By: Ashika Sengupta

More than three years after striking it big at the box office for its positively strong references to the father of Indian independence, the Bollywood film Lage Raho Munna Bhai was released in book form throughout India on Monday. The book is entirely based upon the movie.

Starring Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan, the award-winning film was immensely popular for its emphasis on Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophies of non-violence and community service.

“This book has the screenplay of the film, and it is written very well and I enjoyed reading it,” the film’s star, Dutt, told the media in India on the day of the book’s release. Dutt played Munna Bhai, an underworld don who has a variety of discussions with Gandhi’s likeness throughout the film.

The book was released as an original screenplay and was a collaborative effort between the film’s producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Om Books International. Featured in the screenplay-based book are about 20 pages of photos and dialogue from the film.

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and also starring Dia Mirza, the film won four National Film Awards and four Best Film awards, including one each at the Filmfare and Star Screen shows.

It was the third highest-grossing film in 2006, reportedly earning more than $13 million in box office receipts. The film was considered by many film critics as one of the most culturally influential films in modern Indian cinema, though a few reportedly countered that Lago Raho Munna Bhai was a “farce” and “trivialized” Gandhi’s role in the country’s history.

A representative of Om Books International told reporters the publishing company was in unofficial talks with Aamir Khan to release a similar book for his upcoming release, 3 Idiots.

Lage Raho Munna Bhai was the sequel to the 2003 comedy Munna Bhai MBBS.