Summary
In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.
Cast
Ben Kingsley
Mahatma Gandhi
Candice Bergen
Margaret Bourke-White
Edward Fox
General Dyer
John Gielgud
Lord Irwin
Trevor Howard
Judge Broomfield
John Mills
Lord Chelmsford
Rohini Hattangadi
Kasturba Gandhi
Martin Sheen
Vince Walker
Ian Charleson
Reverend Charlie Andrews
Harsh Nayyar
Nathuram Godse
Athol Fugard
General Jan Christiaan Smuts
Günther Maria Halmer
Dr. Herman Kallenbach
Saeed Jaffrey
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Geraldine James
Mirabehn
Alyque Padamsee
Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Amrish Puri
Khan
Roshan Seth
Pandit Nehru
Ian Bannen
Senior Police Officer Fields
Michael Bryant
Principal Secretary
John Clements
Advocate General
Richard Griffiths
Collins
Nigel Hawthorne
Kinnoch
Bernard Hepton
G.O.C.
Michael Hordern
Sir George Hodge
Shreeram Lagoo
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Virendra Razdan
Maulana Azad
Richard Vernon
Sir Edward Gait
Prabhakar Patankar
Prakash
Vijay Kashyap
Apte
Nigam Prakash
Karkare
Supriya Pathak
Manu
Neena Gupta
Abha
Shane Rimmer
Commentator
Peter Harlowe
Lord Mountbatten
Anang Desai
J.B. Kripalani
Winston Ntshona
Porter
Peter Cartwright
European Passenger
Marius Weyers
Conductor
Richard Mayes
Baker
Alok Nath
Tyeb Mohammed
Dean Gasper
Singh
Ken Hutchison
Police Sergeant
Norman Chancer
Reporter
Gulshan Kapoor
Rich Merchant
Charu Bala Chokshi
Ayah
Raj Chaturvedi
Harilal Gandhi
Avpar Jhita
Manilal Gandhi
Anthony Sagger
Ramdas Gandhi
Om Puri
Nahari (uncredited)
David Gant
Daniels
Daniel Day-Lewis
Colin
Ray Burdis
Youth
Daniel Peacock
Youth
Avis Bunnage
Colin's Mother
Caroline Hutchison
Sonja Schlesin
Mohan Agashe
Tyeb Mohammed's Friend
Sudhanshu Mishra
Man in Gallery
Dina Nath
Miner
John Savident
Manager of the Mine
John Patrick
Mounted Police Sergeant
Michael Godley
Clergyman
Stewart Harwood
Prison Officer
Stanley McGeagh
Prison Guard
Christopher Good
Young Englishman
David Markham
Older Englishman
Jyoti Sarup
Young Indian Reporter
John Naylor
English Reporter
Wilson George
American Reporter
Hanshu Mehta
Older Indian Reporter
Sudarshan Sethi
Motilal Nehru
Sunila Pradhan
Mrs. Motilal Nehru
Moti Makan
Traveller on Train Roof
Jalal Agha
Traveller on Train Roof
Rupert Frazer
Cavalry Troop Leader
Manohar Pitale
Shukla
Homi Daruvala
Nehru's Friend
K.K. Raina
Nehru's Friend
Vivek Swaroop
Nehru's Friend
Raja Biswas
Nehru's Friend
Dominic Guard
Subaltern
Bernard Hill
Sergeant Putnam
Rama Kant Jha
Village Leader
Nana Palsikar
Villager
Alpna Gupta
Villager's Wife
Chandrakant Thakkar
Policeman
John Quentin
Batsman
Graham Seed
Wicket-Keeper
Keith Drinkel
Major
Bob Barbenia
Police Guard
Gerald Sim
Magistrate
Colin Farrell
Clerk
Sanjeev Puri
Young Man
Gareth Forwood
Secretary
Vijay Crishna
Chauffeur
Sankalp Dubey
Servant
James Cossins
Brigadier
Gurcharan Singh
Speaker in Jallianwalla Bagh
John Vine
A.D.C.
