<p class="rtejustify">As an early commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150<sup>th</sup> birth anniversary this year, BIFFes had a section dedicated to the Mahatma. Four films were screened as part of this special: two Kannada, one Hindi and one English.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">First up was The Making of the Mahatma (1996) by Shyam Benegal, a film that won acting and best film awards at the National Film Awards in 1996. This film focuses on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as a London-trained barrister who faces racism in South Africa, where he fights for the rights of Asian labourers.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The second feature, ‘Gandhi, My Father’ by Feroze Abbas Khan (2007), a film that focuses on Gandhi’s son, Harilal, won critical acclaim at many international film festivals, including Tokyo IFF and Asia-Pacific Screen awards.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The Kannada films on Gandhi were Girish Kasaravalli’s ‘Koormavatara’ (2011) and ‘Gandhi Devi’ (2018) by Naganatha M Joshi.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">Moviegoers were in for a surprise to see someone in character for the promotion of these films. Interestingly, the most well-known Gandhi biopic featuring Sir Ben Kingsley as Gandhi was missing from the selection.</p>
<p class="rtejustify">As an early commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150<sup>th</sup> birth anniversary this year, BIFFes had a section dedicated to the Mahatma. Four films were screened as part of this special: two Kannada, one Hindi and one English.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">First up was The Making of the Mahatma (1996) by Shyam Benegal, a film that won acting and best film awards at the National Film Awards in 1996. This film focuses on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as a London-trained barrister who faces racism in South Africa, where he fights for the rights of Asian labourers.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The second feature, ‘Gandhi, My Father’ by Feroze Abbas Khan (2007), a film that focuses on Gandhi’s son, Harilal, won critical acclaim at many international film festivals, including Tokyo IFF and Asia-Pacific Screen awards.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The Kannada films on Gandhi were Girish Kasaravalli’s ‘Koormavatara’ (2011) and ‘Gandhi Devi’ (2018) by Naganatha M Joshi.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">Moviegoers were in for a surprise to see someone in character for the promotion of these films. Interestingly, the most well-known Gandhi biopic featuring Sir Ben Kingsley as Gandhi was missing from the selection.</p>
