There are enough titles in his rich filmography to show that Hansal Mehta doesn’t shy away from exploring the complexities of his protagonists. The filmmaker has extended this practice to his next, Gandhi, an ambitious series that chronicles the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. “When we make films on real people, they often become hagiographies. But [my] attempt is to create a well-rounded character. I did it with Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story [2020] and you’ll see that with Gandhi also,” states the filmmaker of his Pratik Gandhi-starrer.
Showcasing the Mahatma’s weaknesses along with his wisdom can’t be a mean feat. But Mehta says the best way to engage people with a character is by humanising him/her—a learning that he has applied to the series. “The idea is to humanise your characters. You will not feel for the character if you don’t see him as a whole, with his goodness and flaws, his failings and successes.”
Mahatma Gandhi
The series—based on historian-author Ramachandra Guha’s books, Gandhi Before India and Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World—is set to stream later this year. The creator refuses to divulge further details, only saying, “I am proud of what we’ve managed to achieve with Gandhi. It’s currently in post-production.”
Mehta’s fascination with real-life stories dates back to his National Award-winning drama Shahid (2012). Last week, he revisited the Rajkummar Rao-starrer, based on the life of late lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, thanks to a special screening. The positive response to the movie told the filmmaker one thing. “Shahid is the film for today, which was made yesterday. It’s a balm for today’s fractured times. Honesty and genuine emotions are always relevant,” says Mehta, who is trying to get the drama re-released in theatres.
From Shahid to Aligarh (2016) and Faraaz (2021), he has consistently been a strong cinematic voice for social change. But he asserts that his primary pursuit is for engaging stories. “I’m a filmmaker first and I have to make films that engage and entertain you. In that, my voice will be heard. I won’t make a film for a voice because that will be a propaganda film; it doesn’t matter whether it’s left, right or centre,” he says.