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Gandhi My Father Movie Review (24 Reviews)
Perhaps it was a mistake, but the promos of the film led one to believe that the film was about Harilal, the little known and much maligned son of Gandhi.
Which is why, at the end of the film, when one did not even know basic biodata details like the cause of his wifes death, the names of the people with whom the fake company was started, the duration or the timing of the said scam, or (even) what he died of, one is left wondering.
Of course, I am not even starting to worry about the fact that we know nothing about Harilals motivations, even when he took an important decision like changing his religion. We know nothing about the reason why his wife left him and returned to
At the end of the film, we cannot even create a character sketch of the protagonist of the film. That , of course, is assuming that Harilal is the protagonist of the film. The only thing that lends credence to that idea, is the publicity. Nowhere in the film is the character of Harilal highlighted. It is Gandhi Sr. all the way, and this film is another attempted documentary about the greatness of Gandhi Sr. The protagonist moves in and out of the film in random frames that make no effort to tell his story, much less his thoughts or motivations.
The most remarkable part of the film is some blurred black and white footage which appears authentic enough till you notice Akshay Khannas face in the footage, as he is a part of the Gandhi entourage. That one had me in splits. It was unnecessary and overdone.
The biggest crime of the film, is that it explores no other character in any depth. Harilal, as already indicated, is a random figure that criss crosses the screen sometimes. His relationship with his siblings is left completely untouched. In fact, his siblings are left completely untouched. Gulab, the wife of Harilal, appears as a character full of depth and worthy of exploration. However, one more time, the viewer is left completely frustrated, as important decisions and events in her life are narrated without any exploration or explanation. Much less a journey into the nuances of her character, and how it impacted the protagonist. Kasturba is only expected to be happy in the shots where Harilal makes a random entry, to chide Harilal when the situation arises, or to listen quietly as Gandhi explains what HE thinks of Harilals conversion to another faith. Obviously, we do not need to know what Harilal thought of his conversion, what he went through before the decision, and after. But Gandhis sound bytes are important.
The saving grace of the film is the excellent acting. Each member of the cast surprises one with his/her sheer perfection body language, accent, everything. The biggest surprise package is Darshan Jariwalla as Gandhi. From a young Gandhi to an older one, he never disappoints- which is a big thing, considering that he dominates a big part of the screenplay, and was often required to go solo on the screen.
I am not sure if this was because the people making this film genuinely did not know a lot about Harilals life, or because they thought Gandhi Sr. deserved another documentary.
\All in all, this was a film where one expected layers and exploration, and did not even get basic research.
Plus Points: Art Direction
Sound Design
Acting
Minus Points: Treatment of the theme
Editing
Cohesiveness of the story
The overall experience
Characterisation
Movie Rating: 
Music Rating: 
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