Munna Bhai 3: Farhad Samji’s journey began with a 10 PM call

Reports of a third Munna Bhai film have been around for years, but the latest update gives fans something more concrete: Farhad Samji is reportedly writing the screenplay for Munna Bhai 3, with Rajkumar Hirani attached to direct.

The report, cited by The Times of India from Variety India, suggests the project is moving from wishful thinking to paper. That said, no cast, storyline or production timeline has been shared, so the news should be read as progress rather than an official announcement.

From a 10 PM song call to the franchise

Samji’s connection with Munna Bhai began long before this screenplay. His first association with the franchise was not a script but the opening refrain of the hit song M Bole Toh.

As the story goes, composer Anu Malik called Samji around 10 PM and asked him to prepare a mukhda, or opening verse, for a music session the next day with Hirani and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra. At that point, Shah Rukh Khan was being considered for the lead role, so the song had to carry Munna Bhai’s street-smart language while fitting SRK’s screen image. Sanjay Dutt eventually stepped into the part and made it his own.

Why Munna Bhai still matters

Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. released on 18 December 2003 and introduced Sanjay Dutt as Murli Prasad Sharma, a gangster who decides to fulfil his father’s dream of becoming a doctor. With Arshad Warsi as Circuit, the comedy-drama became a major commercial success and won the 2004 National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

The sequel, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, arrived in 2006 and took the story into Gandhian principles. The franchise’s warm, comic tone is exactly why this report is getting attention.

• The reported update: Samji is said to be writing the screenplay, with Hirani directing.
• The origin: Samji’s first credit was the mukhda of M Bole Toh, written after a 10 PM call from Anu Malik.
• The legacy: The 2003 original won a National Film Award, and Lage Raho Munna Bhai followed in 2006.
• The gap: Cast, storyline and production timeline remain unannounced.

What to do with this news

For now, the safest reading is cautious excitement. Reports are not a green light, and the makers have not confirmed a shooting schedule or release window. Fans should avoid reading too much into any single update; hero and villain casting, shooting dates and a title lock all still lie ahead.

Even so, the update matters because it returns the franchise to the conversation and puts a familiar writer at the centre of it. If Hirani and Samji do move forward, the third film will arrive with one of Hindi cinema’s warmest comic worlds behind it.

Source: The Times of India