Film Focus: Gandhi (1982)...

Notable Film Fact(s):

This is a biographical film based on the life of Mohandas Gandhi, who led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century.

In addition to receiving the Academy Award for Best Picture, this film won seven other Academy Awards.

During pre-production, there was much speculation as to who would play the role of Gandhi. The choice was Ben Kingsley who is partly of Indian heritage (his father was Gujarati and his birth name is Krishna Bhanji).

During film production, approximately 400,000 extras were used in the funeral scene, the most for any film according to Guinness World Records.

Film Synopsis:
When Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) first set foot in British India, he had already been to Britain and South Africa, and had created quite a stir for the betterment of the people.

In India, he realizes that he had first to live the life of a peasant to understand what it is to be an Indian. He is urged to take up the fight for India's independence from the British Empire. Gandhi agrees, and mounts a non-violent non-cooperation campaign of unprecedented scale, coordinating millions of Indians nationwide. This leads him to mobilize awareness of local industry, less dependence on imported material, the historic Dandee march for withdrawal of the salt tax, a fast unto death to stop the virtual slaughter of British troops, and be imprisoned several times.

His resolve was to work with stalwarts such as Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Sardar Valabhbhai Patel and Professor Gokhale to ensure first of all to get the British to quit India, and then run an Indian Government under the Congress party. Gandhi will soon realize that it is not enough to be just an Indian, for India has many facets - Muslim, Hindu and other religions.

Concerned over the inroads made by Gandhi to unite the Hindus, Muslims, and all others under a common umbrella, the British invited Jinnah for talks, and it is here that a seed was laid for a separate country called Pakistan. When Gandhi came to know about this, he pleaded with Jinnah to unite the Muslims, even take over as the first Prime Minister with his choice of Muslim candidates for Parliament, but separatist Jinnah had already made his mind. The World Wars of 1914 and 1944 having taken its toll on Europe, and on Britain in particular, the weary British finally decided to leave India in 1947 - not the India they had conquered - but an India that was ready to be divided in East Pakistan and West Pakistan. Now after the much awaited independence was the real test for Gandhi - a test that will make him or break him - as he started a fast unto death to try and stop the violence that was threatening to break out into a civil war.

Director:
Richard Attenborough

Producer:
Richard Attenborough

Screenplay:
John Briley

Cast:
Ben Kingsley
Rohini Hattangadi
Candice Bergen
Martin Sheen
Roshan Seth
John Gielgud
Trevor Howard
John Mills
Ian Bannen
Nigel Hawthorne
Daniel Day-Lewis

Distributor:
Columbia Pictures

Release Date(s):
India: 30 November 1982
United Kingdom: 3 December 1982
United States: 8 December 1982
Australia: 16 March 1983

Running time: 188 minutes

My View Rating: ****

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