Gandhi

Gandhi (1982) is an Anglo-Indian film, directed by Richard Attenborough, about the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (also known as Mahatma Gandhi, Great Soul), leader of the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. The film won eight Oscars in 1982, including the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Shooting began on November 26, 1980 and ended on May 10, 1981. The funeral sequence was filmed on January 31, 1981, coincidently 33 years after Gandhi's real funeral. Approximately 300,000 extras were used in that scene.

The film premiered in New Delhi on November 30, 1982. It was released in the United States on December 8, 1982.

Synopsis

The film begins with his assassination and funeral on January 30, 1948. The story then flashes back to 1893 with him being thrown off a train in South Africa for being a "kaffir" travelling in a first class compartment. The film goes on to chronicle his revolutionary and successful nonviolent resistance movement during his time as a lawyer in South Africa, where he becomes a hero amongst the Indian population. He then returns to his native India, where he leads the country over half a century to independence.

Cast

• Ben Kingsley as Gandhi
• Rohini Hattangadi as Kasturba Gandhi
• Candice Bergen as Margaret Bourke-White
• Roshan Seth as Pandit Nehru
• Om Puri - Nahari
• Saeed Jaffrey as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• Alyque Padamsee as Mohammad Ali Jinnah
• Amrish Puri as Aga Khan III
• Martin Sheen as Vince Walker
• Ian Charleson as Reverand Charlie Andrews
• Edward Fox as Brigadier General Dyer
• Geraldine James as Mirabehn
• Daniel Day-Lewis as Colin
• John Gielgud as Lord Irwin
• Trevor Howard as Judge Broomfield
• John Mills as Lord Chelmsford
• Athol Fugard as Gen. Jan Christiaan Smuts
• Günther Maria Halmer as Dr. Herman Kallenbach
• Richard Leech as Brigadier

Awards

Gandhi received eight Academy Awards:

• Best Picture
• Best Actor - Ben Kingsley
• Best Director - Richard Attenborough.
• Best Art Direction - Stuart Craig, Bob Laing, Michael Seirton
• Best Cinematography - Billy Williams, Ronnie Taylor
• Best Costume Design - Bhanu Athaiya, John Mollo
• Best Editing - John Bloom
• Best Original Screenplay - John Briley

It also received nominations for:

• Best Makeup - Tom Smith
• Best Original Score - Ravi Shankar, George Fenton
• Best Sound - Gerry Humphreys, Robin O'Donoghue, Jonathan Bates, Simon Kaye

The film also won best picture awards from BAFTA and the National Board of Review as well as six Golden Globes. The movie also has the record for the highest number of actors - an estimated 250,000 extras were used for the funeral scene which shows crowds of people mourning.

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