The father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi engages in a revolutionary fight for India's independence from the British empire.
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, John Gielgud
Crew: Richard Attenborough (Director), Billy Williams (Director of Photography), Ronnie Taylor (Director of Photography), Ravi Shankar (Music Director)
Rating: PG (Singapore)
Genres: Drama, History, Biography
Release Dates: 25 Feb 1983 (India), 25 Feb 1983 (United States)
Tagline: His Triumph Changed The World Forever.
Did you know? Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim owned a share of the rights in Britain's longest-running play "The Mousetrap" which they sold to fund the production of this movie. Read More
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as Mahatma Gandhi
as Margaret Bourke-White
as Lord Irwin
as Tyeb Mohammed
as Villager's Wife
as Mohammed Ali Jinnah
as Khan
as J.B. Kripalani
as Ramdas Gandhi
as General Smuts
as Colin's Mother
as Manilal Gandhi
as G.O.C.
as Sergeant Putnam
as Police Guard
as Sonja Schlesin
as Policeman
as Ayah
as Young Englishman
as Clerk
as Colin (as Daniel Day Lewis)
as Youth
as Daniels
as Older Englishman
as Singh
as Miner
as Subaltern
as General Dyer
as Lord Hunter
as Secretary
as Government Advocate
as Magistrate
as Mirabehn
as Wicket-Keeper
as Rich Merchant
as Herman Kallenbach
as Speaker in Jallianwalla Bagh
as Indian Barrister
as Older Indian Reporter
as Nathuran Godse
as Nehru's Friend
as Senior Police Officer
as Charlie Andrews
as Traveller on Train Roof
as Brigadier
as Lady Mountbatten
as Advocate General
as The Viceroy
as English Reporter
as Mounted Police Sergeant
as Batsman
as American Lieutenant
as Manager of the Mine
as A.D.C.
as Young Indian Reporter
as Nehru's Friend
as Major
as Police Sergeant
as Shukla
as Conductor
as Walker
as Principal Secretary
as Clergyman
as Sir George Hodge
as Tyeb Mohammed's Friend
as Traveller on Train Roof
as Villager
as Abha
as Karkare
as Kinnoch
as Reporter
as Nahari
as Pyarelal
as Mahadev Desai
as European Passenger
as Lord Mountbatten
as Prakash
as Harilal Gandhi
as Nehru's Friend
as Marcher at Chauri Chaura
as Village Leader
as Youth
as Collins
as Baker
as Sir Edward Gait
as Kasturba Gandhi
as Pandit Nehru
as Cavalry Troop Leader
as Marcher at Chauri Chaura
as Sardar Patel
as Young Man
as Servant
as Commentator
as Professor Gokhale
as Prison Guard
as Prison Officer
as Policeman at Chauri Chaura
as Motilal Nehru
as Man in Gallery
as Mrs. Motilal Nehru
as Manu
as Sarojini Naidu
as Ramsay MacDonald
as Judge Broomfield
as Chauffeur
as Apte
as Maulana Azad
as Nehru's Friend
as American Reporter
as Porter
Direction
Director
First Assistant Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Production
Producer
Production Company
Co-Producer
Executive Producer
Associate Producer
Production Manager
Distribution
Camera and Electrical
Director of Photography
Still Photographer
Camera Operator
Sound
Sound Editor
Sound Re-recording Mixer
Boom Operator
Art
Art Director
Production Designer
Prop Master
Set Decorator
Assistant Art Director
Set Dresser
Costume and Wardrobe
Costume Designer
Editorial
Editor
Associate Editor
Assistant Editor
Post-Production Assistant
Makeup and Hair
Makeup Artist
Hair Stylist
Assistant Makeup Artist
Assistant Hair Stylist
Stunts
Stunt Director
Film Type:
Documentary Feature
Language:
English
Colour Info:
Color
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Camera:
Panavision Genesis
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.39:1 (Scope)
Stereoscopy:
No
Taglines:
His Triumph Changed The World Forever.
The Man of the Century. The Motion Picture of a Lifetime.
A WORLD EVENT It took one remarkable man to defeat the British Empire and free a nation of 350 million people. His goal was freedom for India. His strategy was peace. His weapon was his humanity.
The Man of the Century. The Motion Picture of a Lifetime.
A WORLD EVENT It took one remarkable man to defeat the British Empire and free a nation of 350 million people. His goal was freedom for India. His strategy was peace. His weapon was his humanity.
