“So was it after Kasturba’s death that Abha and Manu moved in with Gandhiji?” - This question from a good friend of mine – a generation Y graphic designer, made stand up and think. We as Indians have a particular habit. We tend to ‘divinize’ or ‘devilize’ leaders. Mahatma is one such historic figure who has been canonized that any reference to him had to be made with reverence. The obvious defect in such an approach is that the future generations tend to become ignorant of them as human beings with all the failings, worship them and in a weird turn of events, tend to trivialize them. No offence mend to any Christians, I distinctly remember discussing sexuality with some friends during my school days and a friend of mine (who is from a devote catholic family) wondered if Jesus Christ was a homosexual!
Back to our main topic, for over a month I waited patiently for “Gandhi my father” to be released and on the day of the release I managed to get a ticket. The private screening for Nelson Mandela and his subsequent praising the crew only piqued my interest in the film. Alas what a disappointment it was…
Sir Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi made “Mahatma” the symbol of moral force to the world and from then on even western directors never attempted to see the human side of him. Hence Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as a father and that too as a failed father and a failed husband was an interesting and ambitious theme for any director to attempt. Feroz Khan tried his best to bring out the tumultuous relation between Gandhi and his elder son Harilal Gandhi but failed to convince the audience totally. Akshay Khanna failed miserably as Harilal Gandhi but going by the raves the TV channels are making, I have no doubts that even with this mediocre performance, he would be nominated for national award! And then, if Saif Ali Khan’s cool dude act in “Hum Tum” and Amitabh Bachan’s hysteria and baritone in “Black” could earn them the national best actor awards, there isn’t any reason why Akshay Khanna be denied the honors for his “lame act”?
"Gandhi my father" would have been a decent documentary, had it not been for the historical inaccuracies. In 1915 Gandhi is shown as exhorting his country men to boycott british goods and textiles while in reality, Gandhi British during the First World War by raising and leading an ambulance corps. It was only in 1920 after he launched the Non co-operation movement that Gandhiji started promoting Khadi and gave the call for Swadesi and boycott of British textiles.
While there were a lot of scope for depicting poignant questions like “Does the parents have the right to decide the life of their children” and “Is it fair on the part of a father to expect his family and children to follow his ideals?”, Feroz Khan wasted this opportunity. Thought provoking is the quote ascribed to Kasturba "You want my sons to be holy men before they are men!"
“Gandhi's Prisoner? The life of Gandhi's son Manilal” by Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie would be a good read to understand Ganhi’s persona as a normal human being, which most of the biographers have neglected.
Verdict: 4/10. Avoidable movie and defiantly not great work on Mahatma as the reviewers claim!
"Gandhi my father" would have been a decent documentary, had it not been for the historical inaccuracies. In 1915 Gandhi is shown as exhorting his country men to boycott british goods and textiles while in reality, Gandhi British during the First World War by raising and leading an ambulance corps. It was only in 1920 after he launched the Non co-operation movement that Gandhiji started promoting Khadi and gave the call for Swadesi and boycott of British textiles.
While there were a lot of scope for depicting poignant questions like “Does the parents have the right to decide the life of their children” and “Is it fair on the part of a father to expect his family and children to follow his ideals?”, Feroz Khan wasted this opportunity. Thought provoking is the quote ascribed to Kasturba "You want my sons to be holy men before they are men!"
“Gandhi's Prisoner? The life of Gandhi's son Manilal” by Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie would be a good read to understand Ganhi’s persona as a normal human being, which most of the biographers have neglected.
Verdict: 4/10. Avoidable movie and defiantly not great work on Mahatma as the reviewers claim!
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