i am so passionate about watching any movie on Gandhi, that i hardly miss any and my wife wondered if there was a movie on G, i had not seen. However, this movie was like no other. This was a compilation of video footages from across the world recorded during G's lifetime and compiled as a movie in 1954 in the United States. it is a matter of pride and awe that this splendid docu was the single handed effort of a great tamil with no equal in his passion and enterprise, A.K Chettiar.
The event hosted by the Tamil Heritage Trust had an ideal build up in Shri A. R Venkatachalapathy talking about A K Chettiyar and his exemplary efforts in putting together this documentary by travelling across the world and negotiating with so many different people in so many different ways in procuring these footages and compiling them together as a movie.
As i was watching the 90 min long movie, i was constantly wondering if i was in awe of the personality portrayed, or the provenance that had blessed the photographers who had captured these footages or the brilliance and perseverance of AKC in compiling this masterpiece.
The docu starts off with members from different countries making their statements at a UN congregation mourning G's death. it was saddening to see Gopalsamy aiyengar, the Indian representative, breaking down as he reads out his statement. The movie then goes on to trace G's life, with the available video and photo footages, accompanied by an engaging music in the back ground.
it was a revelation to see the early pictures of the house Gandhi was born, in a dilapidated condition. There are not many footages from G's early life in India and in London. However there is one rare footage of a capture of a Suited G receiving and introducing Goakhale in South Africa. This is one of the most precious captures in the movie.
And then moving on to India, the movie captures G's rise across the years and trials he faced in the process. It was also nice to see the transformation of some of the other leaders, all along. Particularly of a young and a quaint Jawaharlal, mature into the world leader he beacme; the congress babu in Subash, transfrom into the Leader in Millitary uniform; the Sarojinin Naidu glittering with pearls and Silk at the RTC into the suave Khadi clad leader of the Dandhi march and Quit India.
G's personality gradually grows upon us as the movie progresses. His great experiment in the Dandi march, he insisting on meeting and talking to villagers like one of them, His playfulness with children ( brings to mind the tooth empty smile of G and a Child on board the Ship to RTC), his rise to be the supremo of Congress ( a footage, capturing G seated alone on a higher pedastal, ideally captures this) , His travels across London and Europe (even fascist Italy) on the sidelines of RTC, the warmth with which even the English labourors affected by his movement welcomed him, his dsillusionment at RTC, his working for social upliftment from Wardha, the travelling leader, meeting people to collect money with a missionary zeal for Harijan upliftment, his negotaiations with Cripps, Jinnah and camaraderie with the Mountbattens , and finaly his penance for peace among the Hindu Muslims and his loss.
The movie ideally projects Ahimsa as the universal message from G and goes on to substantiate that G sowed and groomed a nation that was so tuned to Ahimsa and its guiding principle that the nation gave a warm and peaceful farewell to its colonisers.
The movie captures G's various experiments at wardha with food, technology in irrigation, paper making, livelihood for farmers, identifying alternative livelihood in spinning for farmers and women during off season.
The movie also captures the Indian populace maturing and adopting to the principles of Ahimsa preached by G. A fotage showing group of people refusing to disperse and showing no resistance to lathi charges exemplifies the magic of G's reach on the masses. Also the rise of women participation in the national movement over the years is very well captured.
There are some fascinating captures like that of a cut out of G's larger than life image being carried to welcome his return from RTC. Its probably a sign of the birth of cut-out culture probably? And it was surprising to see charges levied on people to meet their leaders on the sidelines of Congress conclaves.
It was touching to see casual glimpses of Ba and the towering image of Frontier G alongside G. The movie does a great job in completing the picture of the Mahathma through the bits and pieces of footages collected. The movie also doesnt fail to mention that G insisted that there was no one Truth and each had to find his own truth.
Its with great gratitude that we remember the number of camera men who had taken great efforts in capturing these footages and the himalayan efforts of AKC to compile these.
