By Renu Mehta
Toronto
Creators Hansal Mehta and Sameer Nair saw a powerful story in the life of civil rights leader Mohandas Gandhi and decided to turn it into a major TV series. The first two episodes of Gandhi directed by Hansal Mehta were showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
The series is based on two books by historian Ramachandra Guha: Gandhi Before India and Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World. It shows Gandhi not just as a leader, but as a curious and thoughtful young man and how one man’s search for truth helped change the world.
The character of Gandhi is played by theatre actor Pratik Gandhi, a well-known theatre actor who has also done several films and web series. An interesting fact is that his real wife Bhamini Oza Gandhi plays the role of his wife Kasturba in the web series. In an exclusive interview with Renu Mehta, he speaks about how he prepared for the role of Gandhi.
How did you mentally and emotionally connect with Gandhi’s journey?
We had a very clear brief. We had to make him human. Let’s not think we are making the story of a Mahatma, the Father of the Nation. We took out all these adjectives and said let’s tell the story of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who is just an 18 year old boy with different dreams but entrusted with different responsibilities, many of which he didn’t want to assume, but he was given the burden. So I just had to create that innocent 18 year old boy. By the way, I am 48 years old and it’s very difficult to portray that innocence because life has taught you differently.
Can you share how you researched and prepared to portray Gandhi in this series?
I transported myself to 1888 and the biggest advantage I had was that I performed Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on stage for ten years. I performed a 100 minute monologue in three different languages. This helped me. Somehow, I was performing unknowing that I would get a chance to play this on a bigger screen.
How was it different to play the role of Gandhi for the big screen in a web series?
I had to tweak my thought process from within – each and every line, sequence, score, relationship I was in the series from the angle of Mohan, not Mahatma. So I had to ensure that even those words of wisdom should not come from this portrayal because that came later and at the time he didn’t know he would become such a big leader. I had to play with vulnerability, the fear he had at the time and I do hope that it got translated in the role.
When did you first perform Gandhi’s role for the first time?
I was in primary school and dressed as Gandhi in a fancy dress competition. Since then, I have read all about him. So I always thought what it would be like to become Mohandas K Gandhi at that time. I always thought he was a superhero at the time, but as I grew up, I realized that no one is born Mahatma. We are all human beings – the one who has the ability and power to get up every time you fail, creates something bigger and magical for himself, for the nation and for the world.