Movie Connection(s):
Filming Locations:
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Udaipur, Rajasthan
Delhi
Rajasthan
West Bengal
New Delhi, Delhi
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England
Gujarat
Maharashtra
Pune, Maharashtra
England
Bihar
Punjab
Calcutta, West Bengal
Buckingham Palace, Westminster, London, England
Amritsar, Punjab
Hyderabad House, Delhi
India Gate, New Delhi, Delhi
Kingsley Hall, Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow, London, England
Nagar Rd, Pune, Maharashtra
Porbandar, Gujarat
Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow, London, England
Rajpath, Delhi
Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi
Red Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Staines, Surrey, England
Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Old Town Hall, Staines, Surrey, England
Aga Khan Palace, Nagar Rd, Pune, Maharashtra
Patna, Bihar
Birla House, New Delhi, Delhi
Bromley-by-Bow, London, England
Udaipur, Rajasthan
Delhi
Rajasthan
West Bengal
New Delhi, Delhi
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England
Gujarat
Maharashtra
Pune, Maharashtra
England
Bihar
Punjab
Calcutta, West Bengal
Buckingham Palace, Westminster, London, England
Amritsar, Punjab
Hyderabad House, Delhi
India Gate, New Delhi, Delhi
Kingsley Hall, Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow, London, England
Nagar Rd, Pune, Maharashtra
Porbandar, Gujarat
Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow, London, England
Rajpath, Delhi
Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi
Red Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Staines, Surrey, England
Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Old Town Hall, Staines, Surrey, England
Aga Khan Palace, Nagar Rd, Pune, Maharashtra
Patna, Bihar
Birla House, New Delhi, Delhi
Bromley-by-Bow, London, England
Goofs:
Miscellaneous
Hermann Kallenbach is shown alive in India at or near independence in 1947, but he died in 1945.
Miscellaneous
The Calcutta killings are shown as having happened after Indian independence in August 1947 whereas they actually took place a year earlier in August 1946.
Miscellaneous
The car burned in the Calcutta riot scenes (some time between 1946 and 1948) is an Ambassador, an Indian-made copy of a 1954 Morris Oxford.
Continuity
When Gandhi is escorted into the office of the top prison official, the pendulum on the grandfather clock in the background jumps between shots.
Continuity
When Gandhi tells the man how to escape from hell, the man prostrates himself at Gandhi's feet. Before, the man had tossed a piece of food on Gandhi's stomach. After falling at Gandhi's feet, the piece of food is gone.
Continuity
The standing lamp on the right of the screen next to Judge Broomfield moves to the right when the Judge says "nevertheless, it is my duty...".
Factual Mistake
The Hoisting of the Indian Flag on independence is shown to happen in broad daylight when in reality, it took place at Midnight.
Factual Mistake
Lord Irwin, in real life, was born with a withered left arm with no hand. However, he is shown several times in the movie with both a left and right hand.
Revealing Mistakes
In the massacre scene General Dyer is pacing back and forth between the two rows of firing soldiers. Right before the cut to the crowd he steps in front of a standing soldier firing.
Hermann Kallenbach is shown alive in India at or near independence in 1947, but he died in 1945.
Miscellaneous
The Calcutta killings are shown as having happened after Indian independence in August 1947 whereas they actually took place a year earlier in August 1946.
Miscellaneous
The car burned in the Calcutta riot scenes (some time between 1946 and 1948) is an Ambassador, an Indian-made copy of a 1954 Morris Oxford.
Continuity
When Gandhi is escorted into the office of the top prison official, the pendulum on the grandfather clock in the background jumps between shots.
Continuity
When Gandhi tells the man how to escape from hell, the man prostrates himself at Gandhi's feet. Before, the man had tossed a piece of food on Gandhi's stomach. After falling at Gandhi's feet, the piece of food is gone.
Continuity
The standing lamp on the right of the screen next to Judge Broomfield moves to the right when the Judge says "nevertheless, it is my duty...".
Factual Mistake
The Hoisting of the Indian Flag on independence is shown to happen in broad daylight when in reality, it took place at Midnight.
Factual Mistake
Lord Irwin, in real life, was born with a withered left arm with no hand. However, he is shown several times in the movie with both a left and right hand.
Revealing Mistakes
In the massacre scene General Dyer is pacing back and forth between the two rows of firing soldiers. Right before the cut to the crowd he steps in front of a standing soldier firing.
Trivia:
Gandhi was selected for the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), held in Goa.
While filming in some of the more rural villages in India, with Ben Kingsley in full make-up as Gandhi, some of the older members of the communities were confused as they thought they were seeing the real man again.
The Indian government provided one third of the film's budget.
Ben Kingsley studied for the part by watching five hours of newsreel footage of Gandhi in one sitting.
Ben Kingsley learned to spin cloth in the same way that Gandhi did. He didn't find this to be particularly challenging. Instead, the real problem he encountered was to spin and talk at the same time which he had major difficulties trying to master.
Both Winston Churchill and Charles Chaplin are mentioned in the film. Richard Attenborough directed biopics of each of these men: 'Young Winston' and 'Chaplin' respectively.
