Gandhi (film)

Gandhi (1982) is an Anglo-Indian film, directed by Richard Attenborough, about the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the leader of non-violent protest against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century.

His story is told from his days in South Africa to his assassination on January 30, 1948, and presents an idealized dramatic depiction of his life. The movie stars Ben Kingsley in his most famed performance, as well as a large ensemble cast, including Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, Martin Sheen, Roshan Seth, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Ian Charleson, Athol Fugard, Saeed Jaffrey, Geraldine James, Amrish Puri, Günther Maria Halmer, and Alyque Padamsee.

Synopsis

Gandhi begins with his assassination and funeral, and flashes back to his days as a lawyer in South Africa. The film chronicles his revolutionary and successful nonviolent resistance movement in South Africa, where he becomes a national hero. He then returns to his native India, where he leads a half-century movement to independence.

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.

External links

• Gandhi at the Internet Movie Database
• Trailer of the film
• The Gandhi Nobody Knows Critical Review of the movie Gandhi, which eventually became a biography of the Indian leader