Why Bollywood never made a biopic on Gandhi? - Page 4

Is there a biopic on Nehru ji?

After all he was the first Prime Minister and his dynasty ruled the country post independence... It still might in the future 😛

Heard he was pretty out of it towards the end... And they let him rule the nation... What part this played in the defeat with China?

His failing to curb India's population explosion

Also his various dalliances with various women

And of course the sacrifices he and his family made for the country and how his successors are reaping the rewards... I think all this will make a very interesting OTT story

Attenborough's 1982 film is a modern classic. Any attempt to make a Gandhi movie would be compared to that highly acclaimed film. Very few people have the chutzpah to take iconic films.

That being said, Gandhi is an overrated figure in Indian history. Gandhi will always be a critical and admired figure in the Indian freedom movement. The ahimsa movement inspired many at home and abroad, including civil rights in the USA and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. But he is just one part of the freedom movement - there were countless others - and free Indians owe a debt of gratitude to every one of them - not just Gandhi.

The reason Bhagat Singh and the revolutionaries are very popular is because of their youth and passion. They risked everything and died young. Their stories make more compelling films. Gandhi offers more challenging storytelling and you need some very good filmmaking to make Gandhi compelling.

And you cannot gloss over the fact that in hindsight Gandhi was very problematic. He had a very privileged upbringing and went to London to become a barrister. He did not give a rats ass about India's freedom struggles. He only started caring when he himself faced racism in South Africa.

His pacifism went to absurdist lengths at times, not just asking Jews to peacefully strike as some people have already pointed out - but there were instances where he made statements like "despite all the evils he's done even Hitler has some good and is a patriot" or something. Don't remember the exact wording.

He was not a very good husband or father expecting his family to blindly follow him. He did not allow Kasturbha to get penicillin when she caught an infection in prison (where she was because of him) claiming western medicine was against Indian beliefs - but took all western medicine whenever he himself was sick.

His experiment of sleeping naked with barely legal girls was beyond creepy.

I don't know why criticism of Gandhi has become divided down political lines now. I see it as calling a spade a spade.

Because Hollywood has already made a biopic on Gandhi which is considered a classic.

Gandhi is not a popular figure. He is controversial because of his views on gender, caste, religion and hated for calling Guru Gobind Singh, Maharana Pratap and Shivaji as 'violent, misguided patriots'.

His life is fairly boring and controversial. Today's audience will not like it. There is no youth or glamour or thrill factor to make film on him.

Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh get films on them because they were young, daring, passionate. There is a certain thrill to watch movies on them. Or hear their story.

No one is going to sit for three hours to see dharnas or hunger strikes by an actor who is bald and wrapped in white loin cloth.

A complete tell all story cannot be done on him because his family and bhakts will not like it and Censor Board will also censor scenes such as ones in which he slept naked beside his niece to test his resolve for abstinence and self control.

A biopic on Gandhi is bound to fail. It will be boring. It has no challenge either. Unlike say, Ambedkar's life which shows odds of poverty and casteism he had to overcome.

Gandhi was from a rich, upper caste family and had no odds to overcome personally. Nor he had youth on his side. No act of daring like say Chandrashekhar Azad or Ashfaqullah Khan, Bismil etc.

Even if there is a biopic on him, it will be a flop. No takers for dharnas or hunger strikes or lectures on women, religion, non violence or rationalising caste.

Bolly must not make it . They will spoil it .

How was Shyam Benegal's "The making of the Mahatma"? Has anybody here seen it...

Gandhi’s views regarding how a woman should act when faced with sexual violence or rape

“I have always held that it is physically impossible to violate a woman against her will. The outrage takes place only when she gives way to fear or does not realize her moral strength. If she cannot meet the assailant’s physical might, her purity will give her the strength to die before he succeeds in violating her. Take the case of Sita. Physically she was a weakling before Ravana, but her purity was more than a match even for his giant might. He tried to win her with all kinds of allurements, but could not carnally touch her without her own physical strength or upon a weapon she possesses, she is sure to be discomfited whenever her strength is exhausted”

Gandhi further goes on to say that in the event of an assault however, the woman must use all her physical might to resist assault.

“When a woman is assaulted she may not stoop to think in terms of himsa or ahimsa. Her primary duty is self-protection. She is at liberty to employ every method or means that come to her mind in order to defend her honour. God has given her nails and teeth. She must use them with all her strength and, if need be, die in the effort. The man or woman who has shed all fear of death will be able not only to protect himself or herself but others also through laying down hi (or her) life”

But the quote attributed to the Mahatma where he says Hindu and Sikh women should co operate with a Muslim rapists, has no leg to stand on

It was supposedly fake news from the right wing website

Just before the partition, both Hindu and Sikh women were being raped by the Muslims in large numbers. Gandhi advised them that if a Muslim expressed his desire to rape a Hindu or a Sikh lady, she should never refuse him but cooperate with him. She should lie down like a dead with her tongue in between her teeth. Thus the rapist Muslim will be satisfied soon and sooner he leave her. (D Lapierre and L Collins, Freedom at Midnight, Vikas, 1997, p-479).”

But the quote is not found on pg 479 of the book or anywhere I the book

So it's fake news probably... Although I have read this before in other places too but none of them could provide solid proof

https://www.altnews.in/mahatma-gandhi-ask-hindu-sikh-women-cooperate-muslim-rapists/

I’m in a state of shock reading all the horrifying things about Gandhi. Apart from his hunger strike, we weren’t taught anything else about him in school, and I was never really interested to learn more about his life. God damn.

Originally posted by: FingerFetish

I’m in a state of shock reading all the horrifying things about Gandhi. Apart from his hunger strike, we weren’t taught anything else about him in school, and I was never really interested to learn more about his life. God damn.

He did use non violence against the mighty British and quite successfully... No mean feat...

But we're ( the common people) learning of his flaws only in recent times

But some of his flaws maybe just reflection of the time nd period he belonged to...

Also the trend nowadays is to criticize and bring down the great figures of the past...