Chinmay Mandlekar 

He didn’t sign on stars because he wanted theatre actors with some resemblance with the lead characters. “It was also a conscious decision to have a Gujarati actor [Deepak] to play Gandhi and a Marathi hero as Godse.”

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.86%

AAP 41.43%

INC 25.71%

Submit

View All In Poll

The subject is historical fiction, which imagines a situation where the Mahatma survives the attack on him and later meets Godse in prison. Their conversation leads to a fiery debate. Santoshi says that while the story is fictional, it’s based on facts and rigorous research. “My strong belief is that a lot of allegations were made against Gandhiji. Similarly, Godse was labelled a terrorist. I empathise with both. Gandhiji was shot and never got a platform to explain or respond to his naysayers, while Godse’s voice was suppressed… the arguments he made in his defence were not made public until recently. I think injustice was meted out to both of them. This film gives them  a platform to talk,” he says. 

Rajkumar Santoshi

The film, the shoot for which began just a little before the pandemic, has braved lockdowns, restrictions and repeated delays. When the trailer was released earlier this month, it triggered fresh controversy, with many, including the Mahatma’s great grandson claiming that it “glorified a murderer”. In the prevailing environment, where jingoism is at its peak, and choosing sides either make you a nationalist or anti, Santoshi says he’d rather stick to objective storytelling. “Gandhiji was a fearless man, the only weapon he carried was ‘truth’. Godse was equally fearless—he knew the consequences of his actions. So, when I am attempting a film like this, I can’t afford to be worried about what someone says. My conscience is clear. I want to be fair to both the characters,” he insists, adding that the Censor Board gave him a Universal certificate, after two screenings. “After clearing it once, the board decided to send it for revision, because of the names involved. They all had only good things to say. I didn’t get a single complaint. Isn’t this proof enough that the film is non-controversial?”

As for those who are objecting to the film, he requests that they see the film, before coming to conclusions. “You can’t judge a film based on the trailer. Everybody 
is so restless… they are looking for an opportunity to create noise and news. The trailer is meant to make people inquisitive, not agitated,” he urges.

Incidentally, Gandhi was the inspiration behind two of his previous films, Damini (1993) and Ghatak (1996). “In fact, in Damini there’s a quote of Gandhi as well. He has inspired both Indian and world leaders. Who am I to criticise Gandhiji?”