Gandhi is a 1982 biographical film directed and produced by Richard Attenborough and written by John Briley. It is based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi (portrayed by Ben Kingsley), a major leader in the Indian independence movement against the British Empire during the 20th century. It covers Gandhi's life from a defining moment in 1893, as he is thrown off a train in the Colony of Natal for being in a whites-only compartment and concludes with his assassination and funeral in 1948. Although a practising Hindu, Gandhi's embracing of other faiths, particularly Christianity and Islam, is also depicted. Over 300,000 extras appeared in the film, believed to be the most in any film made.
Gandhi was released by Columbia Pictures in India on 30 November 1982, in the United Kingdom on 3 December, and in the United States on 8 December. It was praised for its portrayal of the life of Gandhi, the Indian independence movement, and the deleterious results of British colonisation on India.
It was considered to have maintained a reasonable level of historical accuracy, although many separate events were amalgamated, such as historical meetings with individual people being combined into single fictionalized scenes for narrative pacing. Several events were exaggerated or invented, such as being beaten by police while burning registration certificates. The chronology of Gandhi's early activism was altered, and certain historical figures (such as Christian missionary and independence activist C.F. Andrews and founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah) were considered to have been portrayed inaccurately. The film was praised for conveying Gandhi's core principles of nonviolence and human dignity effectively, providing an accessible introduction to his life and message.
Its production values, costume design, and Kingsley's performance received worldwide critical acclaim. It became a commercial success, grossing $127.8 million on a $22 million budget. It received a leading eleven nominations at the 55th Academy Awards, winning eight, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (for Kingsley). The British Film Institute ranked it as the 34th greatest British film of the 20th century. The American Film Institute ranked the film 29th on its list of most inspiring movies.
Plot While heading to afternoon prayers in New Delhi on January 30, 1948, Gandhi is fatally shot.
On 7 June 1893, in the Colony of Natal, young lawyer Mohandas Gandhi is forcibly expelled from a whites-only train carriage in Pietermaritzburg despite possessing a valid ticket, subsequently campaigning for racial equality among whites and Indians in both the Colony of Natal and the Cape Colony. Dada Abdullah, president of the Natal Indian Congress, notices his campaign and invites him to a demonstration where he burns his pass. After the Second Boer War, the British Empire attempts to have Indians fingerprinted like criminals in its African colonies. Gandhi responds with peaceful demonstrations, but is arrested. The government releases Gandhi and relents by granting some rights to Indians, fulfilling his short-term goal. Anglican clergyman Charles Freer Andrews joins his mission, and American journalist Vince Walker takes special interest in him. Gandhi works at his ashram alongside associates such as Andrews, Hermann Kallenbuch, and later Mirabehn.
Gandhi returns to India in 1915 where he is invited to the Indian National Congress (INC), led by Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who is advocating India's self-rule, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who becomes his mentor. Jinnah supports Gandhi's involvement but opposes his unconventional approach. At a meeting of the Congress, Gandhi's speech captivates the ensemble, especially Patel.
Gandhi pledges allegiance to the British Empire in World War I, but simultaneously demands self-rule. His satyagrahas at Champaran and Kheda are brutally curtailed by the British. Despite India's wartime involvement, the administration passes the Rowlatt Act in 1919, which the movement sees as betrayal. While a crowd listens to speeches about freedom, Colonel Reginald Dyer orders his mostly Gurkha troops to fire upon them in what becomes the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Jinnah suggests non-cooperation to protesting British rule, and Gandhi surprisingly agrees. Its immediate success causes protesters to kill and burn police officers in what becomes the Chauri Chaura incident. Disgusted, Gandhi calls off the non-cooperation movement, enraging Jinnah, quelling the masses by fasting.
In 1930, Gandhi is arrested and sent to prison because of his Salt March to defy the British monopoly on India's salt. After being released, Gandhi is invited to London by Ramsay MacDonald to attend the Round Table conferences regarding future Dominion status for India. However, they prove fruitless, and Gandhi and the other Congress leaders are imprisoned during World War II. While under house arrest, Gandhi's wife Kasturba dies.
Dissatisfied by the Congress and Gandhi, Jinnah resigns and returns to the Muslim League, where he begins the Pakistan Movement's demands for the Muslim minority's secession to form Pakistan, against Gandhi's wishes. In 1945, Viceroy Louis Mountbatten declares India's upcoming independence. Gandhi offers Jinnah the Prime Ministry and choice of cabinet. Nehru accepts the offer to maintain independence, but Jinnah declines, stating that only Pakistani independence with him as leader will ensure Muslim safety.
India and Pakistan finally gain their independence in August 1947, and millions of people migrate into the two newly formed countries, but sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims erupts. The Indian military attempts to control uprisings in Delhi and Bombay while Calcutta devolves into chaos. Devastated, Gandhi once again calms the violence by fasting. Gandhi advises a concerned Hindu man, upset about murdering a Muslim infant to avenge his son's death in the violence, to find a similarly orphaned Muslim boy and raise him as a faithful Muslim.