Geoffrey Chater
Government Advocate
Ernest Clark
Lord Hunter
Habib Tanvir
Indian Barrister
Pankaj Mohan
Mahadev Desai
Subhash Gupta
Policeman at Chauri Chaura
Aadil
Policeman at Chauri Chaura
Rajeshwar Nath
Marcher at Chauri Chaura
S.S. Thakur
Marcher at Chauri Chaura
Rahul Gupta
Boy with Goat
Barry John
Police Superintendent
Brian Oulton
Clerk of Court
James Snell
Court Reporter
John Boxer
Court Reporter
Gerard Norman
Court Reporter
Bernard Horsfall
General Edgar
Richard Leech
Brigadier
Pankaj Kapur
Pyarelal
Tarla Mehta
Sarojini Naidu
David Sibley
Subaltern
Dalip Tahil
Zia
Stanley Lebor
Police Officer
Terrence Hardiman
Ramsay MacDonald
Monica Gupta
Little Girl
Jon Croft
Colonel
William Hoyland
Adjutant
John Ratzenberger
American Lieutenant
Jack McKenzie
Major at Aga Khan Palace
Tom Alter
Doctor at Aga Khan Palace
Jane Myerson
Lady Mountbatten
Roop Kumar Razdan
Hindu Youth at Ashram
Bani Sharad Joshi
Woman Refugee
Vagish Kumar Singh
Man Refugee
Dilsher Singh
Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Sudhir Dalvi
Police Commissioner
Tilak Raj
Tahib
Irpinder Puri
Sushila Nayyar
Pren Kapoor
Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Vinay Apte
Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Aswini Kumar
Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Avinash Dogra
Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Shreedhar Joshi
Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Suhas Palshikar
Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Karkirat Singh
Nehru's Aide
Shekhar Chattopadhyay
Suhrawardy
Amarjeet
Goonda
Pratap Desai
Goonda
Bhatawadekar Prakash
Goonda
Sunil Shende
Goonda
Rovil Sinha
Goonda
Derek Lyons
Radio Reporter at Funeral (uncredited)
Fred Wood
Man in the Crowd (uncredited)
Nassar Abdulla
Gito Santana
Lawyer
Crew
Director
Richard Attenborough
Writer
John Briley
Reviews
Geronimo1967
January 26, 2024
7
As career defining roles go, this has to one of the more masterful efforts from Ben Kingsley who manages to engage right from the start with his sprightly, intelligent and considered portrayal of this visionary and independently minded man of peace. Arriving in South Africa, his baptism into a sea of bullishness and racism quickly tests his mettle and soon has him on the radar of a General Smuts (Athol Fugard) government that was as yet unused to any sort of challenge from the non-white elements of society. Unafraid to take a beating, or to challenge the cultural norms without own his own caste-driven society, he is swiftly back in India where, flushed with a degree of success, he allies with Pandit Nehru (Roshan Seth) and becomes even more determined to use the sheer size of the dominated Indian population to rebel against the last vestiges of post war Raj. His strategy of non-cooperation sees him incarcerated and separated from those he loved but, again, his patience and determination made even the most formidable of his foes realise that this man was just a bit different - and that he was on a path to a victory that necessitated a dignified, but definite, retreat. The latter part of the story illustrates well that old adage about the difficulties of winning the peace, made more difficult by intolerances of an all together different nature, before a denouement that history dictated for all. Richard Attenborough told a story of his first meeting with Prime Minister Nehru when he was planning this film, and of how that ten minutes of courtesy ended up considerably longer and more beneficial to the look of this beautifully filmed biopic. Using grand scale cinematography that focusses on the vastness and variety of the country, but also using an intimate and really quite tough to watch style of photography as the brutish behaviour towards the colonised was clearly demonstrated. As to the exact nature of the history, I'm not sure that detail mattered so much as the overall assemblage of some of the great from British stage and screen who seemed, by themselves, to offer an heart-felt apology for what had gone on as the sun did start to set on the Empire. There features also a gently supporting effort from Geraldine James's Mirabehn and Candice Bergen also helps the narrative's chronology along as the photo-journalist never far from Gandhi's side. It's long and can be a little sluggish at times, but the sheer participatory nature of this is reminiscent of the epic cinema of the days when crowds were real, cheap, colourful and enthusiastic - and that all adds to the richness of this classy and stylish production. Big screen experiences don't come much more poignant and this is well worth a watch in a cinema if you can.
Media
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$22,000,000.00
Revenue:
$77,737,889.00
