Gandhi, My Father

Last updated

Gandhi, My Father
Gandhimyfather.jpg
Official poster
Directed by Feroz Abbas Khan
Written byFeroz Abbas Khan
Based on
  • Harilal Gandhi: A Life
    by Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal
  • Prakash no Padchhayo
    by Dinkar Joshi
Produced by Anil Kapoor
Starring Darshan Jariwala
Akshaye Khanna
Bhumika Chawla
Shefali Shah
CinematographyDavid McDonald
Edited by A. Sreekar Prasad
Music byPiyush Kanojia
Release date
  • 3 August 2007 (2007-08-03)
Running time
136 minutes
LanguageHindi
Budget₹80 million [1]
Box office₹74.9 million [1]

Gandhi, My Father is a 2007 Indian biographical drama film by Feroz Abbas Khan. It was produced by Anil Kapoor, and released on 3 August 2007.

Contents

The film stars Darshan Jariwala, Akshaye Khanna, Bhumika Chawla and Shefali Shah. [2]

The film explores the troubled relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his son Harilal Gandhi. The film is based upon the biography of Harilal Gandhi, titled Harilal Gandhi: A Life by Chandulal Bhagubhai Dalal. [3] Khan's play, Mahatma vs. Gandhi, while different from this film, had a similar theme which was based on novel by Gujarati author Dinkar Joshi. [4] The film was shot in South Africa and in several Indian cities including Mumbai and Ahmedabad. [5]

Plot

Gandhi My Father paints the picture of Gandhi's intricate, complex and strained relationship with his son Harilal Gandhi. From the onset, the two had dreams in opposite directions. Harilal's ambition was to study abroad and become a barrister like his father, while Gandhi hoped that his son would join him and fight for his ideals and causes in India.

When Gandhi does not give Harilal the opportunity to study abroad, it comes as a blow to Harilal. He decides to abandon his father’s vision and leaves South Africa for India where he joins his wife Gulab and children. He goes back to further his education to earn his diploma but continuously fails and ends in financial ruins. Various plans and schemes to make money fail, leaving the family in poverty. Sick of his failure, Gulab returns to her parents’ house with the children, where she eventually dies from the flu epidemic. Distraught, Harilal turns to alcohol for solace and converts to Islam, only to re-convert to a different sect of Hinduism later on. With political tension heating up, the rift between Gandhi and his eldest son grows until it is beyond repair. Harilal finds it unbearable to live in the enormous shadow of his father. Gandhi is assassinated before the two can reconcile and Harilal attends his father's funeral virtually as a stranger, almost unrecognizable to those around him. A short while later, he passes away, alone and in poverty, having failed to find his own identity.

Cast

Reception

Philip French of The Guardian called it "one of the most revealing and courageous movies ever to come out of India." He further wrote that "It will be an eye-opener to those whose knowledge of the Mahatma is limited to Richard Attenborough's epic biopic." [7] Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM gave the film 4 out of 5, writing, "As a cinematic experience, GANDHI MY FATHER unfolds in the most simplistic, but compelling manner. Since the director is talking history, he ought to do the balancing act well. He reproduces facts without resorting to cinematic liberties and at the same time, simplifies everything so that the viewer can decipher it well. [8]

Conversely, Derek Elley of the Variety wrote, "There’s enough material here for a powerful story of onstage/offstage family conflict, but the movie fails to build a dramatic head of steam across its two-hour-plus span." [9]


Awards

55th National Film Awards

2008 Zee Cine Awards

  • Critics Award (Best Film) - Anil Kapoor [11]
  • Critics Award (Best Actress) - Shefali Shah

2007 Asia Pacific Screen Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harilal Gandhi</span> Mahatma Gandhi & Kasturba Gandhis son

Harilal Mohandas Gandhi was the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi. He had three younger brothers: Manilal Gandhi, Ramdas Gandhi and Devdas Gandhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ameesha Patel</span> Indian actress (born 1975)

Ameesha Patel is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi and Telugu films. Patel is the recipient of several awards such as a Filmfare Award and a Zee Cine Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Deol</span> Indian film actor (born 1969)

Vijay Singh Deol, known by his screen name Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. A member of the Deol family, he is the younger son of actor Dharmendra and brother of actor Sunny Deol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhumika Chawla</span> Indian actress (born 1978)

Bhumika Chawla is an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu films along with a few in Hindi and Tamil. Chawla made her acting debut with the Telugu film Yuvakudu (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anil Kapoor</span> Indian actor and film producer (born 1956)

Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, in addition to Indian television and international films. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapoor has appeared in more than 100 films. He has received several accolades, including two National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akshaye Khanna</span> Indian actor (born 1975)

Akshaye Khanna is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi films. Born to actor Vinod Khanna, Khanna is a recipient of numerous accolades including two Filmfare Awards. He made his acting debut in 1997 with the film Himalay Putra. His next release, J. P. Dutta's war drama Border (1997) emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

<i>Race</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Abbas-Mustan

Race is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir action crime film directed by Abbas–Mustan and written by Kiran Kotrial and Shiraz Ahmed. It is the first installment in the Race franchise and stars Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, and Sameera Reddy. In the film, the professional and personal loyalties between brothers and businessmen Ranvir Singh and Rajiv Singh are shown as a storyline.

