki har dusra insaan bole ki ‘Main acting karunga’ and reel bana ke daal di.

Meanwhile, I was getting older obviously and people used to mock me that I left a steady job. It’s a typical Indian mindset. I was the first one in my family to get into acting. Though my parents were very supportive, somewhere deep inside, they also felt anxious. And I also felt guilty since no money was coming in and I was living off my parents’ money.

Finally, Munna Bhai MBBS went on floors. It got delayed for nearly 10 months due to Shah Rukh Khan’s back injury. Once I shot for the film, I joined a call centre. I was true to my word – I had decided to work in one big film and quit, with a heavy heart though. Thankfully, Munna Bhai MBBS worked. People started recognizing me. I started getting more work. Meanwhile, call centre mein panga hone laga as some people were jealous. My team leader Atul purposely would make things difficult for me. He was not able to digest the fact that I was getting a lot of popularity. My call centre manager, however, used to adjust for me. He would grant me leave if I had to go for a shoot. On my part, I used to manage in such a way that work would not be affected. Nevertheless, I was told that things were getting messy because of my work arrangement. This is when I decided that I’d quit. My family was also supportive.

How much were you paid for your part in Munna Bhai MBBS? I was paid approx. Rs, 50,000. That was a big amount then, as good as Rs. 5 lakhs.

How many days did you shoot?

I shot for 15-20 days spread over six months.

What was your first shot? I had to first rehearse the chaddi dance. I was wondering why I was doing this bit as the scene was different. Nevertheless, I was happy that chaddi mein dance karne milega! Then, I was told that I didn’t have to do the chaddi dance. Dil toot gaya bechare aadmi ka! But on second thoughts, thank God for that actually (laughs).

So, this was the first rehearsal that happened. But my first shot was the one in the room when Munna Bhai enters the room and Circuit tells him ‘Yeh room toh shuru hote hi khatam ho gaya’.

Were you nervous? Not at all. Why would I be nervous? I was excited. But I was not able to stay serious when Munna told my character ‘Sab kuch apna samaj, mere underwear ko chhod ke’! I was supposed to be petrified and keep a poker face. It took a while to get the scene right.

Then, there’s a scene where the doctor is explaining about a dead body. It was being shot in J J College of Anatomy. The room next to the one in which the scene was shot had trunks full of dead bodies. I was roaming around and opened a trunk. And I saw dead bodies staring at me! They were dunked in a solution called formalin. It was enough to get my b***s in my mouth! I ran from there. But I couldn’t resist and went back to check out the mortal remains! I must have done it the whole day.

Then, one doctor asked me what exactly I was doing (laughs). I told him, ‘I am scared to look (at the bodies) but I still want to look at them’. The doctor explained to me the whole process. I also shook hands with a skeleton. I assumed it was made of Plaster of Paris. But the doctor told me that it was a skeleton of a real, dead person. Ussi waqt maine uska haath chod diya!

Did people start recognizing you after the film was released? I went to see the film at Maratha Mandir with my family. In the interval, people noticed that I was a part of the film. In the second half, they would look back at me instead of staring at the screen during my scenes! After the film got over, I was mobbed. Koi bahar hi aane nahin de raha tha. It was the first time that this happened to me and I was wondering, ‘Ab bahar kaise jaayenge hum log?’! We waited inside. Then we assumed that everyone must have left. This is when we came out but 30% of the people were still outside to catch my glimpse!

You said in an interview that you were offered a role in Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) and 3 Idiots (2009). What were those roles? In Lage Raho Munna Bhai, I was supposed to be a part of the scene when Munna goes to the toilet before meeting the RJ (played by Vidya Balan). Circuit mouths the ‘vinamra’ dialogue to him. That part was ultimately played by Dileep Desai, Rajkumar Hirani’s Man Friday for ages. Since I was shooting for Home Delivery (2005) and Mr Ya Miss (2005), I had to decline as they called me to shoot the scene at the last minute.

As for 3 Idiots, I couldn’t do it as it was being shot at the same time as I was shooting for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009). I don’t remember which part I was offered, though.

You were a part of a funny scene in Dunki. How did you become a part of this film? I was called by Mukesh Chhabra’s casting team. But I can confidently say that it was Raju sir’s call because he is someone who knows who’ll fit in which role. However, the protocol was followed and the casting director called me.

Did you interact with Shah Rukh Khan? No, as it was a very tight schedule. There was no time to interact and also, it was a very professional setup. On top of it, it was very hot. We shot it in April in Film City. It’s not the time when we can chit-chat under the sun!

Did you get a chance to interact with Shah Rukh Khan for Munna Bhai MBBS?

No, as he never shot for the film. Eventually, things moved with Sanjay Dutt. In my personal opinion, Munna Bhai wouldn’t have been Munna Bhai without Sanjay Dutt and Dunki wouldn’t have been Dunki without Shah Rukh Khan. They both were meant to do their respective characters. It was God’s will, I guess.

How did your parents react to your success? They were more thrilled than me. I am just doing my job, just like everyone else. The only thing is that in my field, there’s a lot of glamour and public love. Both my parents were bankers. They were also very loved by their customers. They knew my parents would help out in case they got stuck. Yet, I received different kinds of appreciation and hence, it was an out-of-the-blue experience for them.

Interestingly, my dad was there in one of the posters of Munna Bhai MBBS. I had gone for the photoshoot. My father was with me and they clicked his snap as well. It is part of a group photograph setup where Munna and Dr Asthana are seated with several professors. My father is next to Boman Irani.

I have now started getting my father to do some ads occasionally, but strictly under my supervision. Unfortunately, the industry doesn’t really take care of people today. I am very particular that he doesn’t need to work at this age. But he likes to act as it helps me get a little excitement in his life (smiles).

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