Cast: Deepak Antani, Chinmay Mandlekar, Tanisha Santoshi, Anuj Saini, Pawan Chopra
AFTER a decade, acclaimed director Rajkumar Santoshi has released his new movie 'Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh', which depicts the ideological clash between Mahatma Gandhi (played by Deepak Antani) and Nathuram Vinayak Godse (portrayed by Chinmay Mandlekar).
Plot: The film revolves around the story of Gandhi's attempts to connect with Godse in prison, despite the latter's reluctance to accept the former's views. Ultimately, the two adversaries end up in the same jail cell and engage in debates and conversations to understand one another. The outcome of their dialogue is something you must find out by watching the film.
What works for the film?
The movie begins with upsetting visuals of India's partition, which are depicted in a very realistic way. People can be seen fleeing their homes in a desperate attempt to reach either Hindustan or Pakistan, with Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims being killed in the process. In the Prime Minister's office, the politicians express shock and distress at the amount of violence being witnessed in India.
Nathuram Godse's intense loathing for Mahatma Gandhi which is instigated by the idea of the partition, that Gandhi championed, has been depicted believably. As the movie progresses, this animosity is further emphasised, thus inspiring Godse to devise a plan to assassinate Gandhi. Nevertheless, he survives the attack at Birla House, and the criminal and the target are confronted with each other, resulting in a hypothetical conflict between their respective beliefs.
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Rajkumar Santoshi, Rishi Punjabi, and Dhananjay Mondal all deserve praise for the impressive visual elements of Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh. The wide shots of the jail and village sequences are particularly stunning. Furthermore, AR Rahman's background music lifts scenes that are not very powerful on their own.
Flaws in the film:
Nathuram is depicted as an extreme Hindu nationalist who believes that violence is the answer to the current situation. His animosity towards Muslims is strongly evident in the movie. Although Gandhi is a staunch supporter of non-violence and is shown following his own set of principles, with the increasing prevalence of Hindutva-motivated aggression in the country, the movie seems to portray Godse in a positive light as a national hero.
Amid all this, there is also a romantic plot in the movie between Naren (played by Anuj Saini), and Sushma, played by Santoshi's daughter Tanisha. She is in a relationship but a man who wishes to help Gandhi in his Gram Prayog campaigns.
Deepak Antani's and Chinmay Mandlekar's portrayals of Gandhi and Godse in their fictional work bear a striking similarity to the real historical figures, however, their characters do not appear to be portrayed with any real believability. The movie attempts to challenge Godse's anti-Muslim views and also questions Gandhi's decision to remain celibate, yet reduces their differing political opinions to a mere disagreement in perspective that could be reconciled through conversation.
Final verdict:
Despite all the passionate discussion that surrounds it, Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh is ultimately a mediocre endeavour. Watch the film only if you are curious to get an idea of what happened when India got independence, the events that followed it, and the involvement of different people.