On a day when the nation celebrates the centenary of the birth of Gandhiji's 'potent weapon' of 'Satyagraha' which got India freedom from British rule, the Delhi Government today decided to laud the contribution of a film that has revived focus on the gospels of the Mahatma.

Rajkumar Hirani's 'Lage Raho Munnabhai', whose huge success has renewed focus on Gandhiji's ideals, which have for long been confined to the tombs of history gathering dust in shelves of libraries, was granted tax-free status by the Delhi Government, a spokesperson of the state Government said.

The film was granted tax-free status for beautifully bringing across to the audience the social message of Non-violence and Satyagraha.

A sequel to the hugely successful 'Munnabhai MBBS', 'Lage raho Munnabhai', starring Bollywood actors Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani and Jimmy Shergill, has made Gandhiji's gospels of truth, non-violence and satyagraha the new anthems of a nation plagued by consumerism and violence.

The film seeks to emphasise the continued relevance of Gandhian philosophy in modern India with the main protagonist Munnabhai, played by Sanjay Dutt, advocating the Gandhian philosophy of truth and satyagraha as a solution to the day-to-day problems of the common man, be it in helping an old man securing his long-pending pension, reforming a youngster habituated to squandering his father's hard-earned money in shares or making a 'perpetual spitter' realise his mistake.

Trade sources said the film, released on September 1, has met with an overwhelming response with people of all ages and groups turning out in droves to the theatres to watch Munnabhai's take on Gandhian philosophy.

The film has left audiences deeply moved by the Gandhian ideals propagated by Sanjay Dutt as Munnabhai.

For example, a couple had bought a house in Ahmedabad and had been consulting a vaastu expert before shifting in. But they abandoned the plans the moment they watched Lage Raho Munnabhai.

More importantly, 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' has done what many other films on Gandhiji's life and ideals like Richard Attenborough's 'Gandhi', Ketan Mehta's 'Making of the Mahatma' and, more recently, 'Maine Gandhi ko Nahin Maara' have failed to do, bring public focus back on the long-forgotten ideals of the Father of the Nation.

The film is probably the first lesson on Gandhi, having managed to even wow kids with the message of truth, non-violence and satyagraha, which form the basic ethos of the Gandhian philosophy.