On 2 October, the entire country celebrates the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation. He played a key role in the freedom struggle and helped India getting it’s freedom from the Britishers.
Over the years, many film-makers have tried to portray him on screen. Here is a list of six films that based or inspired by the life to Mahatma Gandhi.
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Gandhi (1982)
Probably one of the most famous film based on Mahatma Gandhi, this English language film was produced and directed by Richard Attenborough and starred English actor of Indian origin, Ben Kingsley in the title role.
The film was a co-production between India and Britain and was written by John Briley. It follows the life of Gandhi who was a practicing barrister in South Africa, his return to India and involvement in the freedom movement.
It was nominated for Academy Awards in eleven categories and won in eight of them including for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay.
2. The Making of the Mahatma (1996)
The English language film was directed by Shyam Benegal and starred Rajit Kapoor as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Pallavi Joshi as Kasturba Gandhi. It was a joint production between India and South Africa and depicted Gandhi’s time in South Africa and his transformation from a barrister to an icon of India’s freedom struggle.
The film was based on the book ‘The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma’ by Fatima Meer, who also wrote the screenplay.
For his performance, Rajit received the National Film Award for Best Actor; the film also earned a National Award for Best Feature Film in English.
3. Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005)
This 2005 drama film was directed by Jahnu Barua, and starred Anupam Kher, who also produced the film. It also starred Urmila Matondkar, Raijt Kapoor and Parvin Dabas.
The film portrays a retired Hindi professor (played by Kher) who suffers from dementia and starts believing that he accidentally killed Mahatma Gandhi.
‘Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara’ uses Gandhi’s values as a metaphor to tell a contemporary story.
Anupam Kher received critical acclaim for his performance and won a Special Jury Award at the National Film Awards.
4. Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)
Easily one of the most recent and popular Hindi film of the last few decades, ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ popularised the term Gandhigiri.
The film, directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, starred Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi reprising their role of Munna Bhai and Circuit.
It in, Munna Bhai starts seeing the spirit of Gandhi (played by Dilip Prabhavalkar) which inspires him to help others through Gandhigiri.
The film met with critical acclaim and strong box-office results and became the first Hindi film to be shown at the United Nations.
5. Gandhi, My Father (2007)
This 2007 drama film directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, was unlike any other film depicting Mahatma Gandhi.
Starring Darshan Jariwala as Mahatma Gandhi and Akshay Khanna as his son Harilal Gandhi, the film portrayed the troubled relationship Gandhi had with his son.
It was based on the novel ‘Harilal Gandhi: A Life’ by Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal and was released in Hindi, English and Gujarati.
‘Gandhi, My Father’ met with critical appreciation and won three National Film Awards including the Special Jury Award, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay.
6. Hey Ram (2000)
This alternate historical drama film was written, directed, co-produced and starred Kamal Hassan. It centered around India’s partition and Gandhi’s assassination, though the assassination is deviated from the fact.
The film was criticised by many political groups for showcasing Gandhi in a negative light. It was however, received with positive critical reviews and proved to be a box-office success.
‘Hey Ram’ received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Costume Design and Best Special Effects.
7. Dear Friend Gandhi (2011)
The film, also known as ‘Gandhi to Hitler’ in India, was based on the letters written by Mahatma Gandhi to Adolf Hitler.
Directed by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, it starred Raghubir Yadav as Hitler, Avijit Dutt as Gandhi and Neha Dhupia as Eva Braun.
The film met with poor reviews from critics who called it a factually incorrect film. It proved to be a box-office dud.