Force Fed Films: Gandhi (1982)

All year, Puneet has been trying to get me to watch Gandhi but I either couldn't find a copy, or my stubborn mind would convince me it was going to be boring, and I would just watch what I already had. I guess he finally couldn't take it anymore, and made it this week's "Force Fed Film" for me. I know very little about Gandhi's life other than that he taught peace above all else. I had a feeling I was going to be very bored by this 191 minute biography, so I honestly wasn't looking forward to it at all. The last movie I saw Ben Kingsley in was that terrible garbage called The Sexy Beast and I didn't like him at all in it, so that just reduced my interest in seeing him in this. With great hesitation, I started watching Gandhi, and you can find my final thoughts after the jump.


Mahatma Gandhi wasn't always the man you've probably seen in all the famous pictures of him. The film starts when he's still a young lawyer traveling to South Africa to work on a case. When he's discovered in a First Class car, he is thrown off the train even though he has a ticket. This spurs him on to help free the Indians of South Africa through non-violent and peaceful action. It's not an easy task at all, and he is imprisoned for his actions. Eventually he succeeds, and after doing so he goes home to India only to realize his eyes are finally open to a similar situation there. You see, the British rule over India with an iron grip, and he decides to slowly work to free his people in his homeland as well.

A young Gandhi in South Africa working to free his people from racist laws

Gandhi is, of course, played by Ben Kingsley. While I didn't like him in the last role I saw him in, his performance as Gandhi was fantastic! He was captivating and really brought him back to life. There were times I forgot I wasn't watching the real deal. He just had a charisma to him that made him so fascinating to watch. He wasn't the only good actor ether; everyone did a great job, but by far Ben Kingsley was the best. And it's a good thing too since he's the star and is in almost every single scene!

Another thing that I thought was really good, was the progressive aging we see in the film. The film spans most of Gandhi's life, and over the course of the movie, we see him, his wife, his friends and family all grow old. I don't think I've seen it done so convincingly ever before. The Back to the Future people sure could learn a thing or two from this!

Old Gandhi

The messages of this movie were powerful, and possibly the best part about the whole thing. There is pretty much no action at all in the movie, save for one scene, but I wouldn't really call that an "action scene". More like one of the most horrific things I've ever witnessed. The whole film is just a very real drama dealing with racism, oppression, and poverty. What I found the most surprising, is that while I thought I would be incredibly bored before I watched it, it turned out that was far from the truth. I was always interested, and always fascinated by what was going on in the film. I never felt the weight of time pressing down on me as can happen with some longer films. Instead I just wanted more and more, and I kept getting it. Absolutely fantastic!

I can't praise this movie enough! This is the story of a real man, and real events of the world, and it's amazing! Sure this movie won't be for everyone. There are a lot of people who don't like straight up dramas, let alone historical biographies! But this was a great movie to me because not only did it entertain, but it educated me about a culture, a people, an important time in history, and an inspirational man unlike any other! I highly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it. Also, I can hardly believe this was made in 1982, it looks like it was made just a year or two ago. Easily a classic for all time!