The Making of the Mahatma, Shyam Benegal’s film, portrays Gandhiji’s transformation from an introverted lawyer to a freedom fighter.
This film was about Gandhi’s experiments with truth and non-violence in colonial South Africa and was produced by India and South Africa jointly.
It was based on the book ‘Apprenticeship of a Mahatma’ by Fatima Meer, and was directed by one of India’s most respected directors, Shyam Benegal.
‘The Making of the Mahatma’ premiered in November at New York’s Guild Theatre. The film deliberately lacks the panoramic proportions and epic scale of Attenborough’s “Gandhi”.
The film documents Gandhi’s 21 years in South Africa, from age 19, and the changes which came over this Anglicized, London-trained advocate as he encountered the racial discrimination and bias of the colonists in South Africa.
Rajit Kapur gives a solid performance as Gandhi, and Pallavi Joshi portrays his wife Kasturba. The Hindi title is ‘Gandhi se Mahatma Tak’.
