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Gandhi
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Gandhi (1982) More at IMDbPro »

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Gandhi -- A biography of Mahatma Gandhi, the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British through his philosophy of non-violent protest.
Gandhi -- Clip: He is coming
Gandhi -- Clip: Lie down

Overview

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Writer:
John Briley (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Gandhi on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 February 1983 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Biography | Drama | History See more »
Tagline:
His Triumph Changed The World Forever. See more »
Plot:
Biography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of non-violent protest. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Won 8 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 16 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(263 articles)
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User Reviews:
Gandhi's Umpteenth Fast See more (212 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Ben Kingsley ... Mahatma Gandhi

Candice Bergen ... Margaret Bourke-White

Edward Fox ... General Dyer

John Gielgud ... Lord Irwin

Trevor Howard ... Judge Broomfield

John Mills ... The Viceroy

Martin Sheen ... Walker

Ian Charleson ... Charlie Andrews
Athol Fugard ... General Smuts
Günther Maria Halmer ... Herman Kallenbach (as Gunter Maria Halmer)

Saeed Jaffrey ... Sardar Patel

Geraldine James ... Mirabehn
Alyque Padamsee ... Mohammed Ali Jinnah

Amrish Puri ... Khan

Roshan Seth ... Pandit Nehru
Rohini Hattangadi ... Kasturba Gandhi (as Rohini Hattangady)

Ian Bannen ... Senior Police Officer
Michael Bryant ... Principal Secretary
John Clements ... Advocate General

Richard Griffiths ... Collins

Nigel Hawthorne ... Kinnoch
Bernard Hepton ... G.O.C.

Michael Hordern ... Sir George Hodge
Shreeram Lagoo ... Professor Gokhale

Om Puri ... Nahari
Virendra Razdan ... Maulana Azad
Richard Vernon ... Sir Edward Gait
Harsh Nayyar ... Nathuran Godse
Prabhakar Patankar ... Prakash
Vijay Kashyap ... Apte
Nigam Prakash ... Karkare
Supriya Pathak ... Manu
Neena Gupta ... Abha (as Nina Gupta)

Shane Rimmer ... Commentator
Peter Harlowe ... Lord Mountbatten
Anang Desai ... J.B. Kripalani
Winston Ntshona ... Porter

Peter Cartwright ... European Passenger

Marius Weyers ... Conductor
Richard Mayes ... Baker
Alok Nath ... Tyeb Mohammed
Dean Gasper ... Singh

Ken Hutchison ... Police Sergeant
Norman Chancer ... Reporter
Gulshan Kapoor ... Rich Merchant
Charu Bala Chokshi ... Ayah
Raj Chaturvedi ... Harilal Gandhi
Avpar Jhita ... Manilal Gandhi
Anthony Sagger ... Ramdas Gandhi
David Gant ... Daniels

Daniel Day-Lewis ... Colin (as Daniel Day Lewis)
Ray Burdis ... Youth
Daniel Peacock ... Youth
Avis Bunnage ... Colin's Mother
Caroline Hutchison ... Sonja Schlesin
Mohan Agashe ... Tyeb Mohammed's Friend
Sudhanshu Mishra ... Man in Gallery
Dina Nath ... Miner
John Savident ... Manager of the Mine
John Patrick ... Mounted Police Sergeant
Michael Godley ... Clergyman
Stewart Harwood ... Prison Officer
Stanley McGeagh ... Prison Guard
Christopher Good ... Young Englishman
David Markham ... Older Englishman
Jyoti Sarup ... Young Indian Reporter
John Naylor ... English Reporter
Wilson George ... American Reporter
Hansu Mehta ... Older Indian Reporter
Sudarshan Sethi ... Motilal Nehru
Sunila Pradhan ... Mrs. Motilal Nehru
Moti Makan ... Traveller on Train Roof
Jalal Agha ... Traveller on Train Roof
Rupert Frazer ... Cavalry Troop Leader
Manohar Pitale ... Shukla
Homi Daruvala ... Nehru's Friend
K.K. Raina ... Nehru's Friend
Vivek Swaroop ... Nehru's Friend
Raja Biswas ... Nehru's Friend

