Movie: “Gandhi My Father”
A train’s about to leave. Rushing to a compartment, a desperate man hands a shrivelled orange to his mother. She asks lovingly, “Where..where did you get it?” as if she had been handed manna from heaven. And then the man tells his saintly father, “You are what you are because of her..and her alone.”
“To people he was a father, To his son he was a father he never had” - a perplexing statement isnt it? Well, the whole world is aware of Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle in the freedom of India. Millions of Indians saw a ‘Father’ figure in him, and for these he was ‘bapu’. But how many are aware of his personal sacrifices? How many are aware of the bitter relationship that he shared with his son?
Gandhi My Father, the most captivating and revolutionary film ever to emerge from India, telling the untold story of Gandhi’s tragic relationship with his eldest son.
Released on 3rd August 2007, Gandhi My Father is a powerful study of the nature and sufferings of the patriarchal relationship between one of the world’s most loved figures - ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi - and his misfortunate eldest son Harilal. The film delves into a territory that has never before been visited by film, and will spark debate by bringing to light an unknown facet of the personal history of a man who transformed the soul of a nation, but who could not save the soul of his own son.
Based on his thought-provoking play, Mahatma v/s Gandhi, veteran thespian of Indian theatre and cinema Feroz Khan has combined his unparalleled talents as a writer and director with the production skills of fellow industry stalwart Anil Kapoor, to create the most affecting film of modern times.
Although inspired by the philosophies and teachings of one of the greatest men of the modern world, the groundbreaking Gandhi My Father is far from a biopic account or portrayal of Gandhi’s struggle towards India’s independence. Delving deep into the personal tragedy that Gandhi kept secret from the world, Feroz Khan’s filmic tour de force focuses on the doomed relationship between a father respected by an entire nation, but rebuked by a son who was disowned, and whose bitter end was the result of years of abject alcoholism.
Definitely a must watch … despite it being an average movie and some shortcomings.