The Making of the Mahatma

It is primarily set in South Africa from 1893 to 1915. It is a biopic of Mahatma Gandhi during his years as an Indian lawyer fighting against discrimination against persons of Indian descent in South Africa. It covers a time in Gandhi's life that is not as well known in the West.

The film first shows Mohandas Gandhi (Rajit Kapoor) and his wife, Kasturba (Pallavi Joshi), discussing his travel to South Africa for a job representing an Indian-heritage businessman in a financial conflict with a distant cousin. Gandhi was a young (24) London-trained barrister when he arrived alone in South Africa, dressed in Western clothes and thinking of himself primarily as a lawyer.

He promptly faces various kinds of discrimination, as Indians are regarded as "colored" in the South African culture. He and other Indian workers were called "Sammy," a derogatory term derived from "swami." Gandhi decides to stay in South Africa to protest the mistreatment of Indian workers and the imposition of discriminatory taxes like a poll tax.

He develops his theory of Satyagraha (holding firmly to truth), a form of nonviolent resistance. He encourages long marches and develops Tolstoy Farm, which becomes a center for his thought, partly based on correspondence with the Russian novelist. We see some of Gandhi's obsession with his vision in his conflict with his wife, but also major triumph achieved in encounters with Colonial Secretary Jan Smuts (Paul Slabolepszy).

This is a significant film because it conveys the crucial development of Gandhi's thought in popular form. Unfortunately, it's a low-budget affair, with wooden performances by secondary characters. The script is also very stiff at points, and with few exceptions, Gandhi is portrayed in heroic terms throughout.

This is the 15th in my list of movies about pacifists.