<i>Halla Bol</i> 2008 Indian film

Halla Bol is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language social action drama film written and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. Halla Bol stars Ajay Devgn and Vidya Balan in pivotal roles and a number of celebrities from the Hindi and other film industries appear as themselves. Produced by Samee Siddiqui, the film's score and soundtrack was composed by Sukhwinder Singh, while Natarajan Subramaniam and Steven Bernard were the cinematographer and editor respectively. It was released on 11 January 2008. The film was remade with an adapted story in Bengali in 2010 named Pratidwandi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shefali Shah</span> Indian film actress (born 1973)

Shefali Shah is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Working primarily in independent Hindi films, she has received multiple local and foreign accolades for her performances. Shah's acting career started on the Gujarati stage before she debuted on television in 1993. After small parts on television and a brief stint with cinema in Rangeela (1995), she gained wider recognition in 1997 for her role in the popular series Hasratein. This was followed by lead roles in the TV series Kabhie Kabhie (1997) and Raahein (1999). A supporting role in the crime film Satya (1998) won her positive notice and a Filmfare Critics Award, and she soon shifted her focus to film acting starting with a lead role in the Gujarati drama Dariya Chhoru (1999).

Dharmesh Darshan is an Indian filmmaker, film director and writer who works in Bollywood. He was born into Bhatt family. He began his illustrious career as one of the youngest filmmakers of Indian Cinema, in the league of Sooraj Barjatya, Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He began his directorial career with the crime action film Lootere (1993). He achieved his breakthrough and created box-office history with the romantic drama Raja Hindustani (1996), He then directed the musical romantic drama Dhadkan (2000), another critical and commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darshan Jariwala</span> Indian actor

Darshan Jariwala is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films, television and stage. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Gandhi, My Father. He is popular for his show in which he was seen as Chedilal Chaturvedi in the show Saas Bina Sasural which aired on Sony Entertainment Television (India) between 18 October 2010 to 6 September. He is currently seen on Sony Set's show Sargam Ki Sadhe Satii which is the sequel of his popular show Saas Bina Sasural in which he is essaying the character of Chedilal Awasthi, the female protagonist Anjali Tatrari's father-in-law and has garnered appreciation for his character and performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feroz Abbas Khan</span> Indian theatre and film director, playwright, and screenwriter

Feroz Abbas Khan is an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing plays like Mughal-e-Azam, Saalgirah, Tumhari Amrita (1992), Salesman Ramlal and Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi.

<i>Aaja Nachle</i> 2007 film by Anil Mehta

Aaja Nachle is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language dance film produced by Aditya Chopra and directed by Anil Mehta. The film stars Madhuri Dixit in her first film in five years after Devdas (2002), alongside Konkona Sen Sharma, Jugal Hansraj, and Kunal Kapoor in pivotal roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role</span>

The Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is given by the producers of the film and television guild as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. Following its inception in 2004, no one was awarded in 2005 and 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role</span>

The Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is given by the producers of the film and television guild as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Following its inception in 2004, no one was awarded in 2005 and 2007.

Chandrakant Kulkarni is an Indian director, script writer and actor associated with Marathi theatre and film. He is known for his works of directing the plays Wada Chirebandi, Dhyanimani, Gandhi Virudh Gandhi and most recently the remake of Hamidabaichi Kothi. He has also directed the acclaimed films Bindhaast (1999) and Tukaram (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinkar Joshi</span>

Dinkar Joshi is a Gujarati language author from India. He has written more than 160 books including novels, short story collections, essay collections and columns.

Balakrishnan Thevar, fondly called Bala, is associated with the Indian film industry as associate director, executive producer and actor. He has straddled the world of both feature and ad films in different capacities. One of the landmark movies he has been a part of, on the Direction team is Neerja, which bagged two honours at the 64th National Film Awards.

References

  1. 1 2 "Gandhi My Father - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. ↑ Ganguly, Prithwish (27 June 2007). "Gandhi my father: a tale of Mahatma's son". New Delhi. Indo-Asian News Service. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023– via Hindustan Times.
  3. ↑ "Book bids to save Mahatma's son from ignominy". Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  4. ↑ "The Mahatma and his son". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 22 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007.
  5. ↑ "In the name of the father". Deccan Herald . Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  6. ↑ "Gandhi My Father Cast & Director - Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. 20 April 2011. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  7. ↑ French, Philip (5 August 2007). "Gandhi My Father". Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2023– via The Guardian.
  8. ↑ Adarsh, Taran (3 August 2007). "Gandhi My Father Review 4/5 | Gandhi My Father Movie Review | Gandhi My Father 2007 Public Review | Film Review". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  9. ↑ Elley, Derek (15 August 2007). "Gandhi My Father". Variety. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "55th National Film Awards announced". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "Zee Cine Awards 2008 winners announced". Zee News. 23 April 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Asia Pacific Screen Awards Winners Announced - Asia Pacific Screen Awards". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 13 November 2007. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2018.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.