FILM REVIEW: MAINE GANDHI KO NAHIN MAARA (2005)

Cast: Anupam Kher, Urmila Matondkar, Parvin Dabas, Rajit Kapur, Boman Irani, Sudhir Joshi, Raju Kher, Vishwaas Paandya, Prem Chopra
Direction: Jahnu Barua
Production: Anupam Kher
Music: Bappi Lahiri

When you have film like Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara which is produced by Anupam Kher, distributed by Yashraj Films and directed by nine-time national award winner Jahnu Barua the expectation get high enough. MGKNM is a great story, about a professor, on the verge of dissolution. Given Barua’s proven track record as well as Anupam Kher’s skills it should have been more than what it turns out to be.

Jahnu Barua’s movie Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara is not about the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The movie is about the Gandhian ideals that have been conveniently forgotten by today’s generation. In addition to that the film tries to understand the human psyche.

Professor Uttam Chaudhary (Anupam Kher), writer of respected tomes of Hindi literature, is a retired man living in present day Bombay with two of his three children, Trisha (Urmila Matondkar) and son Karan. The older son Ronu (Rajat Kapur) lives away from them in the US. Professor is a gentle, scholarly, brilliant man who shares a very warm relationship with his children. In the midst of their heartwarming interactions, we start noticing something going wrong. The Professor starts forgetting things, minor things in the beginning, getting on to bigger incidents. He is at that stage of his life when the instances from the present vanish away in moments while the memories of the past strike back with strengthened venom on a continuous basis.

As the Professor’s condition deteriorates, so does the life of his children, especially his daughter who has to neglect her job because of her concern for her father. Her fiance abruptly breaks up with her because her father’s condition that is not acceptable to him or his parents. Trisha holds fast to her diminishing father, despite an uncooperative younger brother, a largely absent older brother and a fleeing fiance.

Meanwhile, the professor’s condition begins to worsen. Flashes from his early memory begin to convince him that he is the man who killed Gandhiji. He has a problem dealing with a memory that tells him that he was once accused of murdering Gandhi! As a result of this, Professor Chaudhary doesn’t find peace anywhere. He finds himself accused, taunted, and threatened at every nook and corner, be it a busy street or the deepest corner in his house. Such is the extent of his trauma that even his house starts seeming to him as a jail while his family appears to him as his captors. He also begins insisting that he did not kill Mahatma Gandhi!

Doctors give various possible explanations for the professor’s illness - paranoia, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia etc. But the problem lies deeper. The professor has a guilt deep inside which ought to be brought out. For this, Trisha and the docs decide to orchestrate a courtroom drama. It’s her strong will and determination to relieve her father of his illness that makes Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara an engaging ride! Then the Professor makes a speech in the end about everyone in the nation being guilty of killing Gandhi by letting him and his ideals down. This reflects that the Professor hasn’t lost himself completely.

Anupam Kher is brilliant as Professor Uttam Chaudhary. He deserves an award for his performance in the film. He convincingly brings out the paranoia and the inner conflicts of his character. Urmila, after Pinjar and Tehzeeb, hands in yet another wonderful, intense performance. Whether it is her anguish at her father’s deterioration, her frustration and anger at him when he “lets her down” in front of her prospective in-laws, or the betrayal she feels when her fiance marries some one else, her expressions count. She deserves distinction marks here. The guy who plays Karan is also effective and very convincing as the young, ‘not quite ready to handle the responsibility of an ill father’ kind of brother. Director Jahnu Barua tells the story with great finesse. A sensitive subject like this one could have fallen flat, if not for Barua’s impeccable cinematic presentation that always focuses on the content and the emotive appeal rather than on style and technicalities.

But the entire courtroom episode in the post-interval portions makes it too theatrical! The basic thought of making Anupam shed his guilt by cross-examining in court seems far-fetched, inappropriate, totally uncalled for. The lawyer (Boman Irani) screaming at the patient (Anupam Kher) appears very harsh and overtly dramatic. At best, MGKNM will be remembered more for Anupam Kher’s brilliant performance than the experience in totality! To be honest, the film would’ve been ideal as a play/stage or tele-film and the concept isn’t exciting for movieplexes and even if a section of moviegoers do appreciate the effort, its appeal would be restricted to just a handful of people. Also If Barua’s screenplay was most absorbing in the first 45 minutes; it slackens considerably in the next 45 minutes. The post-interval portions are engaging in bits and spurts, like the flashback portions.

On the whole, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara is a thought provoking film that raises questions on many issues - the forgotten Gandhian ideals, the trauma of people in old age, the indifference of some children and the commitment of others. The movie involves a viewer from initial reels and keeps him engaged until the end.

RS Rating: 6/10

Credit: This review was submitted by Ankit Jain of Footprints.in. They run their own movie Blog at DCECinemas. To submit your own review for posting on radiosargam.com please email.