A still from ‘Gandhi Godse: A Warrior’
At a time when history is being fictionalized, director Rajkumar Santoshi uses creative license to break the canards that have been allowed to open over the years to delegitimize Mahatma Gandhi in the public conscience. . From being called a pawn of the empire to fake fasts, the perception was created that Gandhi forced the first government of independent India to release Rs 55 crore to Pakistan.
The film tells that he instigated Nathuram Godse to assassinate Gandhi on 30 January 1948. Santoshi relives the events leading up to Gandhi’s assassination and then jumps into an imaginary place where Gandhi survives the three bullets that Godse put into his chest and survives. Talk to him.
Based on the play by eminent Hindi scholar Asghar Wajahat, one may question the need to give Godse a platform and create a false equation with Gandhi, but as the film progresses it becomes clear that Gandhi and Godse are merely There are metaphors. Its aim is to start a dialogue on the concept of India that was tarnished at the time of the partition of the country. Instead of sweeping the divide under a carpet of euphoria, it experiments with bitter truths and tries to find a middle ground.
When Gandhi tells Godse that his ideology has weakened both India and Hinduism and undermined the idea of inclusiveness that has defined India for centuries, he responds to Godse’s supporters who The majority continue to sell fear for interests. When accused of pandering to Muslims, he asks Godsey to travel around the country to get a feel for the diverse culture he loves to protect. When a prisoner asks Godse if he had thrown any stones at the British government before shooting Gandhi, Savarkar’s disciple has no answer.
At a time when Hindutva ideology has gained momentum, Santoshi, who once brought Bhagat Singh back into the national imagination, denies Godse the joy of martyrdom and allows him to thrive. At the same time, he tries to humanize and criticize Gandhi in his parallel universe.
Unlike Richard Attenborough, the film probes Gandhi’s personal space and questions his idea of celibacy where physical love is seen as a disorder and how he inflicts psychological violence on those close to him. He also explains how Gandhian thought. Gram Swaraj would have stood in the way of government functioning as he could see the poor and the marginalized yet to be freed. It is the man who does not allow non-violence to become a cover for lack of courage.
It accommodated figures like Bhimrao Ambedkar who had ideological differences with him and questioned Congress leaders over their decision to convert the movement into a political party. But the most important thing is in the battle of ideas. You don’t silence people with bullets. As Gandhi says, you cannot achieve good through evil.
Deepak Antani as Gandhi gets Gandhi’s gait and smile just right and manages to provide insight into the Mahatma’s mind. Chinme Mandlekar is also not bad but he comes to the theater sometimes. However, the supporting cast failed to display the depth required to convey complex ideas and layered characters. Tanisha Santoshi is impressive as the woman whose devotion to Gandhi gets in the way of her love life. In a stroke of glory, Santoshi uses the prayer “Vishnu jaan tu” as a hymn for heartache.
There are parts in the film that could not break free from the static drama on screen as Santoshi. Preaching sections and a historical technique make the film inconsistent, but it is still an important film as it finds a middle ground in an increasingly polarized world.
Gandhi Godse: Ek Yodh is currently playing in theatres.