The film shifts to Gandhi's assassination. His casket is carted throughout New Delhi with the mourning party of Nehru (now Prime Minister), numerous citizens, government officials, and international dignitaries. After cremation, his ashes are poured into the Ganges, and he is mourned by the leaders of the Congress and the wider Indian independence movement.
Cast
Production This film had been Richard Attenborough's dream project, although two previous attempts at filming had failed. In 1952, Gabriel Pascal secured an agreement with the Prime Minister of India (Jawaharlal Nehru) to produce a film of Gandhi's life. However, Pascal died in 1954 before preparations were completed.See Page 219 states that "Nehru had given his consent, which he confirmed later in a letter to Gabriel: 'I feel... that you are the man who can produce something worthwhile. I was greatly interested in what you told me about this subject [the Gandhi film] and your whole approach to it."
In 1962, Attenborough was contacted by Motilal Kothari, an Indian-born civil servant working with the Indian High Commission in London and a devout follower of Gandhi. Kothari insisted that Attenborough meet him to discuss a film about Gandhi.Wakeman, John. World Film Directors, Volume 2. The H. W. Wilson Company, 1988, p. 79. Attenborough agreed, after reading Louis Fischer's biography of Gandhi and spent the next 18 years attempting to get the film made. He was able to meet prime minister Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi through a connection with Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India. Nehru approved of the film and promised to help support its production, but his death in 1964 was one of the film's many setbacks. Attenborough would dedicate the film to the memory of Kothari, Mountbatten, and Nehru.
David Lean and Sam Spiegel had planned to make a film about Gandhi after completing The Bridge on the River Kwai, reportedly with Alec Guinness as Gandhi. Ultimately, the project was abandoned in favour of Lawrence of Arabia (1962).Entirely Up To You, Darling by Diana Hawkins & Richard Attenborough; paperback; Arrow Books; published 2009. Attenborough reluctantly approached Lean with his own Gandhi project in the late 1960s, and Lean agreed to direct the film and offered Attenborough the lead role. Instead Lean began filming Ryan's Daughter, during which time Motilai Kothari had died and the project fell apart.Wakeman (1988), p. 81.
Attenborough again attempted to resurrect the project in 1976 with backing from Warner Bros. Then prime minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India and filming would be impossible. Co-producer Rani Dube persuaded prime minister Indira Gandhi to provide the first $10 million from the National Film Development Corporation of India, chaired by D. V. S. Raju at that time, on the back of which the remainder of the funding was finally raised.Wakeman (1988), p. 82. Finally, in 1980 Attenborough was able to secure the remainder of the funding needed to make the film. Screenwriter John Briley had introduced him to Jake Eberts, the chief executive at the new Goldcrest production company that raised approximately two-thirds of the film's budget.
Filming began on 26 November 1980 and ended on 10 May 1981. Some scenes were shot near Koilwar Bridge, in Bihar. Over 300,000 extras were used in the funeral scene, the most for any film, according to Guinness World Records.
The film was shot on 35mm anamorphic equipment using Panavision cameras and lenses. For theatrical release, it was projected using either 35mm anamorphic prints with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio and Dolby stereo sound, or 70mm anamorphic prints with a 2.2:1 aspect ration and six discrete sound tracks.
Casting During pre-production, there was much speculation as to who would play the role of Gandhi.Kroll (1982, p. 60) mentions advocacy of Alec Guinness, John Hurt, and Dustin Hoffman, and quotes Attenborough as stating that "At one point Paramount actually said they'd give me the money if Richard Burton could play Gandhi." The choice was Ben Kingsley, who is partly of Indian heritage (his father was Gujarati and his birth name is Krishna Bhanji).See – "Born Krishna Bhanji, Kingsley changed his name when he became an actor: the Kingsley comes from his paternal grandfather, who became a successful spice trader in East Africa and was known as King Clove."
Release Gandhi premiered in New Delhi, India, on 30 November 1982. Two days later, on 2 December, it had a Royal Premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London in the presence of Prince Charles and Princess Diana before opening to the public the following day. The film had a limited release in the US starting on Wednesday, 8 December 1982, followed by a wider release in January 1983. In February 1983, it opened on two screens in India, nationwide in the UK, and in other countries.
Reception Critical response Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively collected 111 reviews and judged 89% of them to be positive, with an average rating of 8.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Director Richard Attenborough is typically sympathetic and sure-handed, but it's Ben Kingsley's magnetic performance that acts as the linchpin for this sprawling, lengthy biopic." Metacritic gave the film a score of 79 out of 100 based on 16 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare "A+" grade. In 2010, the Independent Film & Television Alliance selected the film as one of the 30 Most Significant Independent Films of the last 30 years.