Illness prevented cinematographer Billy Williams from completing the film. Ronnie Taylor flew out from England to assist him and ended up completing cinematographic duties. Both men were awarded Oscars for their work on Gandhi.
The Ian Charleson part was first intended for Michael Denison.
When he won the part, Ben Kingsley decamped to India and lived as best he could as Gandhi himself.
John Hurt and Tom Courtenay were among the actors approached by Richard Attenborough about playing the lead role. Ben Kingsley was recommended for the role by Harold Pinter, who had seen him in a play; Pinter made the suggestion to Sam Spiegel, an associate of Attenborough's.
Ben Kingsley prepared for his role by studying newsreel footage of Gandhi, reading books on and by the man, dieting, losing weight, practicing Yoga and learning to spin thread just as Gandhi did.
Ben Kingsley looked so much like Mohandas K. Gandhi, many natives thought him to be Gandhi's ghost.
Ben Kingsley's paternal family was from the Indian state of Gujarat, the same state Mohandas K. Gandhi was from. He took his stage name from the very same Kingsley Hall in London where Gandhi stayed on his visit in 1931.
There is a scene where Gandhi is insulted by walking on the side walk of South Africa by some young boys. One of them is none other than Daniel Day-Lewis.
Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim owned a share of the rights in Britain's longest-running play "The Mousetrap" which they sold to fund the production of this movie.
Some say that Steven Spielberg cast Richard Attenborough as John Hammond in Jurassic Park (1993) as thanks for his support on Oscar night when Gandhi (1982) trounced E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
This first of the three features that Roshan Seth plays Nehru. The other ones were the TV series Bharat Ek Khoj and a TV movie The Last Days of the Raj.
It was Michael Attenborough, Richard Attenborough's son, who recommended Ben Kingsley to his father.
Trevor Howard shot his cameo as Judge Broomfield in two days.
Alec Guinness, Albert Finney, Peter Finch, Tom Courtney, Dirk Bogarde, and Anthony Hopkins were all originally considered for the role of Mohandas K. Gandhi.
The last film of John Boxer and Sir John Clements.
While filming in some of the more rural villages in India, with Ben Kingsley in full make-up as Gandhi, some of the older members of the communities were confused as they thought they were seeing the real man again.
The Indian government provided one third of the film's budget.
Ben Kingsley studied for the part by watching five hours of newsreel footage of Gandhi in one sitting.
Ben Kingsley learned to spin cloth in the same way that Gandhi did. He didn't find this to be particularly challenging. Instead, the real problem he encountered was to spin and talk at the same time which he had major difficulties trying to master.
Both Winston Churchill and Charles Chaplin are mentioned in the film. Richard Attenborough directed biopics of each of these men: 'Young Winston' and 'Chaplin' respectively.
Illness prevented cinematographer Billy Williams from completing the film. Ronnie Taylor flew out from England to assist him and ended up completing cinematographic duties. Both men were awarded Oscars for their work on Gandhi.
The Ian Charleson part was first intended for Michael Denison.
When he won the part, Ben Kingsley decamped to India and lived as best he could as Gandhi himself.
John Hurt and Tom Courtenay were among the actors approached by Richard Attenborough about playing the lead role. Ben Kingsley was recommended for the role by Harold Pinter, who had seen him in a play; Pinter made the suggestion to Sam Spiegel, an associate of Attenborough's.
Ben Kingsley prepared for his role by studying newsreel footage of Gandhi, reading books on and by the man, dieting, losing weight, practicing Yoga and learning to spin thread just as Gandhi did.
Ben Kingsley looked so much like Mohandas K. Gandhi, many natives thought him to be Gandhi's ghost.
Ben Kingsley's paternal family was from the Indian state of Gujarat, the same state Mohandas K. Gandhi was from. He took his stage name from the very same Kingsley Hall in London where Gandhi stayed on his visit in 1931.
There is a scene where Gandhi is insulted by walking on the side walk of South Africa by some young boys. One of them is none other than Daniel Day-Lewis.
Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim owned a share of the rights in Britain's longest-running play "The Mousetrap" which they sold to fund the production of this movie.
Some say that Steven Spielberg cast Richard Attenborough as John Hammond in Jurassic Park (1993) as thanks for his support on Oscar night when Gandhi (1982) trounced E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
This first of the three features that Roshan Seth plays Nehru. The other ones were the TV series Bharat Ek Khoj and a TV movie The Last Days of the Raj.
It was Michael Attenborough, Richard Attenborough's son, who recommended Ben Kingsley to his father.
Trevor Howard shot his cameo as Judge Broomfield in two days.
Alec Guinness, Albert Finney, Peter Finch, Tom Courtney, Dirk Bogarde, and Anthony Hopkins were all originally considered for the role of Mohandas K. Gandhi.
The last film of John Boxer and Sir John Clements.
