Gandhi
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Short description
Gandhi is a biographical drama about Mohandas K. Gandhi, the lawyer who became the leading figure of India's struggle for independence from British rule. Trained in London and later working in South Africa, where he organised the Indian community against discriminatory laws, he developed a method of non-violent resistance that he carried back to India. For decades he pursued freedom through civil disobedience, fasting and peaceful protest, while the British authorities answered with repression and imprisonment. The film follows his public life from his early career to the achievement of Indian independence and his death in 1948.
Richard Attenborough directed and co-produced the film, working from a screenplay by John Briley. It was the sixth of the twelve features Attenborough directed, arriving between Magic and A Chorus Line. Ben Kingsley plays Gandhi, heading a large cast that also includes Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard and John Mills, with 150 credited cast and crew members. Made for a budget of 22 million dollars, it took 78 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from around 247,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.6 out of 10 from roughly 2,600 votes, while critics gave it 8.3 out of 10 across 112 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- Ben Kingsley's father was originally from the Indian state of Gujarat, the same state where Mahatma Gandhi was born and raised.
- The filming of Mahatma Gandhi's funeral involved over 300,000 people, which was recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as an absolute record for cinema. Among them were over 200,000 volunteers who came forward voluntarily and 94,560 people who received a small fee under contract. The scene was filmed on January 31, 1981, the 33rd anniversary of Gandhi's funeral. Only eleven members of the film crew shot over 6 kilometers of film, which was reduced to 125 seconds of screen time in the final version of the film.
- In a small scene involving John Ratzenberger, his voice was dubbed by another actor.
- No film studio expressed the slightest interest in financing the film. Part of the funds was obtained from producer Joseph E. Levine in exchange for director Richard Attenborough agreeing to film 'A Bridge Too Far' (1977) and 'Magic' (1978) for him beforehand. Another portion of the money was raised by selling the rights to the popular British play 'The Mousetrap,' which were owned by Richard Attenborough and his wife, and the remaining funds were provided by several major British companies.
- Filming took place from November 26, 1980, to May 10, 1981, in India and the United Kingdom.
- The official premiere was held in a solemn atmosphere on November 30, 1982, in Delhi, the capital of India.
- The film marked the last cinematic role for renowned British actors Sir John Clements and John Boxer.
- Advertisements urging Indians to come for the filming of the largest funeral scene for Gandhi were placed in newspapers and distributed as leaflets around the city. Attendees were required to wear only white clothing, and special turnstiles were installed as a security measure to check arriving people.
- Among the candidates for the lead role were also Tom Courtenay, John Hurt, and Dustin Hoffman. The latter showed considerable enthusiasm but received an invitation to star in 'Tootsie' (1982) and ultimately preferred that project.
- All scenes featuring Trevor Howard as Judge Broomfield were completed in two days of filming.
- Alec Guinness and Anthony Hopkins auditioned for the role of Gandhi.
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