Since its release on September 1, 2006, Lage Raho Munna Bhai has been watched by millions, broken box-office records, won unprecedented praise from the masses and critics alike, and most importantly, forced a nation of one billion people and the world’s largest democracy to revisit their much misunderstood icon, Mahatma Gandhi. Following the release of the film, there has been a four hundred percent increase in the sale of literature about Gandhi. Schools and universities have introduced courses on Gandhigiri??_a phrase from the film that has become a part of India’s collective consciousness. Websites, fan clubs, discussion forums, and citizen groups have sprung across the nation to discuss the film’s unique ideas. The Washington Post called the film, “A phenomenon that made Gandhi a pop icon.”