Dominic Guard ... Subaltern

Bernard Hill ... Sergeant Putnam
Rama Kant Jha ... Village Leader
Nana Palsikar ... Villager
Alpna Gupta ... Villager's Wife
Chandrakant Thakkar ... Policeman
John Quentin ... Batsman
Graham Seed ... Wicket-Keeper
Keith Drinkel ... Major
Bob Babenia ... Police Guard (as Bob Barbenia)
Gerald Sim ... Magistrate
Colin Farrell ... Clerk
Sanjeev Puri ... Young Man
Gareth Forwood ... Secretary
Vijay Crishna ... Chauffeur
Sankalp Dubey ... Servant
James Cossins ... Brigadier
Gurcharan Singh ... Speaker in Jallianwalla Bagh
John Vine ... A.D.C.
Geoffrey Chater ... Government Advocate
Ernest Clark ... Lord Hunter
Habib Tanvir ... Indian Barrister (as Habib Tanveer)
Pankaj Mohan ... Mahadev Desai
Subhash Gupta ... Policeman at Chauri Chaura
Aadil ... Policeman at Chauri Chaura
Rajeshwar Nath ... Marcher at Chauri Chaura
S.S. Thakur ... Marcher at Chauri Chaura
Rahul Gupta ... Boy with Goat
Barry John ... Police Superintendant
Brian Oulton ... Clerk of Court
James Snell ... Court Reporter
John Boxer ... Court Reporter
Gerard Norman ... Court Reporter
Bernard Horsfall ... General Edgar
Richard Leech ... Brigadier
Pankaj Kapur ... Pyarelal (as Pankaj Kapoor)
Tarla Mehta ... Sarojini Naidu
David Sibley ... Subaltern
Dalip Tahil ... Zia (as Daleep Tahil)
Stanley Lebor ... Police Officer
Terrence Hardiman ... Ramsay MacDonald
Monica Gupta ... Little Girl
Jon Croft ... Colonel
William Hoyland ... Adjutant

John Ratzenberger ... American Lieutenant
Jack McKenzie ... Major at Aga Khan Palace
Tom Alter ... Doctor at Aga Khan Palace
Jane Myerson ... Lady Mountbatten
Roop Kumar Razdan ... Hindu Youth at Ashram
Bani Sharad Joshi ... Woman Refugee
Vagish Kumar Singh ... Man Refugee
Dilsher Singh ... Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Sudhir Dalvi ... Police Commissioner (as Sudheer Dalavi)
Tilak Raj ... Tahib
Irpinder Puri ... Sushila Nayyar
Pren Kapoor ... Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Vinay Apte ... Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Aswani Kumar ... Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Avinash Dogra ... Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Shreedhar Joshi ... Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Suhas Palshikar ... Hindu Youth in Calcutta Street
Karkirat Singh ... Nehru's Aide
Shekhar Chatterjee ... Suhrawardy
Amarjeet ... Goonda (as Amargit)
Pratap Desai ... Goonda
Bhatawadekar Prakash ... Goonda
Sunil Shende ... Goonda
Rovil Sinha ... Goonda
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Derek Lyons ... Radio Reporter at Funeral (uncredited)
Gito Santana ... Lawyer (uncredited)
Stephen M. Silverman ... British Officer (uncredited)
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Directed by
Richard Attenborough 
 
Writing credits
John Briley (written by)

Produced by
Richard Attenborough .... producer
Rani Dubé .... co-producer
Suresh Jindal .... associate producer
Michael Stanley-Evans .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
Ravi Shankar 
 
Cinematography by
Ronnie Taylor (director of photography)
Billy Williams (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
John Bloom 
 
Casting by
Susie Figgis 
 
Production Design by
Stuart Craig 
 
Art Direction by
Norman Dorme 
Robert W. Laing (supervising art director) (as Bob Laing)
Ram Yedekar 
 
