For Mahatma GandhiCinema was a corrupting influence on young minds, a “sinful technology”. This is the same medium which has become the message of the life and philosophy of the Mahatma. From biopics like Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’ (1982) to the invisible force in the 2006 film ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ directed by Rajkumar Hirani, his life story and ideas have received innumerable treatments.
Since India’s independence and even before that, the Father of the Nation has influenced many films, stage shows and now streamers. Some were based on his life, while others promoted the values he adopted during his lifetime.
Gandhi, whose 155th birth anniversary was celebrated on Wednesday, had seen only one Hindi film in his life – Vijay Bhatt’s ‘Ram Rajya’ in the 1940s. According to Narendra Kaushik’s 2020 book ‘Mahatma Gandhi in Cinema’, the film was based on the Hindu mythological epic Ramayana.
“Gandhi had agreed to watch only selected reels of the film for 40 minutes, but he watched the film for an hour and a half. Gandhi’s fellow Gujarati filmmaker Vijay Bhatt later claimed that the Mahatma looked ‘delighted’ at the end About the show,” Kaushik wrote in his book.
But Gandhi did not think too much of cinema because he believed that Hindi and foreign films promoted immorality and corrupted young minds, he adds in the book.
“When in 1937 T Rangachariar, the then Chairman of the Cinematograph Committee, put a questionnaire before him to know his views on cinema, the Father of the Indian Nation described cinema as a ‘sinful technology’. Gandhi considered cinema a waste of resources and time,” He said.
Despite Gandhi’s disdain, cinema has loved him unconditionally. From ‘Jagriti’ in 1954 to ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ in 2006, the list is long.
Hindi poet Kavi Pradeep in his song “De di azadi hume bina kharg, bina dhal, Sabarmati ke sant tune kar diya kamaal” (You gave us freedom without using any weapon, O Saint of Sabarmati, you are great) Was praised. “Awakening”.
Other films of the era recall the complex idealism that Gandhiji represented.
Dilip Kumar’s 1957 film ‘Naya Daur’ was based on the debate of man versus machine. V Shantaram’s “Do Aankhen Barah Haath”, released in the same year, focuses on the rehabilitation of six criminals by a humanitarian prison warden.
There is an entire genre of films based on chapters from Gandhiji’s life, with Attenborough’s “Gandhi” considered the pinnacle of his portrayal in cinema.
Although it was a British production, the film had a major influence on Indian cinema’s approach to the portrayal of Gandhi. It won Ben Kingsley the Best Actor Oscar trophy.
Many films have chosen to focus on specific aspects of Gandhi’s life story.
Sanjay Dutt-starrer ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ popularized the concept of “Gandhigiri” through the story of a simple-hearted goon who finds guidance in Gandhi’s teachings. His character in the film was played by Dilip Prabhavalkar.
Films like Shyam Benegal’s ‘The Making of the Mahatma’ in 1996 detailed Gandhi’s transformation from a young South African lawyer to the Mahatma.
The film, starring Rajit Kapoor, was based on Fatima Mir’s book “Apprenticeship of a Mahatma”.
Another film by Firoz Abbas Khan, ‘Gandhi, My Father’ presented a more intimate portrayal of Gandhi (Darshan Jariwala) and focused on his strained relationship with his son Harilal, played by Akshaye Khanna.
The 2007 film showed a stark contrast between Gandhi’s public image and his private life, revealing the emotional toll his mission for independence took on his family.
There were many other films in which Gandhi played the lead role – ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’, ‘Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero’, ‘Viceroy’s House’ and the TV show ‘Samvidhaan’ are some of them.
Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan’s Hey Ram (2000) took a critical view of Gandhi by depicting the tumultuous period of Partition and the communal violence that accompanied it.
The film, which featured Naseeruddin Shah as Gandhi, explored the disillusionment felt by many of his followers.
In his autobiography ‘And Then One Day’, Shah writes about his efforts to get the role of Kingsley in Attenborough’s film.
“I later said that Ben had actually already been cast as Gandhi and that this whole process of testing us all and quietly breaking the news to the press in India that I had been cast was to overcome the objections. This was an excuse that would have inevitably arisen had a white actor been announced,” Shah wrote.
Gandhi will now be seen in two upcoming OTT series – Hansal Mehta’s “Gandhi”, starring Pratik Gandhi in the lead role, and Nikkhil Advani’s ‘Freedom at Midnight’.
‘Gandhi’ is based on historian and author Ramachandra Guha’s books – ‘Gandhi Before India’ and ‘Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World’.
Pratik Gandhi, who is no relation to the Mahatma, also played the iconic role in ‘Mohan no Masalo’, a 2015 biographical one-man play depicting Gandhi’s early life. It is directed by Manoj Shah and written by Ishan Doshi.
“Freedom at Midnight” is based on the book of the same name by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins. It stars Chirag Vohra as Gandhi, Siddhant Gupta as Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajendra Chawla as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
According to the makers, ‘Freedom at Midnight’ is an epic political thriller drama that “highlights multiple interconnected stories across the years of India’s independence and important events and personalities who have played an important role in writing the history of the country.” “Played a role as we know it today.” ,
A silent film ‘Gandhi Talks’ starring Vijay Sethupathi, Aditi Rao Hydari and Arvind Swamy is also in the works.
