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Making Films On Mahatma Ghandi

Dr. Ravindra Kumar - 8/29/2007

On the eve of India’s 60eth independence a film ‘GANDHI: MY FATHER’ by famous actor Anil Kapoor has been released which explicates rift betwixt Mahatma Gandhi and his son Harilal over a certain matter. It is said that the Mahatma did not help his son in getting a scholarship with the fear that he would be accused of nepotism. The producer of the film claims that through this story he has brought to the limelight an untouched aspect of Mahatma Gandhi’s life. However, it is not true as many amongst his contemporaries were aware of it; people like me know it. Not only had this, the Mahatma’s differences with his youngest son Devdas were also known to many.

And why only Mahatma Gandhi; other front-ranking leaders like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Badshah Khan, and Kakasaheb Gadgil too could be counted in this category. Perhaps the generation of the day would not be aware that Sardar Patel during his entire lifetime never allowed his only son Dahiyabhai to take any advantage for his business in his name; Maulana Azad, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Badshah Khan never recommended any of his relatives to be appointed to a smallest post under the Central or Provincial Government; Kakasaheb Gadgil refusing scholarship offered by a leading business of the country for his son Vithal, sold his ambassador car and sent him to study.

The day Gandhi kept pace in public life in India and started his experiments with truth having non-violence nucleus in actions, each and everyone became his own. No matter if political freedom of India was his first goal, but his ultimate goal could be found in his doctrine of oneness of all life or the unity of human life. He throughout his public life worked for it and inspired so many others to follow suit; and on the basis of it he raised to the height of a Mahatma-the great soul. How could he then become intoxicated even if his own son appeared before him for a favour-due or undue?

Mahatma Gandhi himself neither attracted towards film industry nor he desired any support from it; in cinema he saw evils like speculation, gambling and horse-galloping. Moreover, he considered it fully to be in the domain of commercialism. However, most of the films made in India after its independence in 1947, used him in one way or the other. Recently I have gone through a report in which it has been said that in more than 8000 films out of total films released after the freedom of the country Gandhi’s name, works, views and photographs have been used.

Now, films like Gandhi: My Father or Lage Raho Munnabhai [made some time ago], in my opinion, are for the commercial purposes and they provide nothing new, but I should admit honestly that they even after reflecting rift betwixt Mahatma Gandhi and his son Harilal, accord, more or less, opportunities to youngsters of the day to be familiar with Mahatma’s life, work and views in a changed socio-political atmosphere.