Film Preview: Gandhi – My Father

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Darshan Jariwala, Bhumika Chawla, Shefali Shah
Director: Feroz Abbas Khan
Producer: Anil Kapoor
Music Composer: Piyush Kanojia

This time it’s not about the relevance of Gandhian philosophy or his role towards the nation or to the world as a symbol of non-violence but it is about his family, a true story as a father of his son and not as a father of the nation.

Anil Kapoor in his first home production comes with this periodic film “Gandhi - My Father”. As the name suggests this film is going to throw light on certain aspects of Gandhi’s personal life, his family and not the nation’s freedom struggle though it will be in the backdrop. Earlier there are films like Muna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara and these are some how deals with Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence but this film will focus his own personal life as a father.

Directed by well-known theatre personality Feroze Abbas Khan this film stars Akshaye Khanna as Gandhi’s eldest son Harilal Gandhi, Bhoomika Chawala as Harilal’s wife (Gulab), Shefali Shah as Kasturba Gandhi and Darshan Jariwala as Mahatma.

The story plot revolves around Gandhi and his son Harilal, their relationship and how Harilal’s deeds made Mahatma Gandhi to disown him as his son. This story is totally true and depicts the troubled relationship between Gandhi and his son Harilal. History books or earlier films rarely mention anything about this special connection between father and son and so this film obviously generates curiosity among us.

The story talks about Harilal as an angry, rebellious young man who always runs after his specter wishes and hates his famous parents as much as he love. Harilal and his father’s relation became much strained after his conversion to Muslim as Gandhi felt that Harilal converted just for material gains and not for belief. Harilal was later became a drunken man and died with tuberculosis in the same year 1948, the year of Gandhi’s assassination.

The director Feroz Khan has already presented this real story on stage but making a film is a different game altogether. This is a story about a son who spent his entire life with grief and pains despite the fact that his father is the “Father of the Nation”. The film is set to release in August and hopefully will perform well in box office.