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Lage Raho Munnabhai has successfully managed to reintroduce Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy to a generation that’s quite possibly forgotten him. In fact, his grandson Tushar Gandhi, says that director Rajkumar Hirani has more than done justice to Bapu’s philosophy.
What do you feel about the revival of Gandhism through films like RDB and Lage Raho Munnabhai?
These are very timely and appropriate works. I’d also like to include Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades. That film epitomises Gandhi’s values. Unfortunately, it didn’t get the box-office success it deserved. It should’ve been less sermonising and more humourous. I told Ashutosh that Swades should be shown in every educational institution.
What did you think of the way Mahatma Gandhi has been portrayed in Lage Raho Munnabhai?
It’s almost as if a new generation has discovered Bapu. For today’s generation, Bapu would’ve been a forgotten chapter if he didn’t have his picture on currency notes. More than Bapu, this film shows the power of satyagraha.
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| Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi in Lage Raho Munnabhai |
Do you think turning the other cheek is a good option in today’s times?
Not when you’re dealing with global terrorism. But in day-to-day living, I think satyagraha still works. See how much violence has grown in our lives. For a society dealing with internal strife, non-violence is a viable option. Let me also point out that even Bapu knew the limits of satyagraha.
When aggression happened in Kashmir, he didn’t go on a fast-unto-death. Instead, he endorsed the military attack as the dharma of the army. Satyagraha wasn’t a dogma for him. Otherwise, Bapu wouldn’t have condoned the socialist violence during the Quit India Movement. He agreed violence and counter-violence were equally relevant.
What do you think of Raj Kumar Hirani’s Gandhi-giri?
It’s a welcome coinage. People today can identify with it more than other terms like Gandhism and Gandhivaad. These are elitist, bookish and for a senior generation. Gandhigiri is identifiable by the common man. And that’s the language Bapu always spoke. I think the language of Gandhigiri would’ve been spoken by Bapu too if he were alive today. I really feel this film tells something that needs to be told.
Anything that promotes Bapu is very dear to me. My entire existence is dependent on Bapu’s ideas. In a very selfish way, I’m very pleased with Hirani’s Gandhigiri. And I was zapped by Sanjay Dutt’s performance.
What did you think of Dilip Prabhavalkar as Mahatma Gandhi?
Dilip has a very expressive face. But he doesn’t resemble Bapu. I’d have no issues with that if he didn’t try to imitate Bapu’s physicality. Because of the makeup, Dilip’s face was almost frozen throughout the film. That was unjust to an actor as versatile as him.
Are you a film buff?
I love movies. But not the elitist kind. I love films like The Terminator (laughs). I like films with Rajnikanth beating up a dozen goons. I keep telling my wife that all my pent-up violence is vented in watching action movies. Once in a while, I like movies that make me think. Generally, I go to the theatres to clap and whistle, though I can’t whistle as loudly as I’d like to. My family refuses to accompany me to watch comedies because I almost fall over with glee. Sometimes, I’m the only one laughing in the theatre.
What do you think of Mahatma Versus Gandhi (produced by Anil Kapoor), which will deal with Gandhiji’s troubled relationship with his son?
Yes, Bapu and Harilal Kaka. It’s a very tragic episode in the life of Bapu and the family. But nevertheless authentic. Such humanisation is important. Bapu’s personality is like an onion. You go into layers and layers and you discover more about him. I, for one, am not comfortable with the deification of Bapu. I want him to be more human, so he can be more inspirational.
Let people see him in all his facets, as a man who overcame all his failings. In the past sixty years, Bapu has been reduced to a subject for an elitist club. It’s a crime to imprison Bapu as being elitist. Don’t abuse him, but please criticise Bapu constructively.
What did you think of Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi?
It did justice to the personality. Raju Hirani has done justice to his philosophy. However, I thought Bapu had been portrayed as fickle in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh. But my favourite Gandhi was Atul Kulkarni in the play Gandhi Virudh Gandhi. He caught on to the essence of Bapu.
News item can be read at
http://mid-day.com/hitlist/2006/september/143333.htm |
