Gandhi (film): Incredible movie that people would likely protest today
I can't believe that i spent all these years being a big fan of Ben Kingsley, loving biographical films, and also being interested in the life (and death) of Gandhi, yet didn't watch this film until i stumbled upon it by accident, yesterday.
No matter who you are or where you come from, unless you truly weren't paying attention you almost certainly know at least a little bit about Gandhi but perhaps, like me, you were unaware of the full story or exactly how instrumental he was in the liberation of India.
He started out as a fully haired lawyer in South Africa who fought discrimination there with non-violent non-compliance (I had no idea about this) and this is a big part of the reason why the people of India looked to him for guidance in his home country a few years later.
He was instrumental in launching a completely successful non-violent expulsion of British control over the country, despite the fact that in many instances the people of India desperately wanted to fight back, and it appeared at times as though the British really wanted the Indian populationto do so as well so they could justify taking military action.
The tactics of Mahatma Gandhi and his loyal followers attracted the attention of the entire world and the most important and watched journalists including the New York Times and Life Magazine (both are depicted in the film)
Now, onto why this movie would be protested today. I think it is obvious. Ben Kingsley is a white guy depicting an Indian. I believe they call this "white-washing" and it just a sign of how insane the social justice warriors of our times have become. Everyone is looking for a reason to be offended and I think if you were to ask actual people from India if they were offended that Kingsley played Gandhi in the film they would say "no" they were not. There are some Indian people on Steemit and if you are reading this, let me know your thoughts.
It just seems that many people in the world have this "ban all the things" attitude and wonderful cinema like this film would not be made out of fear of angering them these days.
This movie won nearly all the Academy Awards in 1982 including Best Picture and Best Actor. It managed to make a bunch of money and was nearly universally praised in both India and elsewhere.
There is likely a list out there of movies that you must see not just for their entertainment and production value, but also for their historical importance. This movie is almost certainly on that list - it is for me
Kingsley was great playing the role of Gandhi in the movie . As an Indian I don't think so that anyone was offended by his performance , rather it made us proud .
From what I understand he did a lot to prepare for the role and has a tremendous respect for the Indian people, especially since his father was Indian. The story of Gandhi and his message resonate all over the world!
If only more people thought like him this planet would be a much happier place.
I absolutely loved this movie when it first came out, and when I watched it again a few years back. My girlfriend and I rented it on DVD. It is a very moving film and quite relevant especially now.
If you get a chance, watch the interview with Ben Kingsley on the disc extras. He is a brilliant actor, but hilariously smug.
There is a part where he is going on about how incredible his acting ability is; because he was so amazing at playing dead. He was going on about how difficult it was to stay still, with people wailing and yelling etc. Then he turns to the interviewer and calmly says "didn't move."
Then he stared at the interviewer for at least 15 seconds as if he were waiting for applause or something.
Amanda and I always say "didn't move" now whenever someone is behaving pompously. Of course the person has no idea what we are talking about.. it is our inside joke.
Ps, Ben's birth name is Krishna Pandit Bhanji. His mother was an English actor, and his father was a doctor from Zanzabar, but only by birth; he was full Indian ethnically.
ah, him being full Indian ethnically. However, I really don't think that would stop the SJW's haha. Thanks for that
Oops, sorry, I think I worded that weirdly. I was saying that Ben's father was full Indian. His mother was white, English.
I've seen this movie at least 20 times.. It was my favourite as a child. <3
Ben kingsley was brilliant and movie is a masterpiece.
I am from India. I remember all the school children were shown this movie by the school administrators. I must admit I didn’t even know the main character was not an Indian that time.
I completely agree there would be lot of protest in India if his movie is released in current times. Lot of idiotic people have nothing good to do these days. Unfortunate
I would like to see this. Thanks for sharing
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One of my favorite movies and an awesome performance! I really liked the review. Keep it up.