Documentary on Mahatma Gandhi wins top award at New York Film Festival; makers open up

Mahatma Gandhi has been the subject of various books, films and series over the decades and many of them have made headlines for its award-winning portrayal of the legend's life. After Gandhi stormed the Oscars in 1983, a documentary on the freedom fighter’s life has now been awarded. Ahimsa-Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless was recently honoured with the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 21st New York Indian Festival.

Gandhi documentary honoured at New York Indian Festival

Ahimsa-Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless has been produced by internationally-renowned South African filmmaker Anant Singh, as per PTI. Singh had produced the venture to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi in 2019. However, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The documentary has been written and directed by Ramesh Sharma.

“We are honoured to receive the Best Documentary Feature Award from the prestigious New York Indian Film Festival. For us, the award affirms the importance of Gandhi’s teachings and his impact on freedom struggles around the world which we capture in the film. We are also delighted to be perpetuating Gandhi’s legacy through our film,” said Sharma.

“Whilst Gandhi has a global legacy, South Africa has a special connection with the Gandhi narrative as it was here, in South Africa, that he became sensitised to issues of human rights and equality,” Singh said.

“Gandhi’s influence will continue to inspire and motivate other leaders to make a change, through non-violence, for peace,” Singh added.

The venture had been completed on June 7, the day Gandhi was thrown off a train in South Africa, where he practiced law, as it was reserved only for whites. The incident sparked his movement against discrimination of all kinds, that reached various parts of the world. 

Numerous historians and academics across the globe have shared their opinions on Gandhi’s impact on the world. His granddaughter Ela Gandhi in South Africa and US-based grandsons Arun Gandhi and Rajmohan Gandhi too expressed their thoughts on Gandhi in the documentary.

“This film comes at a time when the world needs to be reminded of the Mahatma’s teachings of peace and non-violence,” Singh said.

“It reminds us that we need to restore human rights and dignity on a universal level,” he said.

Veteran of the American Civil Rights Movement, that Gandhi had a deep impact on through his teachings like non-violence, had opened up in the documentary.  

The manner in which Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Barack Obama were inspired by Gandhi’s teachings and his impact on the Solidarity Movement in Poland as well as Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa have been addressed in the documentary.

“The film speaks to the conscience of humanity as people globally grapple with intractable problems surrounding race, and as societies struggle to give the marginalised and underserved human dignity and restore fundamental human rights,” Singh said.

“It deals with oppression and the denial of basic freedoms to people by those who are in positions of power and who fiercely protect their positions by inflicting violence on innocent people,” he said.

The documentary also features the song Ahimsa performed by AR Rahman and U2, and written by the former and Bono of U2.

Singh and Sharma also shared that the UK premiere of the documentary was scheduled at the London Indian film Festival in the Extra-Ordinary Lives section on June 20.

(With PTI inputs)