Hello readers! This blog reviews the recent movie ‘Gandhi Godse- Ek Yudh’ directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and inspired by Asghar Wajahat’s play ‘Godse@gandhi.com’.
GANDHI Vs GODSE
Asghar Wajahat is a well-known storyteller and playwright in India who writes about social and political issues. He challenges society's norms and beliefs by asking tough questions through his writings. In his play, Gandhi and Godse, the story begins with Gandhi and Godse both in jail on charges of treason. Godse had tried to kill Gandhi. The play explores the idea of dialogue and how it can help us understand one another.
The play shows how Gandhi wanted to understand Godse's hatred towards him and the conflicts within Godse's mind. He believed that through dialogue, he could achieve this understanding. Despite the seriousness and length of their conversations, Gandhi's dialogue with Godse is easy to understand and connects deeply with the readers. The play does not promote any violence or extreme beliefs. Gandhi and Godse both value the Gita, but their interpretations of it are very different. The play highlights the dangers of ideologies like Hindutva, which divides people and causes communal tensions. It also raises important issues like democracy and development in India.
In today's socio-political context, where communalism and divisive politics are still prevalent, the play's message is relevant. It encourages people to engage in dialogue and debate to understand each other's perspectives and build a more united and inclusive society. The play talks about important issues that are relevant to our society today, like communal problems, development, and democracy. The story mainly revolves around a conversation between Gandhi and Godse. Godse had tried to kill Gandhi, but he survived and decides to visit Godse in prison. The play is all about their dialogue, and how it is important to have conversations to achieve something. Gandhi wants to know why Godse hates him and hopes that Godse will listen to him too. The play also shows that Hindutva and Hinduism are not the same things.
It's fascinating to think about how two individuals can have such opposing views despite reading the same book. The play also highlights how divisive ideologies like Hindutva only serve to create animosity and division among people. It encourages us to engage in healthy debates and discussions to find solutions to issues such as communalism and communal elections, which we should strive to eliminate from our society.
Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh is a recent Indian-Hindi history film that explores the fascinating possibility of what might have happened if Mahatma Gandhi had survived his assassination attempt and subsequently decided to forgive his attacker, Nathuram Godse. The film, written and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, and produced by Manila Santoshi, stars Deepak Antani (Mahatma Gandhi) and Chinmay Mandlekar (Nathuram Godse) in the lead roles.
However, the system highlights Godse's writing and manipulates public sentiment against Gandhi, who is seen as causing disruptions within the government. This leads to Gandhi's arrest, which he insists on serving with Godse. During their time in prison, the two engage in multiple debates, arguments, and even confrontations. The film explores whether this "war of ideologies" between Gandhi and Godse can resolve their differences.
Controversy surrounded the film's context, and Rajkumar Santoshi reportedly received threats, leading him to seek police protection. Nonetheless, the film offers a thought-provoking exploration of what could have happened if Gandhi had lived and how that might have impacted the history of India. The movie begins with the India-Pakistan Partition and the communal violence that ensued. It quickly establishes the Hindu and Sikh populations’ gripe against Gandhi for their suffering. Hindu Nationalist Nathuram Godse’s anger and Bapu’s assassination also follow soon enough. However, the film’s pace dips after that, based on prominent Hindi scholar Asghar Wajahat’s play, and the narrative drags all of the first halves to set the context. It covers some crucial events, such as Gandhi’s fast unto death for Hindu-Muslim peace and the conditions to end it.
The film explores the ideas and actions of its protagonists, but their debates and arguments may not be exciting enough for some viewers. The story also touches upon social issues like untouchability, casteism, and economic exploitation, and shows how narratives can be manipulated to influence public opinion.
Rajkumar Santoshi's film is releasing around the same time as Shah Rukh Khan's comeback movie, Pathaan, and it faces several challenges. The film imagines a world where Mahatma Gandhi forgives his assassin, Nathuram Godse, and engages in an ideological war with him. While the film tries to counter Godse's extremist beliefs, it doesn't fully address his ideology. The movie portrays Godse as immature and gullible, willing to believe anything about Muslims to justify his hatred of Gandhi.
