Jul 08, 2003 05:08 PM
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(Updated Jul 08, 2003 05:35 PM)
It's been 56 years since we had attained independence from the British rule.We talk of Information Technology, Aerospace achievements, MISS Universe victories, World-class Cricket team and what not !! & Of Course, The Largest Movie Industry in the world. Talking of the so-called Bollywood Impact and the OSCAR Fevers, we tend to publicize the Indian Cultural Diaspora through the CinemaScope in terms of Countless Love Stories/Triangles/Quadrangles etc, mind less violence saga, colossal marriage extravaganza or vulgar comedies. We exclaim at the sight of a 50-crore budget Love Opera or shamelessly copied parodies. But, we haven't been able to pay tribute to the Father of The Nation through the silver screen. A westerner labours unflinchingly for two decades and comes up with what can be aptly described as One of the most sensitively portrayed performances with reference to Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi is the best film I have ever seen in my life. I'm sure most of us w'd agree to having seen it in Doordarshan on the national holidays. We have been watching this grand saga on TV since time immemorial. I have seen it for a whopping 37 times and still enjoy navigating through it. In fact, I was fortunate enough to see it once more last sunday on a DVD player. Made in 1982 in India, the movie boasts of some of the finest casts & crews starting with the Director himself, Sir Richard Attenborough. Ben Kingsley literally tears apart the screen with the ExtraOrdinary depiction of the Mahatma. How many have an idea as to why countless Indian & African Extras would fall down on their knees once Ben would come to the shooting ground in the unforgettable robe of a white knee-length dhoti, a shaven head, a round pair of spectacles and a clock dangling from his waist. Ben had immersed himself in innumerable indian books including Mahatma's Biographies, books on philosophy etc for a long period to understand the complexities of human emotions. The movie starts with the assassination of Mahatma which I'll be dealing with in due course. Then it moves into a flashback with the Mahatma as a practising lawyer in the Southern Africa being thrown out of a moving train on account of his being a black travelling in a Whites Only First Class compartment even though he protests against the discrimination while he produces a first class ticket.
The film gradually delves deeper into his thoughts & awakenings as he takes up the cause of racism & apartheid. Amrish puri's cameo as Kahn in SA is noteworthy. After Bapu champions the cause in SA, he returns back with Kasturba and the scene where the he boards the ship amidst thunderous applause imbued with tears has been handled in an excellent manner. Rohini Hattangady almost portrays Kasturba in flesh. In India, Ben as Mahatma stuns the viewers in one of the most engaging Larger-Than-Life enactments. His mannerisms, gait, talk, the childish smile, flawlessly expressive eyes and overall, the CALM-AS-ROCK disposition stamps his indomitable authority on the character. No one else, but Ben could have done justice to the role. There he meets, the dashing statesman Jawahar Lal Nehru, played by Roshan Seth (Remember Discovery of India) whose twinkling eyes & cherubic smile along with the awe-inspiring dialogue delivery beguiles the viewer into believing as if he were the actual Chacha Nehru. Ian Charleson as Charlie Andrews who accompanies the Mahatma & loved by both Bapu & Kasturba puts in a flamboyant performance. The scene where Bapu insists on sitting atop a moving train along with the common men notwithstanding Kasturba's fear, is one of the truest depiction in Cinema. But, the Gem of a scene soon follows, where the Mahatma & a poor washer-women engage in a modest eye-contact, the later innocently covering up her chastity with whatever she finds & The Mahatma, finally letting his dhoti drift her with the flow of the river for her to drape it around. That will moisten everyone's eyes, I assume.
The Freedom struggle takes over in a brief period. Saeed Jaffrey's resolute yet comical understatement as Sardar Patel is excellent. ShreeRam Lagoo as Gokhale chips in with a fine performance. In one of the most talked about scenes involving the JahlianawalaBagh Massacre, Edward Fox as Gen. Dyer sizzles ruthlessly. The carnage has been given ample footage with excellent Camera work prevailing all the way. The scene where innocent people jump into a well to survive the flurry of bullets will make anyone cry. The Non-cooperation Movement and the participation of people from all walks of life is given a fantastic cinematic dimension. Martin Sheen as Reporter Walker gets even with his role energetically while John Gielgud as Lord Irwin does true justice to his role. Lots of Indian actors put in fine performances, namely, Anang Desai(Kriplani), Alyque Padamsee(Jinnah), late Virendra Razdan(Maulana Azad) and a host of others. The Dandi March is a revolution in the history of Motion Pictures and has to be seen to be believed. Who else but Om puri could have delivered the character of Nahari, a violent victim of the Salt issue.
The film portrays the relationship between Mahatma & Kasturba in an extremely beautiful and sensitive manner. It's a ton better than any devdas/Laila majnu kind of love kitsch. Margaret (Candice Bergen) interviews the Mahatma about his personal preferences when the later along with an ailing Kasturba have been lodged in the Aga Khan's Palace. While a smiling Mahatma saunters along the lobby & garden giving the interviewer fables of life, he receives a message that Kasturba is dying. The scene where Mahatma holds the palm of Kasturba while both are locked in a sensitive eye contact is a jewel in the crown of acting abilities. Earlier, while Kasturba was alive in Sabarmati, Miraben, The Mahatma's adopted daughter, played by Geraldine James, explores the sanctity of Ashram Life as prescribed by the Mahatma. She, too excels in the tailor made role. The numerous fasting scenes involving Mahatma, especially the one amidst the violence-ridden Calcutta crowd is a superb piece of revelation.Finally, Mahatma in the company of Abha(Neena Gupta) & Manu(Supriya Pathak)smilingly embraces the bullets of the fascist Nathuram Godse(Harsh Nayyar) as he is on his way to the evening prayer. The Funeral Procession of the Mahatma staged in the RajPath in New Delhi finds its way to the Guiness BR as the largest Assembly/Gathering of Individuals in the history of Motion Picture.
The movie boasts of praise-worthy technical aspects. Screenplay by John Briley is engaging. The cinematographers Ronnie Taylor and Billy Williams have done a marvellous job by capturing the hues of rural india with ease. The settings and art have been given an astounding changeover with a definitive British look. Ravi Shankar's enigmatic music & Vanraj Bhatia's background score truly celebrates the mood of the movie. The Vaishnav-Jana...Veer paraye chants in Sabarmati takes one closer to the notion of divinity. Bhanu Athaiya's costume won her an Oscar (The 1st Indian to get this). Gandhi got 11 nominations to the Oscar, eventually won 9, pipping Spielberg's Alien Fantasy ET to the post.
A Must Watch For All Indians...
