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Gandhi (1982)

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5:09 | Trailer
The life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.

Writer:

John Briley
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Popularity
2,288 ( 552)
Won 8 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 21 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Kingsley ... Mahatma Gandhi
Rohini Hattangadi ... Kasturba Gandhi (as Rohini Hattangady)
Roshan Seth ... Pandit Nehru
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
Günther Maria Halmer ... Herman Kallenbach (as Gunter Maria Halmer)
Athol Fugard ... General Smuts
Saeed Jaffrey ... Sardar Patel
Geraldine James ... Mirabehn
Alyque Padamsee ... Mohamed Ali Jinnah
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Storyline

In 1893, Mohandas K. Gandhi is thrown off a South African train for being an Indian and traveling in a first class compartment. Gandhi realizes that the laws are biased against Indians and decides to start a non-violent protest campaign for the rights of all Indians in South Africa. After numerous arrests and the unwanted attention of the world, the government finally relents by recognizing rights for Indians, though not for the native blacks of South Africa. After this victory, Gandhi is invited back to India, where he is now considered something of a national hero. He is urged to take up the fight for India's independence from the British Empire. Gandhi agrees, and mounts a non-violent non-cooperation campaign of unprecedented scale, coordinating millions of Indians nationwide. There are some setbacks, such as violence against the protesters and Gandhi's occasional imprisonment. Nevertheless, the campaign generates great attention, and Britain faces intense public pressure. Too weak... Written by gavin (gunmasterM@hotmail.com)

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

His Triumph Changed The World Forever. See more »


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

It was originally intended in the funeral scene to use a wax effigy of Sir Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. However, on the day, it was clear to Richard Attenborough that the wax dummy would fool no one, so Kingsley was asked to lie on the funeral pyre. He kept his eyes shut throughout, despite having petals fall on him constantly. See more »

Goofs

An extra is seen wearing sneakers. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Hindu: He will be saying prayers in the garden. Just follow the others.
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Crazy Credits

The producers express their thanks in the closing credits to The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India for the use of its grounds and exteriors for filming locations. See more »

Alternate Versions

The original theatrical release had an intermission at approximately 1 hour 31 minutes in. The second part of the film was preceded by a 3 minute musical interlude over a black screen. Most subsequent releases omitted the intermission. The DVD release includes the Intermission title card and musical interlude. See more »

Connections

Referenced in And the Oscar Goes To... (2014) See more »

Soundtracks

God Save the King!
(1744) (uncredited)
Music attributed to Henry Carey
Sung by Ben Kingsley
Reprised when India achieves independence
See more »

User Reviews

Old-Time Hollywood Epic Redux.
24 September 2005 | by tfrizzellSee all my reviews

The life of the legendary man from India (dominant Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley, who was a total unknown theatrical newcomer at the time) who gave up work as an attorney to defy British rule throughout the first half of the 20th Century before falling to an assassin's bullet in 1948. Long, opulent, breath-taking and completely memorable take on one of the most important historical figures the world has ever known. Oscar-winning director Richard Attenborough obviously studied David Lean's epic film-making masterpieces from the 1950s and 1960s as we have similarities galore with "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and much more importantly "Lawrence of Arabia". An all-star cast of very old-time Hollywood legends (John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, John Mills) and relative newcomers who were on the rise (Candice Bergen, Martin Sheen, Edward Fox, Nigel Hawthorne and a super quick glance of a very young Daniel Day-Lewis) blend in a desert landscape of cinematic brilliance. Make no mistake of it though, "Gandhi" works because of Kingsley as he weaves a colorful tapestry of cinematic performing ungodliness with a totally convincing take on his role and the complex subject matter. Running nearly 190 minutes, "Gandhi" still just uses flash-points to under-score the importance and significance of the major topics within. Those familiar with advanced world history will likely get more out of the film, but still a movie whose glitter continues to shine as bright as ever. 5 stars out of 5.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

UK | India

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1983 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Gandhi See more »

Filming Locations:

Delhi, India See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$131,153, 12 December 1982

Gross USA:

$52,767,889

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$52,767,889
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)| 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)| Dolby Atmos

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
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