Gandhi My Father

The movie opens with a simple line "Based on true life events". One doesn't come to terms with the depth of those lines until the movie wraps up. History books have taught us the life and history of Gandhiji, but not many know that the Mahatma had a son who detested his father, drowned in alcohol and destroyed himself in the process all to prove to his father that he deserved more love and attention.

The film's gripping promos sparked off a lot of expectations. The rich sepia shades and the arresting promo lines gave the film the image of a compulsive emotional drama. But Gandhi My Father doesn't quite turn out to be that. It is more a chronological summary of events rather than an emotional tearjerker. It is a documentary of sorts rather than a sensitive sonnet on a Father-Son relationship. Gandhi My Father will make tears trickle down your cheeks, not because of the poignant storytelling or the touching tale of a neglected son, but because of the pseudo world we survive in today. It makes you think about your own principles and values in life and whether you are actually doing justice to yourself. The power of the movie lies in making you feel that you are just hiding behind a superficial facade afraid to face yourself.

Gandhiji says, "The greatest regret of my life two people I could never convince my Muslim friend Mohomed Ali Jinnah and my own son Harilal Gandhi." Every human being has a dark corner buried in his heart. This is the story Gandhiji. It is beautiful because beyond all the adulation, it reminds us that he was a common man too. It portrays his emotions, his principles and everything he ever stood for. On the other hand, it also paints a vivid picture of the person Harilal Gandhi was, how the struggled to break free and anger and wrath he felt towards his father.

Two words to describe the movie "Frozen Emotions". Buried in the sands of time, this Harilal Gandhi's story is something that the world never found out about. The film traces the journey of a family through four decades and in this time period they go through myriad emotions together and apart, all frozen in time To capture all of them in celluloid is a task that cannot be justified. The director gives us just the tip of the iceberg in this film but it is enough to feel the pain of a son who yearned for his father's affection.

Harilal Gandhi (Akshaye Khanna) is a man torn apart by emotions and grows up questioning his father's principles because they never seem to apply to him. Gandhi (Darshan Jariwal) looked at the greater good and chose the society over his son. Harilal marries Gulab (Bhumika Chawla) against his father's wishes but they later reconcile. His dreams of becoming a barrister are quashed by his father's quest for righteousness. Somehow, Harilal's life always seems to take a setback because of his father's principles. He wonders why he doesn't have a normal loving father who would compromise for his son's happiness. But Gandhi, being the man he was always stood for what was right rather than what could be made right in his son's life. He never is the apprehensive parent who runs to the rescue. Sunk in disappointment over the years, Harilal takes to alcohol as his succor. He gets into legal hassles and loses all his money. His biggest blow comes when he loses his wife Gulab.

Gandhi always attempts to reconcile his son but is stubborn about his principles. The irony of the story lies in the fact that both the father and the son loved each other but could never come to a compromise because each of them was too stubborn to let go of their own ideals in life. Harilal adores his mother but harbors a hatred for his father.

While the first half of the story drags on set in a very slow pace, the second half evokes emotions that send goosebumps through the skin. The sequence where Gandhiji listens to a man who lost money in his son's company is touching. The final sequence where Harilal battles to take a final glimpse of his father's face moves.

The movie in many ways reminds us of Shankar's Hindustani. The underlying theme remains the same in both the films - a stubborn father who would not give up his principles and patriotism for the well being of his family.

The highlight of the film lies in the detailing. Nitin Desai's sets are simply amazing transporting us to the yester-era. Cinematography (David Macdonald), Editing (Sreekar Prasad) and music (Piyush Kanojia) are mind-blowing. There are certain shots where the photography is so beautifully done that it could be frozen for ever in time.

The addition of original stock footage adds authenticity to the movie. But recreating the characters and making it look like stock footage didn't quite do the trick. Mixing original stock footage and recreated footage was a bad idea. Swinging between color and black and white confuses the viewer at certain points and causes distraction. The flow is interrupted because of the constant change in portrayal.

Feroz Abbas Khan could've rendered a more emotionally gripping analogy. Akshaye Khanna has proved that he is a spectacular actor. Shefali Shah is fantabulous. Her make up could've been paid more attention to though. Darshan Jariwala obviously did a lot of homework on Gandhi to match his body language and mannerisms Wow! Bhumika Chawla does her job well. Not too many dialogues but good.

Gandhi My Father is an untold story. How many of us knew that Harilal Gandhi converted to Islam and called himself Abdullah Gandhi and worked for the Godrej group? The story is strong but the pace doesn't match. The narration is measured but the portrayal is effective.

Gandhi My Father is a must watch. Though it might not fall under the commercial film category, it is full of substance. Absolutely thumbs up!