Robin Bhuyan (Editor)
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, who is making his comeback after a decade, and had previously directed films such as Ghayal, Damini, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani, this new alternate historical drama film Gandhi: Godse: Ek Yudh was released this Republic Day, and attempts to kind of debunk the theories that have been propagating around Gandhi in the last few years. The film first shows us the events around the partition of India, and the assassination of Mohandas Gandhi, by Nathuram Godse. However, after this, the film takes a leap into a fictional world, and takes us to a world where Gandhi survives, and decides to have a conversation with Godse, which leads to a battle of ideologies between the two.
It has been widely accepted that it was Mohandas Gandhi, who had led our country to freedom, through Satyagraha and non-violence. This is what we have been taught from our childhoods, in our schools and colleges, through movies and television, as well as through stories. Although it is true that Mohandas Gandhi helped unite several freedom fighters, and also fought several social evils, stories of many of the freedom fighters, who had laid down their lives for their nation, are mostly ignored. The film does shed light on some of Gandhi’s ‘flaws’, although it feels incomplete. The film also tries its best to be balanced, although for a majority part of the film, it feels like the Gandhian point of view is being imposed on the audience.
Gandhi, who is shown as a figure of unity, is shown to want nothing but peace to prevail in the country. The Congress government meanwhile is shown to be responsible for majority of the riots and unlawful activities that took place all over the country, during the time of partition, and Gandhi is shown to have tried his best to prevent it.
According to the movie, had Godse failed to assassinate Gandhi, and had the latter lived a few more years, he would have been most probably the most frustrated man in India, hated both by the people who had suffered, as well as the people in power. The film also tries to imply that Gandhi and Godse had more in common than what is perceived. It is shown that although both followed the Bhagwad Gita, their interpretations of it differ, which is what makes them stand at opposing ideological stands.
The film also has a subplot involving a young girl who wants to get married to a suitable young man working as a college professor, but also wants to fulfil her father’s dream of her working alongside Gandhi. Throughout the story, the film examines Gandhi’s strange ideas on love and celibacy. Overall, film is definitely interesting, but seems like a waste of potential to show us the things that were supressed through the decades.
Rating : 5 / 10
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