Last Updated: January 26, 2023, 09:25 IST
Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh is a brave film to make. Is one playing to the gallery? The gallery here being the daily mud slinging that Mahatma Gandhi is subjected to on Twitter. Or does it try to understand Nathuram Godse’s psyche? Regardless, there is no justification for murder. But what if Gandhi never died? What if Gandhi survived?
Rajkumar Santoshi’s latest film might divide the audiences. It is not impossible to see that the very fact that Godse is humanised might anger many. Nevertheless, this tarantinoesque altering of history might pique some interest. However that is not to say that this film has the complete intellectual acumen to juxtapose both ideologies. After a while it is a long litany of answers to Godse’s questions. Nothing that we don’t know. A segment that intends to criticise Gandhi’s traditionalist views may make many look into their phones every now and then.
However, Santoshi raises a very pivotal question in the film. Had Gandhi lived, would we have seen a parallel government? One at odds with Nehru’s idea of rapid industrialisation.
Deepak Antani plays Gandhi and Chinmay Mandlelar is Godse. Both actors, in a way, do justice to the ideologies. A seasoned entity comes across a force of thunderous frustration. However, what the performance lacks is the undulation. The tone remains unchanged throughout.
There is a lot that can be done with a storyline where Gandhi lives. The first half of the film moves like a breeze, however it is in the second half that Santoshi bravely plays with fire. He employs Mahatma Gandhi himself to dispel rumours that one routinely comes across. The ending might leave many surprised and not in a good way. You might see it coming but people who subscribe to either ideology would seethe. Nevertheless, the film does well to set the record straight with respect to countless TV debates, hopefully, for once and all.
