Who Am I?. Review on Gandhi My Father

Finally a biopic of afaded person hidden behind the stupefying curse of an (in?)FAMOUS father.

*The father of the nation! M K Gandhi.

This name has been an aura and an enigma to those who have the distinct quality of a very logical and a practical brain! "I will pray to god to forgive him for he knows not what he has done!!" stunning statement, sounds familiar doesnt it!! Jesus H Christ had undergone similar incidents in his life and had the greatest of opportunity presented by God Himself to purify his thoughts. **I am not comparing the Mahatma or Jesus at all.. Its the tryst with their destiny that is being compared.

Director: Feroz Abbas Khan, basically has a theatre background and this is his first full length feature film. Kudos to him to use silence as a very important form of communication!! His vision in using the b&w scenes interspersed with our original characters and the charaters on screen are just magnificient and used very effectively to convey the time in history and the documentary visual connecting to documented evidence. **Its the naked truth.

*Artists: The use of theatre artists

M K Gandhi : Darshan Jariwala, ** has acted on stage in Gujarathi theatre and also in Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd, Guru, Tathastu, Excuse Me, Style, Paagalpan etc.

Here as Gandhi he is adequate and delivers a performance that is in no way comparable to Ben Kingsley. But his acting panache is evident.

Kasturba: Shefali Shah, again a theatre and TV artist of repute and has delivered rock solid performance. The pain and anghuish is very evident in her eyes. Her emotions betray her true feelings at times and her transformation from a lady of iron principles into "main aapke liye jail bhi jaungi" dialogue with a slight smile brings you to your feet to applaud.

Harilal : Akshaye Khanna;  Stand and deliver. He has effortlessly sashayed the character of HARILAL, son of THE Mahatma, constantly living under the ghostly shadow of his father with such ease and solidarity your heart actually goes out to him.

Gulab : Bhumika Chawla. Good and steady.

Now lets get one thing absolutely clear, this story is of Harilal and his life. Not about Gandhis's life with his family. So the tightness of the script is applauded, not getting into details of Gandhis other progenies is justified and delivering a film given its dark content, applause to the entire team of Gandhi my Father for keeping it to the point and delivering in two hours flat. Not long and definitely not short.

STORY LINE

When you write a script on a bio of a man shaded in his fathers shadow (this phrase is used because the film is all about Harlal's life and not Gandhi's) it has to high light the most important events in his life and the conflict (if it exists) which culminates to the natural end. The story does not begin with Harilal's childhood (thankfully, otherwise even 3 hours would have been too small a time frame to picturise it), but instead with his marriage and him being called to South Africa immediately after.His presence in SA has been explained as his fathers need for him to support his cause in SA. This is where the thread of the conflict begins. The son throws himself into the war and also gets famous for his ways and thoughts where he emulates and mirrors his father completely. He is called "Chhota Gandhi". Harilal's aim in life: Be a Barrister like his father and start a company Gandhi & Gandhi - Attorneys at Law in England. Noble thought but it just remains a thought!!

The film goes through a series of incidences where the turbulence increases in Harlial's mind about his fathers love for him. In as much that when he learns of a scholarship announced by his fathers friend, his hopes soar just to get dashed to the ground by his own father. This is depicted very well in a scene where Harilal is playing football and he falls on his knees. His father rushes to his aid and even washes the wound but tells him by and by that its Chhaganlal who is going under the scholarship programme to London to become a barrister and not Harllal. This sets the tone of the life of father and son. The son takesall those steps in his life where he falls and falls badly. The father is always there to tend to his son with medicine in his hands.

*I will not delve in more details of this film but would urge you all to see this film only as a graphic factual molving frame of the life of the jaded son and the surrogate father of the entire nation.

The film is not cliched in any of its picturisation. There is one shot of the camera placed at a very low angle, virtually kissing the ground, night lights and then suddenly you see rain drops advancing towards you causing a rippling effect in the water accumalated on the ground. This so clearly depicts the turmoil that is being caused in the lives of the shaded son and **the shining father!!

Where do you think Harilal is heading with his thinking? Could he ever dream of getting out from under the shadow of a man who the entire nation adulates on? Will he ever be known as Harilal Gandhi? Would he forever shine as the shadow of his ever shining father?

Ask yourself as a human what would happen to you given the circumstance?

Watch this film on the basis of mirroringsome questions to your own self. Do not seek answers to the characters and their lives here. It will leave you completely at loss of thoughts and explanation.

*What do you really comprehend from this film? Nothing, but if you ask me, it asks me to ask myself several questions about my existence UNDER the shadow of a celebrated father! Where does the turmoil and his inner fight for his identity leave Harilal? In the most darkest corner of history if you ask yourself. And why would he force himself to do that? Ask and the answers willbe evident. But for that you have to mirror yourself there in those shoes of Harilal. Will you be able to do that?

*The scenes I liked most;

1. The rain effect as explained earlier

   
   




2. The back shots of Mahatma & Ba (in sillhoutte) facing the river. Then the shot of Mahatma alone (again in sillhoutte) with no sound except the waves. It SPEAKS in volumes of the turbulence in the minds.*

   
   

There are a lot of others as well.

*The film is technically very strong. Background score, Camera work, Action choreopgraphy. One word Excellent! The intersperse of B&W, documentary type scenes with our onscreen characters is surprisingly real and takes you to relive those moments in History when it would have occured!!

Since Anil Kapoor has never directed any film I am in no way doubtful of Feroz Abbas Khans ability as a very innovative and technically sound Director. I cannot comment whether Ak has any hand in this film at all!!!

Recommended to watch and maybe keep it as a collectors item in your DVD collection as well!