Review
The film Gandhi vs Godse is a noteworthy adaptation of a theater play penned by Asghar Wajahat. With Louis Gianetti's adaptation approach, the movie can be regarded as a faithful representation of the play, as it has made necessary changes while adapting the story to the screen. The play commences with Gandhi being released from the hospital and expressing his desire to visit Godse in prison, while the movie opens with the communal riots that followed the nation's partition and Independence.
In contrast to the play, the film provides a historical context leading up to Gandhi's assassination, which sets the stage for the second half of the movie, which narrates a fictional account of the actual events. The movie delves into the aftermath of the partition, where Gandhi was widely held accountable for the division of the nation. Additionally, the film depicts Gandhi's 'Fast unto death' for peace in the nation, under specific conditions. Overall, the movie successfully captures the essence of the play while making changes necessary for cinematic storytelling. The added historical context and fictional narrative provide a broader understanding of the events leading up to Gandhi's assassination and the political climate of the time.
In addition to being a faithful adaptation of the play, Gandhi vs Godse includes added characters such as Ambedkar and Bose, who were only mentioned by name in the original script. These characters play a significant role in the movie and contribute to the overarching themes and messages of the film. The movie portrays Ambedkar as an advocate for equality between the upper and lower classes and prioritizing the Constitution over religious texts. This characterization provides an additional layer of depth to the movie's exploration of social and political issues. Furthermore, the film also adds a scene in detail that was not present in the play. For instance, the movie depicts the conflict between the government's plan to cut down forests for industrial and road development, which Gandhi opposes. This conflict highlights Gandhi's commitment to ‘Gram Swaraj’, or village self-rule, as opposed to centralized government control.
The play Gandhi vs Godse primarily centers around the clash of two opposing ideologies - that of Gandhi and Godse. The play primarily focuses on the conversations between the two and juxtaposes them with the story of Shushma and Naveen, which is intertwined with Gandhi's celibacy ideology. The play critically examines Gandhi's celibacy doctrine and portrays it as flawed. However, the movie also touches upon this theme, but the storyline of Sushma and Nirav is relatively underdeveloped compared to the play. On the other hand, the movie delves into several other concepts like neo-colonialism, women's colonialism, and eco-criticism. These themes are not as prominent in the play and provide the movie with a broader canvas to explore the political and social issues of the time. Moreover, when Gandhi talks about dissolving the Congress party in the movie, his ideas are lucid and well-defined, which adds to the movie's overall clarity of messaging.
Gandhi's ideology was centered around the empowerment of the citizens of the nation, especially those in rural areas. He believed in helping people rather than ruling them, and this is evident in his establishment of Gram Swaraj in a village in Bihar. The movie "Gandhi vs Godse" effectively portrays Gandhi's vision of empowering the people, with several scenes showing him helping villagers and standing up against the upper-class people who held lower-class individuals in contempt.
Moreover, the movie goes beyond just the ideological battle between Gandhi and Godse and provides historical context to India's situation during the partition. The film accurately captures the main themes of the play, while also adding several detailed scenes that help viewers better understand the historical vision of India during this time.
Both the play and movie present the thoughts and ideologies of Gandhi and Godse, without taking a stance toward either. The end is hopeful and open, allowing the audience to form their own views. Throughout the story, we witness Gandhi's stubbornness and egoism in his philosophy. However, when Godse shows him a mirror, Gandhi realizes the need for change and begins to do so. Similarly, Godse also tries to understand the truth behind Gandhi's every step and decision are taken for the nation. Although there are no monologues that suggest their changes, their actions and expressions, coupled with the use of silence in the movie, effectively express the change in characters.