Set Decoration by
Michael Seirton 
 
Costume Design by
Bhanu Athaiya 
John Mollo 
 
Makeup Department
Paula Gillespie .... chief hairdresser
Tony Horsfield .... makeup assistant
Vera Mitchell .... assistant hairdresser
Connie Reeve .... makeup assistant
Mariam Samuel .... assistant hairdresser (as Miriam Samuel)
Mustaque Sheikh .... makeup assistant
Tom Smith .... makeup supervisor
John Webber .... makeup assistant
 
Production Management
Rashid Abbasi .... unit manager
Nassar Abdulla .... assistant unit manager (as Nasir Abdullah)
Terence A. Clegg .... in charge of production
Alexander De Grunwald .... production manager
Devi Dutt .... production manager: second unit
Shama Habibullah .... production manager
Gerry Levy .... unit manager
Grania O'Shannon .... unit manager
P.V. Rao .... assistant unit manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bhisham Bhasin .... assistant director
Roy Button .... assistant director
Steve Lanning .... assistant director
John Mathew Matthan .... first assistant director: second unit (as John Matthew)
Govind Nihalani .... second unit director
Uday Shankar Pani .... first assistant director: second unit (as U.S. Pani)
M.R. Shahjahan .... assistant director (as M. Shahjahan)
Kamal Swaroop .... assistant director
David Tomblin .... first assistant director
Julian Wall .... assistant director
Peter Waller .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Amal Allana .... set dresser
Nissat Allana .... set dresser (as Nissar Allana)
Roger Cain .... draughtsman
Nobby Clark .... standby rigger
G.D. Dixit .... construction liaison (as G. Dixit)
Agnes Fernandes .... assistant art director
Dick Frift .... construction manager
Micky Guyett .... standby painter (as Mickey Guyett)
Aruna Harprasard .... set dresser (as Aruna Harprasad)
Vala Kothari .... production buyer
Joe Lear .... standby plasterer
Jill Quertier .... set dresser
Jeff Reid .... standby carpenter
Cliff Robinson .... assistant art director
Tony Teiger .... standby props
Charles Torbett .... property master
Agnes Goveas .... props (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Jonathan Bates .... sound editor
Nigel Davis .... sound boom operator
Taffy Haines .... sound maintenance
Gerry Humphreys .... dubbing mixer
Simon Kaye .... sound recordist
Archie Ludski .... dialogue editor
Robin O'Donoghue .... dubbing mixer
Rajen Rajkhowa .... sound assistant (as Rajan Rajkhowa)
Philip Rogers .... sound recordist (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
David H. Watkins .... special effects supervisor (as David Watkins)
 
Visual Effects by
Martyn Hall .... visual effects (uncredited)
Gary Shaw .... optical assistant cameraman: Geoff Axtell Assoc. (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Gerry Crampton .... stunt coordinator
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Chic Anstiss .... camera operator
Pablo Bartholomew .... stillsman: second unit
G.S. Bhaskar .... second camera assistant (as G.S. Bhasker)
Apurba Kishore Bir .... second camera operator (as A.K. Bir)
Devlin Bose .... focus puller: second camera
Robin Browne .... aerial photographer
Frank Connor .... stillsman
Ted Deason .... focus puller
Terry Goddard .... best boy
Nobby Godden .... camera maintenance
K. Kanti .... focus puller: second unit
Ashwini Kaul .... second camera assistant
Alan Martin .... electrical supervisor
Govind Nihalani .... cameraman: second unit
D. Panday .... camera grip: second unit
Gyan Sahay .... assistant camera: second unit
Danny Shelmerdine .... clapper loader
Jimmy Waters .... camera grip
 
Casting Department
Yog Batra .... crowd casting
Soonu Ghadially .... assistant casting: India
Shailendra Goel .... crowd casting
Jill Mellis .... crowd casting
Dolly Thakore .... casting: India
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
V.K. Dixit .... wardrobe assistant
Sally Downing .... wardrobe mistress
Nic Ede .... wardrobe master (as Nicholas Ede)
Shernaz Italia .... wardrobe assistant
Aperna Kasara .... wardrobe assistant (as Aperna Katara)
Sina Kaul .... advisor: Indian wardrobe
Vinod Kumar .... wardrobe assistant
Pavan Malhotra .... wardrobe assistant
Manju Raj Saraogi .... costumes executor: Indian
 
