Best Films and TV Series On Mahatma Gandhi

More than 30 films have focussed on a single political figure and that’s none other than Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation.

Just like the complex challenges he took on during India’s fight for freedom, Gandhi himself has always sparked strong opinions. Love him or question him, there’s no denying he remains a powerful and lasting presence in Indian pop culture.

This Gandhi Jayanti, we’re looking back at five iconic films that have captured his life, his values, and his legacy on screen.

Gandhi

A creation of Hansal Mehta starring Pratik Gandhi, Gandhi is an upcoming series on OTT that has already made the headlines as the first Indian film to premiere at Toronto Film Festival this year.

While many of the details are still under wraps, including the release date, we know that Bhamini Oza is playing Kasturba Gandhi and is based on historian and author Ramchandra Guha’s two books, Gandhi before India, and Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World.

Ahimsa Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless

A non-feature film released in 2021 on the occasion of his 150th birthday, Ahimsa Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless directed by Ramesh Sharma decodes the power of non-violence and why it remains relevant to this day.

It brings to the fore the global impact of the Gandhian message of non-violence: how it inspired several world leaders, the Civil Rights Movement in the United States; the Solidarity Movement in Poland as well as Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.

The Making of Mahatma

A Shyam Benegal film adapted from the book The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma by Fatima Meer, The Making of Mahatma is a 1996 biographical film about the early life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi during his 21 years in South Africa. The film was an international co-production between India and South Africa.

Gandhi (1982)

The film that established Ben Kingsley as an actor in Hollywood, the 1982’s Gandhi is a British-Indian biographical movie based on the life of Mohandas Gandhi and is directed and produced by Richard Attenborough and co-written by John Briley and Steven Spielberg while the musical compositions for the film are done by Ravi Shankar.

Hey Ram

Starring Kamala Hassan, Rani Mukherjee, and Shah Rukh Khan, Hey Ram delves into a fictional story of Saketh Ram (Kamal Hassan), a disillusioned man who tries to kill Mohandas Gandhi (Iravathi Hershe).

After sectarian violence claims the life of his wife, Aparna (Hema Malini), Saketh becomes a Hindu extremist, and, although Muslims are responsible for his wife's death, he begins to blame Gandhi and his tolerant approach to religious differences. Concerned only with his idea of vengeance, Saketh is consumed with hatred and zealotry.