On Gandhi Jayanti, celebs talk about their favourite film on The Father Of The Nation and also a quote they live by

Sheetal

It’s the 152nd birth anniversary of The Father Of The Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, today and the teachings he left us with are ever-so-relevant. To commemorate Gandhi Jayanti, we talk to celebs to know about their favourite film made on the great man and how it brought a perceptible change in their lives. Also, they share a Gandhian quote they believe in.

No aggression
Hasan Zaidi

Gandhi (1982) is a beautifully made film. Just the man’s ability to say no so affectively without resorting to any violence is my take-away from the film.

Favourite quote: It’s the action, not the fruit of the action that’s important.

Pure belief
Kaveri Priyam

I had liked Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The feel-good film made us laugh and touched upon every aspect of Gandhi’s thinking.

Favourite quote: If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it …

Great message
Sneh Binny

The message in Lage Raho Munna Bhai is wonderful, as it puts into perspective Gandhi’s way of dealing with everyday problems.

Favourite quote: Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching it.

Be the change
Himanshu Malhotra

I liked Ben Kingsley’s role in the film Gandhi, which was released in 1982. The film evoked the common emotion of patriotism.

Favourite quote: You must be the change that you want to see in this world.

Contemporary take
Avinash Mukherjee

I loved Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which was a contemporary take on Gandhian ideology

Favourite quote: We, but mirror the world.

Truly inspiring
Nidarshana Gowani

Gandhi, the 1982 film connected with everyone.

Favourite quote: If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.

Subtle thought
Aly Goni

I liked Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The film communicates good things in a subtle manner.

Favourite quote: Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.

Ahead of time
Jasmin Bhasin

I liked Lage Raho Munna Bhai because it took ahead the messages that Gandhi left for the world. He had always been ahead of his time and had a unique outlook towards any problem.

Favourite quote: The future depends on what you do today.

On the right path

The play Gandhi was an attempt to let people know that violence is not just physical; talking about violence and deleting kindness from our system is also violence. his autobiography is sufficient to provide for the research work for writing the play.

Makarand Deshpande, actor, writer and director of the play Gandhi

Here’s tracking some uncommon but relevant works on Gandhi

Mohandas: This is a film based on Gandhi, released on October 1, 2021, ahead of his birth anniversary. A children’s film, it explores the childhood of the freedom fighter and is directed by P Sheshadri. It is based on the first few chapters of Gandhi’s autobiography, My Experiments With Truth.

Yugpurush—Mahatma Na Mahatma: This Gujarati play depicts the spiritual journey of Gandhi and explores his relationship with Jain philosopher Shrimad Rajchandra. Written by Uttam Gada and directed by Rajesh Joshi, the original song was composed by Sachin-Jigar. The play was adapted into several languages, including English, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Kannada.

Gandhi: Written and directed by Makarand Deshpande, the 70-minute play has him performing solo as well. Carrying forward Bapu’s message of ahimsa, the intelligent play has not only translated Gandhian school of thought without resorting to lengthy or boring speeches, but also managed to stay informative and entertaining.

Mohan’s No Masalo: Yet another 2015 Gujarati play, this one is a one-man performance by none other than Scam 1992 star Pratik Gandhi. Directed by Manoj Shah, the biographical play later got staged in Hindi and English, and known to many as Mohan’s Masala. It was included in the Limca Book of Records for its performances in three languages (English, Hindi and Gujarati) in a single day. In English, it’s titled Mohan’s Recipe.

Pehla Satyagrahi: A play by Suresh Sharma, it was staged to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Bapu in 2019. It was the first work on Gandhi, which traced the evolution of Gandhi through the freedom movement.

Hamne Gandhi Ko Maar Diya: This film, released in March, 2018, has two people travelling in a train and talking about Gandhi — one for and the other against him. By the time they arrive at their destinations, they get the news of Gandhi’s assassinated. It was directed by Naeem A Siddiqui.

Gandhigiri: Late actor Om Puri was featured in this Bollywood film, as he tried to apply Gandhian values and beliefs to current times. Released in 2018, it was directed by Sanoj Mishra.