Director SS Rajamouli is an admirer of Rajkumar Hirani's iconic film Munna Bhai MBBS. Some years ago, Rajamouli recommended the film to people during his New York visit. In a recent interview, he reiterated his admiration for the film, this time calling it his favourite film of the 21st century.

In his conversation with Tsounami magazine, the Baahubali and RRR filmmaker was asked about his favourite film from the century. In response, he said, "I'm thinking about a film that completely blew me away, but there are so many… I'm thinking of Munna Bhai MBBS by Rajkumar Hirani. It's a great concept and a fantastic film that completely captivated me."

It is worth noting that Munna Bhai MBBS marked Rajkumar Hirani's directorial debut. The film follows the titular gangster (Sanjay Dutt) who disguises himself as a doctor and pretends to run a hospital, thus deceiving his father (Sunil Dutt) and mother (Rohini Hattangadi). However, when his close family friend Dr Jagdish Chandra 'JC' Asthana (Boman Irani) reveals the truth about Munna Bhai to his parents, it brings much shame to the gangster. Soon, Munna enlists himself at a medical school to redeem himself, only to make Asthana and everyone else realise that Munna's 'medicine' also has its own healing power.

Munna Bhai MBBS is best known for its comedy sequences involving Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi's characters and its messaging about the power of empathy and human connection. The film became a massive commercial and critical hit at the time of its release in 2003, and it earned Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the National Film Awards two years later.

It also has a sequel, 2006's Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which many regard as a better film as compared to the 2003 original.