Film Review - Gandhi My Father.

The movie with a title devoid of punctuation. I suppose that fact alone should have foreshadowed what the movie would be like – intriguing but still lacking. The movie starts of brilliantly, as the audience is witness to the beginning of the decline of the relationship between Gandhi and Harilal , set in the picturesque Phoenix Settlement in South Africa .

Bhoomika Chawla as Harilal’s betrothed Gulab is absolutely stunning in her simplicity and delivers a convincing performance as a young woman in love and later on a strong and resilient woman, who deals with circumstances as they come to the best of her abilities . Akshaye Khanna as Harilal is also up to par as is Darshan Jariwala as Gandhi . Yet it is Shefali Shah as Kasturba who steals the show with her moving portrayal of a mother who refuses to give up on her son, a mother who is helpless against the deepening rift between her husband as first born son , a wife who must stand by her husband whether she agrees with his decisions or not and above all as the woman behind one of the greatest men of the twentieth century . Shah’s portrayal gives this otherwise sidelined persona great depth and an otherwise unperceived reality.

Yet sadly the movie fails to grip the attention of the audience beyond a certain point. With long shots and otherwise meandering cinematography this is a movie that will often lose focus and at times make the audience feel as though they are watching a condensed history of the freedom struggle. With a movie that seemed as though no expense was spared, the make up for the movie was sadly disappointing with all the characters aging through an increased amount of dark circles, white hair and little else. Technically the film was without fault, David Macdonald as director of photography did a faultless job depicting India in all its colored hues.Certain moments in the movie worth noting include footage of Nehru's famous speech on the eve of "India's tryst with destiny ".The direction was a little lacking for the film meanders often and leaves one contemplating the point of it all . And this is where the movie falls short . With a message that does not stand strong , this is also a movie that one would not watch “just for fun” .Watch this movie once though , it a story worth knowing (but I’d wait for the dvd).