Mahatma Gandhi And Movies: DYK Vikram Bhatt's Grandfather Made The Only Film That Father Of The Nation Ever Watched

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt’s mother Varsha Pravin Bhatt passed away on Saturday morning following prolonged illnes. She was 75. In a podcast, Vikram had revealed how his mother took him to a movie set for the first time when he was just a little over 2 years. The Bhatt family has made movies since before Independence and while there have been many milestones that they have achieved, one stands out.

According to film historian Dilip Thakur, Vikram Bhatt's filmmaker grandfather Vijay Bhatt made the only movie that the "Father of the Nation" Mahatma Gandhi ever saw. Back in 1943, three shows of Vijay Bhatt's Ram Rajya played in Bombay, in Hindi and Marathi. It was amongst the three movies the director made on Lord Rama, according to reports. Mahatma Gandhi is said to have watched Ram Rajya in the cinema halls. According to Thakur, Ram Raya is the only movie that Gandhi ever saw and mentioned of “Ram Rajya” during the freedom struggle. According to Thakur, Vijay Bhatt, years later, also remade Ram Rajya in colour with Bina Rai instead of Shobhna Samarth as Sita. 

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About his grandfather's Ram Rajya and its connection to Gandhi, Vikram Bhatt also spoke on Bharti TV. He recounted how his mother took him along on the outdoor schedule of Vijay Bhatt's Banphool in the 1970s. Vikram's father Pravin Bhatt, who worked as a cinematographer on many movies including Umrao Jaan, Masoom, Agneepath, Arth, Aashiqui and Raaz, was also on set with a baby Vikram and his wife Varsha Pravin.

On September 6, a video from the Bhatt residence in Bandra saw some people close to the family coming in to pay tributes. The last rites were held at around 2pm at Versova crematorium in presence of family.