However the movie is conspicuously SIlent on Ambedkar and his role in G's life and movement. It is surprising that it fails to even mention him when he appears on the screen. Not even when it says, there were only two people's representatives at RTC, the rest rep from princely states and The Imperial govt. it sadly calls the great social conflict raised by Ambedkar as simply ' the Harijan Issue'. AKC must have had his reasons. But its our duty to question them.
The event hosted by the Tamil Heritage Trust had an ideal build up in Shri A. R Venkatachalapathy talking about A K Chettiyar and his exemplary efforts in putting together this documentary by travelling across the world and negotiating with so many different people in so many different ways in procuring these footages and compiling them together as a movie.
As i was watching the 90 min long movie, i was constantly wondering if i was in awe of the personality portrayed, or the provenance that had blessed the photographers who had captured these footages or the brilliance and perseverance of AKC in compiling this masterpiece.
The docu starts off with members from different countries making their statements at a UN congregation mourning G's death. it was saddening to see Gopalsamy aiyengar, the Indian representative, breaking down as he reads out his statement. The movie then goes on to trace G's life, with the available video and photo footages, accompanied by an engaging music in the back ground.
it was a revelation to see the early pictures of the house Gandhi was born, in a dilapidated condition. There are not many footages from G's early life in India and in London. However there is one rare footage of a capture of a Suited G receiving and introducing Goakhale in South Africa. This is one of the most precious captures in the movie.
And then moving on to India, the movie captures G's rise across the years and trials he faced in the process. It was also nice to see the transformation of some of the other leaders, all along. Particularly of a young and a quaint Jawaharlal, mature into the world leader he beacme; the congress babu in Subash, transfrom into the Leader in Millitary uniform; the Sarojinin Naidu glittering with pearls and Silk at the RTC into the suave Khadi clad leader of the Dandhi march and Quit India.
G's personality gradually grows upon us as the movie progresses. His great experiment in the Dandi march, he insisting on meeting and talking to villagers like one of them, His playfulness with children ( brings to mind the tooth empty smile of G and a Child on board the Ship to RTC), his rise to be the supremo of Congress ( a footage, capturing G seated alone on a higher pedastal, ideally captures this) , His travels across London and Europe (even fascist Italy) on the sidelines of RTC, the warmth with which even the English labourors affected by his movement welcomed him, his dsillusionment at RTC, his working for social upliftment from Wardha, the travelling leader, meeting people to collect money with a missionary zeal for Harijan upliftment, his negotaiations with Cripps, Jinnah and camaraderie with the Mountbattens , and finaly his penance for peace among the Hindu Muslims and his loss.
The movie ideally projects Ahimsa as the universal message from G and goes on to substantiate that G sowed and groomed a nation that was so tuned to Ahimsa and its guiding principle that the nation gave a warm and peaceful farewell to its colonisers.
The movie captures G's various experiments at wardha with food, technology in irrigation, paper making, livelihood for farmers, identifying alternative livelihood in spinning for farmers and women during off season.
The movie also captures the Indian populace maturing and adopting to the principles of Ahimsa preached by G. A fotage showing group of people refusing to disperse and showing no resistance to lathi charges exemplifies the magic of G's reach on the masses. Also the rise of women participation in the national movement over the years is very well captured.
There are some fascinating captures like that of a cut out of G's larger than life image being carried to welcome his return from RTC. Its probably a sign of the birth of cut-out culture probably? And it was surprising to see charges levied on people to meet their leaders on the sidelines of Congress conclaves.
It was touching to see casual glimpses of Ba and the towering image of Frontier G alongside G. The movie does a great job in completing the picture of the Mahathma through the bits and pieces of footages collected. The movie also doesnt fail to mention that G insisted that there was no one Truth and each had to find his own truth.
Its with great gratitude that we remember the number of camera men who had taken great efforts in capturing these footages and the himalayan efforts of AKC to compile these.
However the movie is conspicuously SIlent on Ambedkar and his role in G's life and movement. It is surprising that it fails to even mention him when he appears on the screen. Not even when it says, there were only two people's representatives at RTC, the rest rep from princely states and The Imperial govt. it sadly calls the great social conflict raised by Ambedkar as simply ' the Harijan Issue'. AKC must have had his reasons. But its our duty to question them.
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