Sudhir Mishra Says Gandhi And My Mother Will Show Mahatma Gandhi As A Man Not A Saint

Director Sudhir Mishra has offered a deeper insight into his upcoming film Gandhi And My Mother, making it clear that his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi will not be a conventional, reverential biopic. On Gandhi Jayanti, Mishra took to social media to share his thoughts about the film and the particular chapter of Gandhi’s life that inspired him to tell this story. The filmmaker said he is not making the film as a hagiography, but wants audiences to see Gandhi as a complex, introspective human being who constantly questioned himself, listened to criticism and was willing to change when he felt others could be right.

In his detailed post, Sudhir Mishra wrote, “I'm making a film on Gandhi . About a time in his life that few understand but I am not a hagiographer, nor am I making this film simply because my mother told me to. Gandhi was a man who could not leave himself alone. He listened to his critics: not as a courtesy, but as a man listens when he fears the critic may be right. He used what he heard to become someone he had not been. Think what you like of him. There has been almost no one like him.”

Mishra continued, “What you will be watching is not a saint. That is the lie we tell so that we may sit still, and the sitting still is the crime. What you are watching is a man coming apart in public and refusing the mercy of doing it in private: furious, and not with the enemy. That would have been too simple, but with his own, the people he had carried and who had carried him, who had learned every word of his language and not one syllable of what the words were for. He had given them a vocabulary. They had made of it a career. Most chose comfort, or despair, which is only comfort dressed in black. He wrenched himself out of both. He never said his was the only road.” Mishra’s words give a strong indication that Gandhi And My Mother will focus as much on Gandhi’s internal conflicts and self-questioning as it does on the historical circumstances surrounding him.

The film is centred on a lesser-known 21-day period from Gandhi’s later life around the time of India’s Independence. Rather than placing him exclusively in the familiar surroundings of political power, the story explores a phase when Gandhi stepped away from Delhi’s centres of power and attempted to find his own path amid immense personal and national turmoil. The approach allows the filmmaker to examine a figure who has been represented countless times through history, but from a more intimate and human perspective. The first-look images released on October 2 show Manoj Bajpayee in character as Gandhi, with Mishra also seen directing him during the period shoot.

Manoj Bajpayee’s transformation has already become one of the biggest talking points around the project. The actor has undergone a significant physical transformation for the role and adopted a restricted lifestyle to recreate Gandhi’s appearance and presence. The film also features legendary actress Waheeda Rehman as Putlibai, Gandhi’s mother, alongside Divya Dutta and Saurabh Shukla in pivotal roles. Produced by Narendra Hirawat’s NH Studioz and Anubhav Sinha’s Benaras Mediaworks, the project brings together an acclaimed cast and filmmaker for a story that intends to explore Gandhi beyond the familiar textbook image.

The title Gandhi And My Mother also carries a personal connection for Sudhir Mishra, who has previously spoken about his mother’s memories of Gandhi and their influence on him. However, his latest statement makes it clear that the film is not simply an attempt to fulfil a personal promise. Mishra wants to examine a period when Gandhi was questioning himself, confronting criticism and reassessing the people and ideas around him. With Manoj Bajpayee stepping into the role and the filmmaker choosing to explore a complicated chapter rather than an uncomplicated legend, Gandhi And My Mother is shaping up as an intimate historical drama that aims to ask questions instead of simply offering familiar answers.

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