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Following the opening scene in which the January 1948 assassination and funeral of the Mahatma Gandhi is shown, the movie backs up to 1893 and relates the events that led Mohandas K. Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), then an Indian-British lawyer, to begin a non-violent protest campaign for the rights of Indians against British rule.

The screenplay for Gandhi was written by John Briley. The movie won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Motion Picture.

The first invitation was made in 1966 when the two were in the Far East shooting Quelli della San Pablo (1966). Attenborough hoped one day to direct the Gandhi biopic and felt that Candice Bergen would be ideal in the role of Margaret Bourke-White. Bergen was thrilled, knew the work of Bourke-White, and wanted the role. Bergen was 19 years old at the time, but It would be 16 more years before Gandhi would be realized.

The movie ends as it began. After India finally gains it's independence in August 1947, fighting begins between Hindus and Muslims. In an attempt to get India's Hindus and Muslims to stop rioting against each other in Calcutta, Gandhi vows to go on a "fast" (hunger strike) until either the violence stops or he dies. As his death draws closer and closer, several Indian officials, including his friend, advisor and India's new Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (Roshan Seth), takes Gandhi's plea to the people to stop the fighting between Hindus and Muslim. Gandhi breaks his fast only when Suhrawardy (Shekhar Chatterjee), the leader of the Muslim uprising, convinces the Muslims to cease rioting and all fighting has stopped. A little later in January 1948, when he grows a bit stronger, Gandhi agrees to address a prayer meeting. As he is led outside by his grandnieces, assassin Nathuram Godse (Harsh Nayyar) steps forward from the crowd and fires three bullets into Gandhi's chest. Gandhi's last words are "Oh God!" as he falls dead. The scene then cuts to his funeral at which he is cremated and his ashes are scattered in the waters of the Ganges River. In a voice-over Gandhi says, When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murders, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always.

India was finally granted freedom from British rule in August 1947. Jawaharlal Nehru was named the first Prime Minister of India and ruled until his death in office in 1964. A piece of land in northwestern India was awarded to the Muslims, which became the current state of Pakistan. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of India's Muslim League, became Pakistan's first Governor General. He ruled until his death one year later in September 1948. Another piece of land in eastern India was awarded to the Muslims, then called Eastern Pakistan but eventually became the current state of Bangladash in 1971. Gandhi had been opposed to partition, fearing it would lead to an India increasingly dominated by Hindu Nationalists. Rather than celebrating independence from Britain, Gandhi spent his last few months of life campaigning against the inter-communal violence it had caused.

Salt production in India had been heavily regulated by the British in their rule. As stated in the movie during a British high council meeting with Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah in attendance, only companies with a special permit were allowed to produce and sell salt in the country. The march to the sea was another of Gandhi's many non-violent protest actions. It happened from March 12 to April 6, 1930 and was known as the 'Salt March'. Interestingly, when the segments of the march were filmed, many people from the regions surrounding the shoot actually joined the production.

Yes, the massacre was very real. It took place on April 13, 1919 in the city of Amritsar in the province of Punjab in Northern India. The massacre itself is referred to as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which is the name of the garden where the violence occurred.

A large peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab to protest against the arrest of pro-Indian independence leaders Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satya Pal. In response to the public gathering, the temporary Brigadier General Reginald E.H. Dyer surrounded the protesters with his Gurkha British Indian Army unit and Sindh regiment. The Jallianwala Bagh could only be exited on one side, as its other three sides were enclosed by buildings. After blocking the exit with his troops, he ordered them to shoot at the crowd, continuing to fire even as the protestors tried to flee. The troops kept on firing until their ammunition was exhausted. Estimates of those killed vary between 379 and 1,500 people and over 1,200 other people were injured of whom 192 were seriously injured by bullets.

From the subsequent investigation and testimony of General Dyer himself following the massacre in 1920, the Hunter Commission deduced that Dyer had acted in excess of his command. Dyer was relieved of his command in disgrace and never lead troops again, with Winston Churchill condemning his actions in the House of Commons. However, Dyer was never formally prosecuted for the massacre and he later died in England in 1927. It is a common myth that a Sikh extremist later murdered Dyer in revenge but this was actually Michael O'Dwyer, the governor of the Punjab who was one of Dyer's supporters. It is also a common fallacy that the troops involved were British when in fact they were Gurkhas, Pathan and Baluch soldiers of the Indian Army, a fact that aggravated racial tensions between these groups and the Sikh community.