Editorial Department
Margaret Adams .... post-production assistant
Gary Beard .... assistant editor
Neil Farrell .... assistant editor
Raj Kothari .... assistant editor
Mick Monks .... assistant editor
Alan Pattillo .... associate editor
Chris Ridsdale .... assembly editor
Dilip Roy .... assistant editor (uncredited)
Sati Tooray .... colorist (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Harish Desai .... musician (as Ashit Desai)
P. Desai .... musician
George Fenton .... composer: additional music
George Fenton .... music conductor
George Fenton .... orchestral score
Ashish Khan .... musician
Ustad Sultan Khan .... musician (as Sultan Khan)
Sharad Kumar .... musician
T.K. Ramakrishnan .... musician
Vijay Raghava Rao .... music coordinator (as Vijay Raghav Rao)
Vijay Raghava Rao .... musician (as Vijay Raghav Rao)
John Richards .... music recordist
Lakshmi Shankar .... musician
Francis Silkstone .... music coordinator
Jonathan Williams .... musician: cello (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Brian Hathaway .... transport captain
K.N. Sethi .... transport manager (as Major K.N. Sethi)
 
Other crew
Margaret Adams .... contact: London
G.D. Bakshi .... catering assistant: The Location Caterers
Colonel Balachandra .... military advisor
Mohini Banerji .... liaison: Delhi
S. Banerji .... military liaison (as Air Commodore S. Banerji)
S. Banerji .... police liaison (as Air Commodore S. Banerji)
Judi Bunn .... production secretary (as Judith Bunn)
Sharlene Chatelier .... production assistant
Eleanor Chaudhuri .... production assistant
Graham Ford .... location manager
E.R. Gopinathan .... assistant accountant
Jo Hannam .... assistant accountant
Diana Hawkins .... director of publicity
Clare Howard .... production secretary
Pat Howell .... chief accountant
Padma Iyer .... continuity: second unit
Sudhir Krishna .... unit doctor (as Dr. S. Krishna)
Terry Mellis .... production accountant
Lorna Mueller .... researcher
Loretta Ordewer .... production coordinator
Dilshad Panday .... production assistant
R. Puri .... historical consultant (as Professor R. Puri)
June Randall .... continuity
Rajiv Suri .... location manager: second unit
Sudesh Syal .... location manager
Dolly Thakore .... unit publicist
Diana White .... publicity secretary
Michael White .... assistant to director
Bob Bridges .... louma crane technician (uncredited)
Richard Morrison .... title designer (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Motilal Kothari .... this film is dedicated to
Louis Mountbatten .... this film is dedicated to (as Earl Mountbatten of Burma K.G.)
Jawaharlal Nehru .... this film is dedicated to (as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Richard Attenborough's Film: Gandhi" - USA (complete title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
191 min
Country:
UK | India
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White | Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Dolby (35 mm prints) (as Dolby Stereo) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Certification:
Argentina:13 (original rating) | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (video rating) | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Ireland:PG | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (1983) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Brazil:14 | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) (2001) | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp (re-rating) | Peru:PT
Filming Locations:
Aga Khan Palace, Nagar Rd, Pune, Maharashtra, IndiaSee more »
Company:
International Film InvestorsSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Before filming, Richard Attenborough turned down Geraldine James' request to have an audio recording of the real Madeleine Slade / Mirabehn as part of researching the role. Instead she was told to play it straight like a normal English woman. Later she discovered the reason: after filming she was allowed to listen to the recording (taped between Attenborough and Slade in Austria) only to discover that Slade talks with an Indian accent, having spent 34 years in India talking in Hindi as well. It was James' friend, casting director Susie Figgis who recommended her for the role.See more »
Goofs:
Factual errors: The Hoisting of the Indian Flag on independence is shown to happen in broad daylight when in reality, it took place at Midnight.See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
Title Card:No man's life can be encompassed in one telling. There is no way to give each year its allotted weight, to include each event, each person who helped to shape a lifetime. What can be done is to be faithful in spirit to the record and try to find one's way to the heart of the man...
See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in "This Morning: Episode dated 20 February 2009" (2009)See more »
Soundtrack:
God Save the King!See more »

