Gandhi- My Father

"Ab hum use Harilal bulaayein ya Abdullah, pyaara toh utna hee rahega na", says Gandhi to Kasturba when he hears of his son's conversion to Islam.

There are films- some that entertain, some that bore you...there are some that touch you... and then there are those great works of art that transcend just being films and become an experience that remain glued firmly with the viewer, even after (s)he comes out of the hall. "Gandhi- My Father", undoubtedly belongs to the latter genre.

Does it create an impact like an RDB or Lage Raho. Maybe not... Does it bring the viewer closer to Gandhi as was the case with Lage Raho. Maybe not... But, it shows facets of Gandhi- the father, the human being, the family man which was hitherto never shown in films. And it does not paint him black.

The film talks of the tribulations of Harilal Gandhi, Mohandas Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi and the tumultuous relationship between the father and the son. Isn't it intriguing that the Mahatma's eldest son died as a virtual unknown... as a beggar on the streets somewhere in India.

Its an interesting story. A well educated, well respected gentleman, Barrister of Law from England, and a prisoner of truth and his own principles.... wanting his sons to toe the same line as he... and a son who craves for foreign education, forced to remain a prisoner of his father's principles... unable to cope with the high standards, eventually seeking refuge in rebellion and escapism... swaying repeatedly between good and deceit... desperately seeking to reform self and being unable to do so... " bahut baar bhavishya badalna chaaha maine apna, par ateet peechha hee nahi chhodta..." says the son...

And caught in between the stubborn father and the rebellious son is a helpless mother. I've often felt that Kasturba's role has been underrated in history.

A few scenes in the movie appealed to me. The scene where the father tends the wound (in the knee) of the son. In the process he also informs the son that it is not Harilal, but a nephew of the Mahatma who would be sent on a scholarship (meant for Harilal) to England to study law. Watch the son saying "main theek hoon" and limping away.

The scene in the train bogey, when after the discussion, when the father, mother and son are looking in different directions. How metaphorical!!!

The scene where the father and the son have a long discussion through the night which culminates with the son saying, "mehrbaani karke mujhe akela chhod deejiye".

I've always felt that the father-son relationship is extremely special. From the times as a child, when my attitude was "my daddy strongest" (i still believe that)... to times of conflicting opinion during teens... to times when I've understood him better as a young adult...

The hallmark of the film that I saw shall remain the beauty with which the father-son relationship has been depicted. Watch the scene where Harilal is massaging the feet of his father... or when the father is tending to the wound of his son...or when the father instructs his secretary to arrange for the immediate arrival of his daughter-in-law in south africa... the father and son having the long conversation from evening to night...the father asking "karna kya chaahte ho" (does this ring a bell )... or telling the son... "mujhe tumhaari awaaz sun-ne mein der hui...maaf kar dena mujhe".... Beautiful!!!!

I'm overcome by an urge to read Gandhi's autobiography again. There is so much that the man had to go through. The beauty of his story is...he wasn't born Mahatma... as shyam Benegal would put it- The Making of the Mahatma... It is an extraordinary story of an ordinary man who rose from ordinary to extraordinary... and the collaterals that happened on the way...

Go watch the movie. It released yesterday and there were barely 30 people in the hall including my Dad and me... It would be a shame if this movie flops... Feroz Abbas Khan and Anil Kapoor deserve kudos for the effort... So do Akshaye Khanna (Harilal) and Darshan Jariwala (Mohandas Gandhi) and the rest of the team....