Jaya, I am actually glad they did not show too much of the siblings, because that would distract further from the father-son relationship. In general, I like movies that stay with one or two main points. This movie was supposed to be about Harilal and his relationship with his father - I am glad they tried to stick to that as much as possible.

Thanks for taking the time to jot your thoughts down and keep coming!

I stumbled on to your site sometime last month and now it has become a must-read for me. Thanks.

Regarding the movie - Gandhi - my Father - I think your rating should be Must See just for the fact that we rarely get to see such honest portrayals on screen in India. Another reason that it has to be Must See is because it gives us such a different view of Gandhi against the idealized, anglicized version of Attenborough’s Gandhi.

I do agree with you that the film left many questions unanswered - especially what were the other three sons doing this period? didn’t they have any interactions with Harilal? That probably troubled me the most - a family is more than a father and a mother - siblings form a important part, too.

Regarding the movie devoting more time to the Independence movement, I feel that a movie on Gandhi can never be devoid of that. It is so much a part & parcel of what defines him. I thought the director did a great job of just touching upon the most important events surrounding that and also managed to weave in his work on untouchability & Bramhacharya.

The performances, as you state, were truly outstanding. My favorite was Darshan Jariwala. His portrayal of the young Gandhi was simply outstanding. I, also,truly loved the cinematography in this films.

After reading Subrat’s comment, I guess I have to see The Making of Mahatma.

Looking forward to more great reviews from you,

Jaya

Join the gang, I don’t think anyone except Hetal and Anuja, and yours truly have seen the movie here. Waiting for your reaction to the movie, though.

About the rationale behind characters’ behavior - I find it especially disturbing in a character driven script. E.g., we sort-of have learned to not carry this expectation in a “Partner” or a “Cash“, but here we want to watch the movie only for the characters.
“Making of the Mahatma” on my ever-growing ‘To watch’ list. Thanks for the suggestion.

Sorry for intruding into the discussion without having seen
the film. One expression in it really struck me: ‘why make
a movie about relationships without knowing the rationale
behind the characters’ behavior?’ I completely agree…

Of all the ‘Gandhi’ films I have seen, I believe Shyam Benegal’s
‘Making of the Mahatma’ stands out as the best in terms of
authencity of characters and situations, and also in terms of
’sense of history’.
More after I see the film…
thanks
subrat

Subrat, the overlap should be fixed now. Please let us know if it is still happening.

Deepa, well, I would still recommend a watch on DVD, the performances themselves are worth it. Alphabetical listing - technical glitch, now fixed.