Indira Gandhi's Order, Nehru's Contribution: Making of 'Gandhi' Film

Richard Attonborough's film 'Gandhi' has become a timeless film. This film was selected in 11 nomination categories for the 55th Oscar Award, out of which it received 8 awards. The film was awarded with honors like Best Actor, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Costume. The film was made based on the biography and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, yet it was not an Indian film. Journalist and political activist Abhilash Awasthi has shared a video about this film on social media which is inspired by the book "Mahatma Gandhi and Cinema" by renowned film journalist Jai Prakash Chouksey.

Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley received an Academy Award for playing Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi and cinema? A curious question arises here. What is Gandhi ji's relation with cinema? Who himself saw the first and last film of his life in Roxy Cinema, Mumbai. The film was probably 'Achhoot Kanya'. But after watching the film 'Gandhi' made on the life of the same Mahatma Gandhi, big personalities around the world have learned the lesson of following the policies of 'non-violence and non-cooperation'. Famous film writer Salim Khan (of Salim-Javed duo) has said that by watching this film and knowing Gandhi, he and millions of people have learned the way to live life. 'Gandhi' was the most expensive film of that era, made in November 1982, which was made for 22 million dollars and earned 127 million dollars. This film was released in many countries around the world including India, Britain, America, Africa etc. English stage artist and Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley was given the role of Gandhi Ji in this film. This role is considered unforgettable and for which he received an Academy (Oscar) Award. Rohini Hatangadi was in the role of Kasturba Gandhi. The director of the film was Richard Attenborough. Roshan Seth was in the role of Jawahar Lal Nehru, Alick Padamsee was in the role of Mohammad Jinnah and Saeed Jaffrey was in the role of Sardar Patel. Om Puri also had a role in the film.

Nehru helped in the writing of the film

Abhilash Awasthi, a Congress ideologue associated with the Priyanka Gandhi Brigade, mentions with great interest in his videos the efforts of the Nehru family behind the making of the film 'Gandhi'. Before 'Gandhi' was made, why could no maker of Indian cinema dare to make a film on Gandhi till 1982? This is a question. Perhaps the reason behind this was fear of touching the subject. It is said that after two unsuccessful attempts to make a film, Richard Attenborough contacted Nehru Ji through the Indian Consulate in England. Attenborough had a long discussion with Nehru ji. Nehru ji had asked Attenborough to read the script and made some suggestions in the script of the film. He also helped in writing it. The writer of the film was Braille. At that time the film could not be started due to some reasons. When Indira Gandhi became the President of Congress, Attenborough met the newly elected Indira Ji in connection with making a film on Gandhi Ji. It was Indira Gandhi who asked organizations like the Film Festival of India, Film Development Corporation, etc. to be a part of the film by associating with the foreign production company. The film 'Gandhi' was based on the life of Gandhi ji. Film Finance Corporation of India (Film Development of India) participated in this film. Govind Nihalani was the second unit director on the shoot of this Richard Attenborough film. The responsibility of costume design was entrusted to Bhanu Athaiya. The film made history. The film's distributors were Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, and EMI Films.

The timeless classic

Many other Bollywood stars (Amrish Puri, Neena Gupta, Supriya Pathak, Aloknath, Virendra Razdan, Anand Mishra, etc.) are seen in small roles in the film 'Gandhi'. The film was shot on such a large canvas that the scene after the assassination of Gandhi ji by Nathuram Godse was not visible to the eyes at the time of the shooting. There was a crowd of around 3 lakhs at the scene of his last funeral procession. The scene was shot with 11 cameras and 3 lakh people. This filming took place on the 33rd death anniversary of Gandhi ji. Of these, only about 1 lakh people were able to reach there to collect their wages. This is a timeless classic film. But, alas, the advocates of politics, while taking the names of classic films, take the names of 'Mother India', 'Mughal-e-Azam', and 'Sholay' but forget to take the name of 'Gandhi'! Bapu, who gave the mantra of truth and non-violence to the world, is becoming a victim of politics.

-Sharad Rai

Tags: indira-gandhi | Nehru's Contribution 

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