The Making of the Mahatma

I saw this movie at a special screening in Bombay a few years ago and recently remembered it when the director has made another movie on a great Indian freedom fighter - Subhash Chandra Bose. This movie tried to capture a younger Gandhi without the halo around his head. I thought the scene where he is thrown out of the train for traveling in a first-class compartment in South Africa and his indignation at this slight is captured more beautifully than the more popular movie by Attenborough. This is more of a story of the Mahatma's journey toward greatness rather than about him. It's well worth a watch...and it's a shame I can't find it on DVD anywhere.

It is primarily set in South Africa from 1893 to 1915. It is a biopic of Mahatma Gandhi during his years as an Indian lawyer fighting against discrimination against persons of Indian descent in South Africa. It covers a time in Gandhi's life that is not as well known in the West.

The film first shows Mohandas Gandhi (Rajit Kapoor) and his wife, Kasturba (Pallavi Joshi), discussing his travel to South Africa for a job representing an Indian-heritage businessman in a financial conflict with a distant cousin. Gandhi was a young (24) London-trained barrister when he arrived alone in South Africa, dressed in Western clothes and thinking of himself primarily as a lawyer.

He promptly faces various kinds of discrimination, as Indians are regarded as "colored" in the South African culture. He and other Indian workers were called "Sammy," a derogatory term derived from "swami." Gandhi decides to stay in South Africa to protest the mistreatment of Indian workers and the imposition of discriminatory taxes like a poll tax.

He develops his theory of Satyagraha (holding firmly to truth), a form of nonviolent resistance. He encourages long marches and develops Tolstoy Farm, which becomes a center for his thought, partly based on correspondence with the Russian novelist. We see some of Gandhi's obsession with his vision in his conflict with his wife, but also major triumph achieved in encounters with Colonial Secretary Jan Smuts (Paul Slabolepszy).

This is a significant film because it conveys the crucial development of Gandhi's thought in popular form. Unfortunately, it's a low-budget affair, with wooden performances by secondary characters. The script is also very stiff at points, and with few exceptions, Gandhi is portrayed in heroic terms throughout.

This is the 15th in my list of movies about pacifists.

The script and editing are not perfect -- at a few points the film seems a little bit choppy -- yet watching "The Making of the Mahatma is a moving and powerful experience. Unlike documentaries that offer a didactic perspective on Gandhi's experiences and political endeavors in South Africa, this film provides a dramatically compelling narrative of his personal transformation from a London-educated lawyer to a symbol of human dignity in the face of repression. You will see how his ideas, ideals, and methods of practice developed organically, in relation to real-life influences. You will gain a new understanding of Gandhi -- not as a saint or as a person who was somehow "different" from the rest of us, but as a person who responded with immense creativity and conviction to the challenges of his time. I recommend this film to anyone who is even remotely interested in Gandhi.

This is the story of how Gandhi became the "Mahatma" ("Great Soul") --- a very realistic portrayal of the incidents that led to a determined effort for the betterment of people of non-European origin in South Africa. The make-up and acting of Rajit Kapoor as Gandhi is commendable. Pallavi Joshi plays her part, as Kasturba Gandhi, almost to perfection. The other actors and actresses in the movie are good, too. A very good cinematography and excellent back-ground score make the movie a superior one. Plus, of course, Shyam Benegal proves once more that he is one of the greatest directors in Indian cinema. It is a shame that his movies do not get the attention they should in the world film scenario.

What worked: I think this movie is one of Benegal's finest works, not just for the execution but also for the mission that he took. Rajit Kapoor, a fine actor, brought a different shade of Gandhi's life through this movie , making us explore more about the legacy that he left behind. It's a very beautifully shot, written and directed piece of art, and the movie ended with a very powerful message that was carried throughout the movie. We have watched many interpretations of Gandhi through many art forms, this one stays as one of the important one. What did not work: The movie is acted, shot and edited as a movie as it should have been but at very few times, it felt a bit dramatic, considering the mood and climate of the movie; a bit glamorized. Final verdict: recommended