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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 providing a historically accurate portrayal of the life of Gandhi, the Indian independence movement and the deleterious results of British colonisation on India.
Gandhi: Directed by Richard Attenborough. With Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth, Candice Bergen. The life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.
- (241K)
- Biography, Drama, History
- Richard Attenborough
- 1983-02-25
- Overview
- Production notes and credits
- Cast
- Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)
Gandhi, British-Indian historical film, released in 1982, that tells the story of Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle to win independence for India through nonviolent civil disobedience. The movie won eight Academy Awards, including that for best picture, and five Golden Globe Awards, including that for best foreign film. It was also named best film at the BAFTA ceremony and took four additional BAFTA Awards.
The movie opens with the 1948 assassination of Gandhi (played by Ben Kingsley) by Nathuram Godse (Harsh Nayyar) and Gandhi’s funeral. The movie then takes up Gandhi’s story in 1893, when he is a young lawyer in South Africa and is thrown off a train for being in the first-class section (where Indians are not permitted) although he has a first-class ticket. He begins a protest campaign against the treatment of Indians in South Africa. His work attracts the attention of an American reporter, Walker (Martin Sheen). After a mass imprisonment of striking Indian miners, Gandhi and General Jan Smuts (Athol Fugard) reach a compromise. Gandhi returns to British-ruled India in 1915 and meets with Congress Party members Jawaharlal Nehru (Roshan Seth) and Sardar Patel (Saeed Jaffrey), who introduce him to Muslim League leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah (Alyque Padamsee). Gandhi travels through the country, learning and advocating nonviolent resistance. The widespread protests do result in some loosening of restrictions. However, a successful general strike is followed by the Massacre of Amritsar, in which troops led by General Reginald Dyer (Edward Fox) fire on a nonviolent protest, killing hundreds.
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Gandhi’s noncooperation movement expands throughout the country. He encourages the burning of British-made clothes and the weaving of clothing to wear instead. When one protest ends in violence by Indians against the British police, Gandhi begins a fast to end the use of violence by protesters. At one point he is imprisoned for sedition. In his most successful protest, he leads the Salt March to the sea so that Indians can make their own salt and avoid paying the British tax on salt. Gandhi later participates in a Round Table Conference in London to discuss the possibility of Indian independence, but no agreement is reached. During World War II, Gandhi and his wife, Kasturba (Rohini Hattangadi), are imprisoned for speaking against the war. After the end of the war, a new British viceroy, Lord Mountbatten (Peter Harlowe) arrives to facilitate Indian independence. Gandhi argues for a unified Hindu and Muslim country, but Jinnah believes that partition is necessary to avert civil war. In the end, British India is divided into the two independent countries of India and Pakistan. When violence breaks out between Muslims and Hindus on the border between the countries, Gandhi begins a long fast for peace. After he breaks his fast, he plans to travel to Pakistan but is assassinated before he can leave.
Director Richard Attenborough decided that he wanted to make a film about Gandhi in 1962 after having read a biography. He attained the approval of Nehru, who was then prime minister of India, and spent the next two decades trying to get the project off the ground. When at last he secured financing, there were protests by Indian filmmakers and others against Indian support going to the making of a British-directed movie about an Indian subject. The movie drew some criticism for its simplification of history and near deification of the title character, but Gandhi was generally well received in India, Britain, and the United States.
•Studios: International Film Investors, National Film Development Corporation of India, Goldcrest Films International, and Indo-British Films
•Director: Richard Attenborough
•Music: Ravi Shankar
•Cinematographers: Ronnie Taylor and Billy Williams
•Ben Kingsley (Mahatma Gandhi)
•Saeed Jaffrey (Sardar Patel)
•Roshan Seth (Jawaharlal Nehru)
•Alyque Padamsee (Mohammed Ali Jinnah)
•Picture*
•Lead actor* (Ben Kingsley)
•Art direction*
•Cinematography*
•Costume design*
•Direction*
- Pat Bauer
After his early release from prison for political crimes in 1924, Gandhi continued to pursue swaraj over the second half of the 1920s. He pushed through a resolution at the Calcutta Congress in December 1928 calling on the British government to grant India dominion status or face a new campaign of non-cooperation with complete independence for the country as its goal. [ 123 ]
- Greg Rodgers
- Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Karamchand was the name of his father. The honorific title Mahatma, or "Great Soul," was given to him in 1914.
- Gandhi is often called Bapu in India, a term of endearment that means "father."
- Gandhi fought for much more than independence. His causes included civil rights for women, the abolition of the caste system, and the fair treatment of all people regardless of religion.
- Gandhi demanded fair treatment for the untouchables, India’s lowest caste; he underwent several fasts to support the cause. He called the untouchables harijans, which means "children of God."
Gandhi. PG Released Nov 30, 1982 3h 8m Biography History Drama TRAILER for CTA List. 89% Tomatometer 111 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings. This acclaimed biographical drama presents major ...
- (111)
- Biography, History, Drama
- PG
Reviews. Gandhi. Drama. 188 minutes ‧ PG ‧ 1982. Roger Ebert. January 1, 1982. 5 min read. In the middle of this epic film there is a quiet, small scene that helps explain why “Gandhi” is such a remarkable experience. Mahatma Gandhi, at the height of his power and his fame, stands by the side of a lake with his wife of many years.
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