For a long time, the most popular way to remember the Mahatma on his birth anniversary or on Independence Day was to gather around the telly and watch Sir Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi .
On his 143 anniversary, however, Mumbaikars can look beyond this timeless classic and to a rich variety of visual footage on Gandhiji. The Films Division of India is organising a festival of films and art in Mumbai, aptly titled ‘Baapu.’ The five-day event, to be held from October 2 to 5, will screen some of the popular feature films on Gandhiji, as well as documentaries.
The festival will open with a live performance of bhajans. Acclaimed director Shyam Benegal will inaugurate the festival in the presence of Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua and other dignitaries.
The opening film on October 2 is a Kuldeep Sinha directed documentary titled Gandhi — An Emerging Reality and followed by Mr. Benegal’s feature film The Making of the Mahatma .
Other films in the repertoire are: Gandhi My Father , Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara , Lage Raho Munna Bhai , Lines of Mahatma , Gandhiji — Through the Eyes of the Cartoonist , Gandhi, Nehru and Modern Art , Gandhiji’s Letter to Hitler and Places where Gandhiji Lived .
“The event invites all Mumbaikars to the event for refreshing the values of Gandhian philosophy and the social relevance of non-violence, universal peace and love in the present times,” V.S. Kundu, director general of the Films Division of India said. Apart from Mr. Benegal, veteran film personalities Anupam Kher, Feroz Abbas Khan, Rohini Hattangadi, Darshan Jariwala and Arun Khopkar will attend the screenings and interact with the audiences.
A slide show of paintings on Gandhiji by artist Atul Dodiya, an exhibition of artefacts by the Gandhi museum here and the release of a collectors’ edition DVD are other highlights of the event.
