Richard Attenbourough’s Gandhi is a 188-minute drama that plays like a documentary on the life of Mahatma Gandhi and chronicles his struggles against the British Empire and the divisions within Indian culture and society. The movie only made a gross of $52 million, what might seem a paltry sum in today’s market, but it accomplished much of this being in a very limited release, and it eventually won eight Academy Awards, including Best Movie and Actor, as well as 26 other awards in the United States and abroad.
The movie, quite obviously, is centered on the life of the revered Indian political and spiritual leader, Mahatma Gandhi, and his struggle against the British empire; beginning in South Africa, then moving on to his home country of India. It begins with a scene on a train, the inciting incident, that sets up the basis for the struggle and also shows one of the major themes that is left out of the movie. An English educated lawyer, whose skin color is quite fair compared to later times in the movie, Gandhi is told to exit First Class as he is “black” and after his refusal he is thrown off of the train. This is the beginning of Gandhi’s resistance in South Africa. The biggest weakness of the movie can be seen here as the presence of a black South African in a servile manner is ignored and the problems of blacks in South Africa is not addressed at all. Throughout the movie all that is discussed is the plight of Indians making it seem like all that Gandhi cared about was the Indian people. Even though he advocates all people being equal, it is always in the context of between British and Indians, and among Indians themselves. This point aside, though, the rest of the movie does a great job of showing Gandhi’s commitment to his theory of Satyagraha and the battle for truth.
After Gandhi succeeds in South Africa he begins to change immensely, from merely a political leader with somewhat of a social and spiritual message, to a spiritual leader with a political message. In South Africa he dressed like aristocracy, as he was a lawyer, and he resisted primarily through the means of British law. On his arrival to India, though, his dress had changed dramatically, with even more drastic change to come, and he began to resist from outside the confines of the law. Also in India he speaks more of the similarities between the many different religious traditions and how they are all not so dissimilar and that they could learn quite a bit from each other. This important social and religious commentary stems from Gandhi’s extreme reverence for Jesus Christ’s message, especially his Sermon on the Mount, something that Gandhi studied extensively and applied to many aspects of his struggle. This is one of the main spiritual messages of this movie, that all religions could learn from each other, and should get along, because as Gandhi’s childhood priest said, “it did not matter what book was being read, as long as God was being worshipped.” Such sentiment tends to show the director’s bias towards Christianity. While Gandhi revered Christ and his message, in real life he had many negative things to say about the role of Christianity in history, and especially the role that the Church has taking in society. He was very close to Reverend Andrews, as portrayed in the film, but none of the many negative thoughts he had towards Christianity are shown in the film, as he is almost always saying that he is “a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian,” but never anything negative.
Gandhi is clearly the protagonist in this film, with his main flaws being his pride, stubbornness and detachment from individuals. What is interesting about him, though, is that these are also two of his greatest strengths. While his strong belief in non-violence helps bring about India’s independence, it also leads to the death of many innocent followers along the way. Also, his immense pride in himself and his belief that he can overcome any obstacle the antagonist, British colonial rule, presents would be a major character flaw, if he were not also proud in maintaining the truth and following its path. Also his stubborn nature was responsible for much of his individual suffering, in the movie, as his jailing, fasts, and other political statements caused immense harm to his body. This stubborn nature coupled with his detachment from those near him also leads to the suffering of individuals such as his wife and adopted daughter. This suffering came physically in the form of imprisonment, but also in the form of preoccupation with the cause and ignorance of his loved ones. This passion that he displayed for the cause was one of his weaknesses as his wife points out saying, “Babu has always struggled to find the way to God,” as the way to God is forgoing possessions and passions. While he overcame the outbursts towards his wife that were shown in South Africa, he still subjugated his attention towards her to that of his cause and the quest for truth. One thing that is left out of this movie is Gandhi’s attempt to bring about rights for women in India, which makes his actions and attitude towards women seem much harsher and withdrawn than it was in real life. While he talks about how no human should be enslaved, in any way, to another human, in the movie his struggle for rights for women, which was very important in real life, is pretty much ignored.
There are many stereotypes in this movie that are both affirmed and challenged. One of them is that of the benevolent colonizer. In many of the meetings of the British officials they talk about not abandoning India, because they believe they are doing good for these lesser people in keeping a religious war from engulfing the already poverty-stricken country. There are many instances, though, where individuals hint that all they are concerned about is keeping face and keeping control of India’s assets, such as when the army is ordered to keep the saltworks open. Showing the benevolent, albeit misguided, side of the British is very important for making many of Gandhi’s declarations of faith towards the British seem not naïve. Instead he can be seen as a sage who is above the fray when he talks of how the British should “leave as friends” and how he does not wish to take advantage of them when they are their weakest. One stereotype that seems to be inadvertently affirmed is that of fiery, stubborn and temperamental Muslims who turn to violence instead of negotiations. Also the stereotype of Catholics, priests especially, being opposed to Eastern religion, such as Hinduism, is challenged as Father Andrew is extremely close to and in awe of Gandhi.
The most important social commentary that is affirmed in this movie is Gandhi’s idea of Satyagraha. Pervasive throughout this is the commitment to non-violence and the goal of always seeking the truth. The quote that ends the movie sums his quest for Satyagraha perfectly. “When I despair I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always.” This is what guided Gandhi throughout his struggle and it is the background for everything that this movie tries to promote. When asked about whether or not such a strategy world work in World War II, he believes that it can and would be able to stop Hitler and his atrocities. While such a theory might seem implausible, he wholeheartedly believed it, the reporter who asked the question did not seem dubious and as a viewer it is difficult to be skeptical of such a man who has done such great things with his ever so simple philosophy.
