The Mahatma on Celluloid (A Cinematic Biography)

MAHATMA GANDHI is one of the most photographed and filmed men in the world. Motion picture camera followed him like a shadow throughout his life even though he was known for not liking the medium of moving images. Over the years, filmmakers, both Indian and foreigny have tried to depict his life on the screen and explore, his values and philosophy-a trend that continues even today.

The Mahatma on Celluloid unravels many unknown facts about Gandhi through the short films and newsreels made on him, from films such as Nine Hours to Rama, At Five Past Five and Attenborough's Gandhi to A.K. Chettiar and Vitthalbhai Patel's peerless documentary and even David Lean's unsuccessful attempt to produceà biopic. Written after extensively researching the archives and databases of foreign and Indian film companies, the book also contains archival images and posters of some important and rare films, and excerpts and anecdotes from interviews with filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Jahnu Barua, Feroz Abbas Khan and Girish Kasarvalli, who share their insights on the Mahatma's enduring tryst with cinema.

NALINI KANTA BRAHMA, MA, Ph.D., was formerly Professor of Philosophy, Presidency College, University of Calcutta and Principal, Hooghly Mohsin College, Kolkata. His book the Philosophy of Hindu Sadhana (now published by PHI Learning) was highly acclaimed by Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the former President of India and a great religious scholar. Similarly, his studies in "Brindaranyaka" was hailed by Shri Aurobindo.

In 1983, WHEN I was in the fourth standard in a small village school in Maharashtra, it was announced one day that a movie based on Mahatma Gandhiji's life was going be shown to school children. Not wanting to miss the chance to see the film Gandhi, I went along with friends, in the only tent-cinema theatre in my village. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough, and I was immediately transfixed by the amazing life of the saint-man depicted on screen. Though we were taught about him in school, and later in college, the experience of watching the life story of the Father of the Nation on film somehow stayed with me forever.

Then it became a ritual for me. On every 2 October, Gandhi's birthday, I would sit glued to the television to watch the film over and over again. Each viewing brought out a better understanding, not only of the various incidents in Gandhi's complex yet fascinating life, but also of India's freedom struggle.

More than seventy years have passed since Gandhi's death, but I find that the cinema industry is still fascinated with the man. Many films are being made by established as well as younger filmmakers who are keen to shed light on lesser-known incidents from Gandhi's life As each year passes, we rediscover the value of Gandhi's thinking and perhaps try to apply it to the present times. In 2019, when the world started celebrating the 150th anniversary of Gandhi's birth, I thought of exploring how Gandhi has been portrayed through cinema. The initial idea was to compile a list of movies made on his life, and also those influenced by his values and principles apart from newsreels of the bygone era. Following my research, I found many film titles from various eras, and in many languages. To my surprise, the list ended up being extensive!

I also looked at the recent trend in Indian cinema where films were being made imagining Gandhi living in the present times. Disregarding the cynics who felt Gandhi and his values were outdated, some filmmakers thought otherwise. In recent times, various films have been released exploring how Gandhi might have responded to the challenges of today. This is quite a revelation! As a result, there is a large collection of films, both feature and non-feature, made on Gandhi that are now on my list. Some are available in the public domain, and others, at the time of the writing of this book, are under production.

RAKASH MAGDUM IS A noted film archivist and was the director of PRAKASH MAGDUM IS A Hored film archives and was the director National Film Archives of India in Pune till recently. He is clearly very passionate about his vocation. Over a period of time, he has made a detailed inventory of the films made on and about Mahatma Gandhi.

The Mahatma was among the most photographed and filmed public figures of his time. He was the only great personality in history to free his nation from colonial servitude by leading a sustained campaign of non-violent resistance and protest with its focused appeal to human conscience.

The world media flocked to him. New reels and films, documentaries. and features were made on and about him both in his lifetime and well after he passed away.

The most well-known of the films was Gandhi made by Richard Attenborough. Among several others, there was the one I made, titled The Making of the Mahatma, about his early life and experiences in South Africa where he had gone to take up the profession of law. Soon after reaching there, he was drawn into the anticolonial movement of the, time. By the time he returned to India after a stay of twenty one years in South Africa, he had already earned the sobriquet 'Mahatma'.

Mr Magdum's book deals with cinema's tryst with Gandhi in documentaries and features made over the years. As an archivist, his work has great value for students, scholars and cineastes who can experience the living Mahatma through the medium of cinema.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages