Here are 10 movie takes on the life of the Mahatma Gandhi
New Delhi: Gandhi Jayanti is always an occasion to visit the many movie takes on the life of the Mahatma. Here’s a look at 10 of them.
1. Nine Hours to Rama (1963): The Mark Robson-directed British film narrates the nine hours in the life of Nathuram Godse that led to the assassination of Gandhi. Based on a 1962 book of the same name, the movie starred Horst Buchholz, Diane Baker, Jose Ferrer and Robert Morley.
2. Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 1869-1948 (1968): The documentary detailing the life of Gandhi was produced by The Gandhi National Memorial Fund in cooperation with the Films Division of the Government of India. The black-and-white film was directed and scripted by Vithalbhai Jhaveri.
3. Gandhi (1982): Richard Attenborough’s epic biographical drama is considered a seminal depiction of Gandhi’s role in the freedom movement, down to his assassination in 1948. The Ben Kingsley-starrer made $52 million in domestic box office collections in the US.
4. Sardar (1993): The biopic on Sardar Vallabhai Patel contains crucial references to Gandhi and delves much into the dynamics between the two. The Ketan Mehta-directed film featured Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor and Benjamin Gilani in lead roles.
5. The Making of the Mahatma (1996): The Indian-South African production, directed by Shyam Benegal, was based on the early life of Gandhi in South Africa. Starring Rajit Kapoor in the lead role, the film was based upon the book, The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma, by Fatima Meer, who also wrote the screenplay.
6. Hey Ram (2000): Kamal Haasan’s semi-fictional film was based on Indian Partition and the assassination of Gandhi. Co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, it made Rs5 crore at the box office.
7. Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara (2005): The Jahnu Barua-directed film narrates the story of a retired professor who falls prey to dementia, believing he accidentally killed Gandhi. Featuring Anupam Kher and Urmila Matondkar, it made Rs68 lakh at the box office.
8. Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006): Rajkumar Hirani’s comedy drama saw the protagonist embrace Gandhian values of kindness and love to help the society. The Sanjay Dutt-starrer made Rs74 crore in box office collections.
9. Gandhi, My Father (2007): The Feroz Abbas Khan-directed film explores the troubled relationship between Gandhi and his son Harilal. The film, starring Akshaye Khanna and Darshan Jariwala, made Rs3 crore at the box office.
10. Dear Friend Hitler (2011): The multilingual drama was based on the letters written by Gandhi to Adolf Hitler during the Second World War. Starring Raghubir Yadav and Neha Dhupia, it was directed by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar.
All figures have been sourced from movie websites Box Office India and Box Office Mojo
