This is a magnificent epic film, produced and directed by Sir Richard Attenborough, which tells the story of one of History’s most remarkable and charismatic figures: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi…the Mahatma.The film stars Ben Kingsley in possibly his finest role, as Gandhi and a host of top names, including Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, John Mills and Martin Sheen.Released by Columbia Pictures, the film won eight Oscars in 1982.
The film opens in New Delhi on January 30th 1948.Whilst leading prayers, the Mahatma is assassinated by a Hindu fanatic. There follow scenes of international mourning, and a State funeral attended by the good and great, including Earl Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India.
The film then goes back in time. Mohandas Gandhi, an idealistic young Hindu attorney, arrives in South Africa from London.the year is 1893,and Gandhi is quickly introduced to the injustice of apartheid when he is unceremoniously ejected from a train, for having had the audacity, as an Indian, to expect to travel in a first class carriage. Further
injustices lead him to begin his campaign against this corrupt system. He advocates passive resistance, non-co-operation and non-violence. He is savagely beaten and thrown into prison, but stands firm in his beliefs. It is with great reluctance that the authorities agree to repeal the discriminatory laws against which Gandhi is protesting.
Hailed as a hero, (to his embarrassment) Gandhi goes home to India. (He was born in Porbander, in the present state of Gujarat.) Seeing the same injustices in his homeland, he vows to campaign for Indian independence from British rule. A self-effacing man, he lives as a simple Indian peasant, shunning worldly goods. He stands by his beliefs that the way to win home rule for India is by peaceful means, which makes him sometimes at odds with some of his more hot-headed countrymen.
Dressed only in a homespun loincloth, Gandhi becomes revered as a Messiah figure. Arrested many times on the flimsiest of charges and slung into prison, he nonetheless adheres to his principles, always believing that independence will come. Even the British Imperialists come to have a grudging respect for him. One great scene in the film is when Gandhi is brought into Court again on some dubious charge, and the British judge rises and bows to him, astonishing the rest of the Court.
As a protest, Gandhi calls for a “Day of Prayer and Fasting”, which, in effect, means a General Strike.The country is paralysed and Gandhi is again arrested. His stoicism is inspirational, but on this occasion, his arrest leads to an outbreak of violence and killings. Gandhi is appalled, and begins to doubt himself. He reiterates his policy of “ahimsa” (non-violence) and the campaign for home rule goes on.
There follows what must surely be one of the most shameful episodes in British History.A peaceful meeting of Indians was taking place in Amritsar, the Sikh Holy City.The crowd consisted of unarmed civilians, including women, children and the elderly. The British forces, led by General Dyer, opened fire without warning. It was a massacre. It was also the beginning of the end for the British in India.
Deeply saddened, Gandhi still pursues his policy of non-violence. But now it is not just the British giving Gandhi problems. There are conflicts between Hindu and Muslim.More riots break out, and there are police deaths. Gandhi’s response is to go on a fast…either until the riots stop, or until he dies. It is not until he is very close to death, that the riots stop. But the division between Hindu and Muslim widens. Desperate to heal the rift, Gandhi proposes that when India is finally free, that the Muslim leader, Mohammed Jinnah, should become Prime Minister, instead of his (Gandhi’s) close friend and fellow Hindu, Jawaharlal Nehru.It is not a feasible idea.
Eventually, and when he can no longer be ignored, Gandhi is invited to London to meet with Prime Minister Ramsey MacDonald, to discuss the “possible” independence of India.But no Declaration is forthcoming, at that time. Although others feel that he has returned home empty-handed, Gandhi is more and more convinced that independence is on its way.
He was right. In 1947 Britain granted independence to India and welcomed her as a full member of the Commonwealth.At the same time, the separate Muslim state of Pakistan was created. There was upheaval as Hindus and Muslims migrated to their new homes. Inevitabely, fresh riots broke out as Hindu and Muslim clashed. Once again, the Mahatma went on a “fast unto death” to quell the riots. It was only days after this fast ended, that Mahatma Gandhi was murdered by one of his own.
It is really difficult to do justice to this stunning film in a short review. The acting is first-class, the scenery brilliant (filmed on location in India) and the storyline outstanding. But the film’s greatest achievement has to be that it graphically illustrates the truth about colonialism. The tyrannical rule of one nation in a country that was not theirs to rule over was not a glorious episode, whichever way you look at it.
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