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Is this movie based on a book?
When did Richard Attenborough ask Candice Bergen to play this role in Gandhi?
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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
54 out of 64 people found the following review useful.
Gandhi's Umpteenth Fast, 18 September 2001
Author: Chris_Middlebrow from Austin, Texas

In her diary entry of Saturday, February 27, 1943, Anne Frank wrote in passing (translated from the Dutch): "The freedom-loving Gandhi of India is holding his umpteenth fast."

It's a comment at once mildly comical and respectfully admiring, one I think the Mahatma would have appreciated with a twinkle and a laugh. He and Miss Frank are linked with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., as the civil rights spokesperson-giants of the 20th century. And civil rights, and the reversal of the institutionalized violation of the same, are a large part of what the last century's politics were all about. Movie viewers are apt to find in the diary remark a distillation of their experience of the Richard Attenborough film. A recommendation is that it be followed by rentals of Saving Private Ryan and The Long Walk Home, which together convey the investment put into the respective causes the trio represented.

At the beginning of Gandhi we confront these words: "No man's life can be encompassed in one telling. There is no way to give each year its allotted weight, to include each event, each person who helped to shape a lifetime. What can be done is to be faithful in spirit to the record, and to try to find one's way to the heart of the man...."

John Briley's screenplay accomplishes that faithfulness, and one probably has to be a scholar of the subject to sort out what is his and what is Gandhi's. Not that it really is of relevance, given what we learn from the movie about the value of eclecticism. Looking out over the bay at Porbandar, Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) tells Walker (Martin Sheen): "The temple where you were yesterday is of my family's sect, the Pranami. It was Hindu of course, but the priests used to read from the Muslim Koran and the Hindu Gita, moving from one to the other as though it mattered not at all which book was read as long as God was worshipped." In a preceding scene, similarly, confronted by young toughs on a South African street, Gandhi defends for his Christian friend Charlie (Ian Charleson) the New Testament intelligence of turning the other cheek. A worried Charlie states, "I think perhaps the phrase was used metaphorically. I don't think our Lord meant...," and is interrupted by a movie shot of the approaching menace. Gandhi replies calmly, "I'm not so certain. I have thought about it a great deal. I suspect he meant you must show courage--be willing to take a blow--several blows--to show you will not strike back--nor will you be turned aside.... And when you do that it calls upon something...that makes...hate for you diminish and...respect increase. I think Christ grasped that and I...have seen it work."

The script is replete with these kinds of memorable words, and with others that reflect its subject's political acumen and strategical cleverness.

Kingsley is sublime in the lead role. Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth, and Alyque Padamsee do well as Gandhi's pro-independence collaborators. Ditto, Athol Fugard ("Assuming we are in agreement?") and John Gielgud ("Salt?") as two of his adversaries. Charleson, in his clerical collar, looks like he has walked in off the set of the preceding year's Academy Award winner, Chariots of Fire (where he played the Scottish sprinter-missionary, Eric Liddell).

This movie won eight Oscars, with Attenborough, Briley, and Kingsley all earning honors. No other film biography I ever have seen works so well. It will stand the test of time and inform multiple generations. One doubts remakes will be necessary.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Gandhi (1982)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Did this film receive the most BAFTA nominations? dahlrich99-620-310206
if Gandhi is made in this era, who do you think should play Gandhi ruchi_sweets95
John Ratzenberger LesterFester
Gandhi was GAY... History Proves but not this Biography.. SiddiqueDawaR
Is this based on a true story? Moneymaker
Will horses stop charging if you lie down? filmfanaticNorCal
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