The father of the nation, one of the architects of our Independence, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, later known as the Mahatma, was born on 2 October 1869. Today — the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti — would have marked his 147th birthday. All these years after his passing, filmmakers and writers continue to be fascinated by the Mahatma’s life. Hundreds of films, plays and books have been written in honour of the Mahatma and have paid homage to him. Here’s a film guide to the man known as Mahatma Gandhi:
Gandhi (1982)
Director Richard Attenborough’s magnum opus starring Ben Kingsley as the Mahatma is a must watch for his performance; even if the idea of a foreigner playing our Mahatma is not very particularly palatable to everyone.
The film begins with a young Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsaking all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian Independence. He battles the resistance of the British Government through a policy of non-violence and endeavors to make India independent without any blood shed.
Gandhi won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.
The Making of a Mahatma (1996)
This is a joint Indian-South African produced film; directed by Shyam Benegal and is based on the book The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma by Fatima Meer (who also wrote the screenplay) about the Mahatma in the making. It documents the years he spent in South Africa as a barrister.
The film documents the famous incident in Gandhi’s life that made him take up the cause of fighting for Independence against the British. As the barrister is travelling in a train, dressed in the Western suit he then favoured; he is thrown out of the first class compartment because of his race. He is also shoved out on the footpath for daring to walk close to a bureaucrat’s premises; and beaten and abused without any recourse to justice. This incident shakes him and he decides to fight the Britishers in his quest to make his country independent.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature Image courtesy:venturebreak.com)
