Shefali Shah is marvelous, torn between husband and son, doggedly living her fate, as the supportive Indian wedded woman. Harilal, the only child to express his displeasure verbally and rebel, finally breaks away completely.ĭarshan Jariwala does a great job, for one can quite believe his activism permeating into his familial relationships. Understandably Kasturba who witnesses Gandhi’s behavior towards her children, is torn between her loyalty towards her husband, and compassion for her kids. Fair to a fault, Gandhi treats all as equal: his family members or outsiders, and this leads to ruffled feelings. As seen in the film, his family lives by his ideals whether they like it or not. However in his personal relationships, polite and soft-spoken as ever, he is a stern and harsh task-master. Seen as a frail man, Gandhi appears to be civility personified.
The film later dwells upon the (almost philosophical) rift between Gandhi and Harilal, the latter’s attempts to do his own thing, achieve his independence, and break away from his father’s name and influence.Īnd what an influence! Gandhi is the beacon of light the others are merely fire-flies fluttering around blinded. He softens later on when Harilal comes to South Africa to assist him, but still wants him to remain entrenched in grass-roots activism instead of going on to London for further education – something which the son dearly desires. Gandhi, upset at the early date of the union (he himself has gotten Harilal engaged four years ago), resolves to cut himself off from him. His eldest son Harilal (Akshaye Khanna) is in India, planning to marry his fiancée Gulab (Bhumika Chawla). When the film starts off, Gandhi (Darshan Jariwala) is a young barrister in South Africa, living there with Kasturba (Shefali Shah) and four of his children. The film traces back Harilal’s life from his youth up till the present day, and in the process we see Gandhi’s family life, the roots of his activism, and his personal beliefs as they affected Harilal and the rest of the family. Taken for a beggar with his matted locks and unkempt state, his assertion that he is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s son is taken with a grain of salt. The film is sort of biographical in nature, since it starts when we see a bedraggled Harilal Gandhi (the eldest of his sons) brought to a hospital in a semi-conscious state. Thus although the film lauds Gandhi’s role in the freedom struggle, he doesn’t come out quite as clean in his personal relationships.
I am actually amazed (and quite pleased) that someone in Bollywood would take up such a subject, because frankly we ‘desis’ tend to revere our Mahatmas, and refuse to listen to any criticism of them. Much has been speculated about Gandhi’s personal life, and his tumultuous relationship with his son Harilal. Public Rating Average: 5.11 / 10 (rated by 410 viewers) Let us know what you think about this review Reviewed by: Amodini Sharma - Rating: 7.5 / 10 Starring: Darshan Jariwala, Akshaye Khanna, Shefali Shah, Bhumika Chawla, Daniel Janks
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