In the movie, after Godse, three upper-class people from a working congress committee are appointed to kill Gandhi. However, in the end, Godse saves Gandhi. This addition is not from the play but from the director's own creativity. Both the play and movie end with Gandhi and Godse, after coming out of jail, moving away from the troops, and going together in a different direction. This suggests that although Gandhi and Godse had differing ideologies, they were both clear about their beliefs and stuck to them.
As the film progresses, it becomes clear that Gandhi and Godse are used as metaphors to initiate a dialogue on the idea of India that was diminished during the country's partition. The film aims to experiment with the bitter truths of the divide rather than brush it under the carpet of euphemisms. It seeks to find a middle ground rather than taking sides. In this parallel universe, the film attempts to humanize and critique Gandhi, a figure often placed on a pedestal. While it also challenges Godse's Islamophobia and raises questions about Gandhi's celibacy, it flattens their contrasting political positions into a mere difference of temperament that could be solved through dialogue.
However, this approach undermines the frightening persistence of the ideology at stake. To suggest that after spending time together in a jail cell, Godse would go as far as saving Gandhi from another assassination attempt is a naive belief that violence is a part of human nature, which can easily be reformed. This ignores how oppression operates on a systematic level, and how it can only be eradicated through structural change. While the film encourages dialogue and understanding, it must also acknowledge the complexities and realities of the situation. Gandhi and Godse cannot simply be reduced to individual beliefs or temperaments but must be understood within the context of their times and the systemic issues they represent. Only then can a meaningful dialogue be initiated, and real change be achieved.
In an interview with INDIA TODAY the director said that highlighting the version of Nathuram Godse does not mean he approves of his deed which still holds importance in today’s history. “No, I don’t approve of any of that. But I think the incident took place in 1948 and now it is nearly 75 years. Still, I feel we are scared to hear his point of view. And if this happens, then something is definitely wrong. I think, if you ask the younger generation, they would all like to know. And from Godse’s point of view, we see history as to what kind of equation he had in 1948.
When asked whether he is trying to justify the act of Nsthuram Godse. The director replied, “No, why to justify it? The judge did not justify and did not agree with Godse. He was sentenced and hanged. So why will I justify it today? I am only bringing the truth about what Godse spoke.
Does any one of them win in the end? It is more like they figure out each other’s flaws, and learn about themselves better. In the film, Gandhi is no Mahatma and Godse is no villain, they are rather humanized with their own virtues and flaws. However, the biggest issue that comes from a treatment like this is that the plot is oversimplified, and the movie turns rather preachy and bland. try to prove their ideas by emphasizing the same thing again and again. The former wants peace, the latter a Hindu Rashtra. To think that deep-rooted ideologies, that could prompt a man to take a step as big as attempting to assassinate a national figure or another to sit for indefinite fasts, could be changed in a matter of few days with discussions and eye rolls implies too much dilution and naivety. The conviction required to pull off a film of this stature was also missing.
In my personal opinion, the view presented in the film was most needed in the contemporary period when there is an attempt to villainize Gandhi and upgrade the ideologies of Godse and Hindu Rashtra. It is essential to read and understand history before sharing any idea. Gandhi was stubborn, and he was forced to take certain actions, but if not for him, then who would have taken such brave steps against the Britishers? He was an educated intellectual and was respected by the Englishmen. This indicates that he had something significant in him. However, he was also human, and everyone has their share of bad deeds. As an audience, while reading the play and watching the movie, I felt that Gandhi had deep roots in his ideologies, whereas Godse was stuck only to one idea of Hindu Rashtra. However, I must acknowledge that I have not read any history books, so my opinion may not be entirely accurate.
Today, we still witness slogans like 'Go to Pakistan' and the blame game surrounding Gandhi, along with an extremist idea of Hindu Rashtra. Therefore, R. Santoshi's film was made at the right time when there was a need for clarification of thoughts and doctrines. It is necessary to understand the complexities of history and not reduce individuals to mere stereotypes or symbols. Only then can we initiate meaningful dialogue and move towards progress and change.
Here are some reviews of the movie.
Very Well Written.
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