What is the film 'Gandhi' about?

Gandhi , the 1982 British-Indian film, portrays Mahatma Gandhi's life and his nonviolent struggle to liberate India. The film begins with Gandhi's assassination in 1948 and then portrays his early activism in South Africa, where he faced discrimination as a young lawyer. Upon his return to India in 1915, Gandhi advocates nonviolent resistance, which leads to mass protests and his imprisonment. Key events depicted include the Massacre of Amritsar and the Salt March. Despite his efforts for a unified India, the country is partitioned into India and Pakistan. As violence erupts, Gandhi fasts for peace but is assassinated before he can travel to Pakistan.

Who directed the movie 'Gandhi'?

Gandhi , the 1982 British-Indian historical film about Mahatma Gandhi's struggle for Indian independence, was directed by Richard Attenborough . Attenborough secured the approval of Indian Prime Minister Nehru in 1962 to make the film but spent two decades securing financing for the project. Gandhi won eight Academy Awards, including Best Director for Attenborough and Best Picture. The film was generally well-received in India, Britain, and the United States, though it received some criticism for simplifying history and deifying its subject.

Who was Mahatma Gandhi, the main character in the film?

The film Gandhi (1982) tells the story of Mahatma Gandhi , an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who led the Indian Independence Movement against British rule and is considered "the father of the nation". Ben Kingsley played Gandhi in the film. To prepare for the role, Kingsley researched Gandhi's life, practiced yoga, and adopted a vegetarian diet. For his performance, Kingsley won the Academy Award for best actor.

What important events in Gandhi's life does the film show?

The film Gandhi (1982) begins with Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in 1948 and then portrays key events in his life, such as being thrown off a train in South Africa for sitting in a first-class section, his initial protest campaign against the treatment of Indians in South Africa, and his return to British-ruled India in 1915. It also depicts his nonviolent resistance and the Salt March . The movie also shows his participation in a Round Table Conference in London, imprisonment for speaking against World War II, and disagreement with Jinnah over the partition.

How does the film portray Gandhi's use of nonviolent resistance?

The film Gandhi (1982) portrays Mahatma Gandhi's struggle to win independence for India through nonviolent civil disobedience. Played by Ben Kingsley , Gandhi advocates nonviolent resistance, which leads to mass protests and the loosening of restrictions. His methods include burning British-made clothes, weaving clothing, and the Salt March , a protest against the British tax on salt. The film also depicts his fasts to end violence and promote peace between Muslims and Hindus.

What awards or recognition did the film 'Gandhi' receive?

The film Gandhi , released in 1982, garnered significant acclaim, securing eight Academy Awards , including Best Picture. It also won five Golden Globe Awards , such as Best Foreign Film. At the BAFTA ceremony, Gandhi was named Best Film and received four additional BAFTA Awards.

Gandhi

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Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi stands in a courtroom wearing a white cloth, surrounded by men in traditional Indian attire, in a scene from the film Gandhi (1982).

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Awards And Honors:: BAFTA (1983); Golden Globe Award (1983); Academy Award (1983)

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Gandhi

film by Attenborough [1982]

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Patricia Bauer

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Last updated

Sep. 18, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is the film 'Gandhi' about?
Gandhi, the 1982 British-Indian film, portrays Mahatma Gandhi's life and his nonviolent struggle to liberate India. The film begins with Gandhi's assassination in 1948 and then portrays his early activism in South Africa, where he faced discrimination as a young lawyer.

Upon his return to India in 1915, Gandhi advocates nonviolent resistance, which leads to mass protests and his imprisonment. Key events depicted include the Massacre of Amritsar and the Salt March. Despite his efforts for a unified India, the country is partitioned into India and Pakistan. As violence erupts, Gandhi fasts for peace but is assassinated before he can travel to Pakistan.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Gandhi
2. Indian Independence Movement: Gandhi’s return from South Africa
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who directed the movie 'Gandhi'?
Gandhi, the 1982 British-Indian historical film about Mahatma Gandhi's struggle for Indian independence, was directed by Richard Attenborough. Attenborough secured the approval of Indian Prime Minister Nehru in 1962 to make the film but spent two decades securing financing for the project.

Gandhi won eight Academy Awards, including Best Director for Attenborough and Best Picture. The film was generally well-received in India, Britain, and the United States, though it received some criticism for simplifying history and deifying its subject.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Richard Attenborough
2. Gandhi
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who was Mahatma Gandhi, the main character in the film?
The film Gandhi (1982) tells the story of Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who led the Indian Independence Movement against British rule and is considered "the father of the nation".

Ben Kingsley played Gandhi in the film. To prepare for the role, Kingsley researched Gandhi's life, practiced yoga, and adopted a vegetarian diet. For his performance, Kingsley won the Academy Award for best actor.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What important events in Gandhi's life does the film show?
The film Gandhi (1982) begins with Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in 1948 and then portrays key events in his life, such as being thrown off a train in South Africa for sitting in a first-class section, his initial protest campaign against the treatment of Indians in South Africa, and his return to British-ruled India in 1915. It also depicts his nonviolent resistance and the Salt March. The movie also shows his participation in a Round Table Conference in London, imprisonment for speaking against World War II, and disagreement with Jinnah over the partition.
1 Britannica Source
1. Gandhi
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How does the film portray Gandhi's use of nonviolent resistance?
The film Gandhi (1982) portrays Mahatma Gandhi's struggle to win independence for India through nonviolent civil disobedience. Played by Ben Kingsley, Gandhi advocates nonviolent resistance, which leads to mass protests and the loosening of restrictions. His methods include burning British-made clothes, weaving clothing, and the Salt March, a protest against the British tax on salt. The film also depicts his fasts to end violence and promote peace between Muslims and Hindus.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Gandhi
2. Ben Kingsley
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What awards or recognition did the film 'Gandhi' receive?
The film Gandhi, released in 1982, garnered significant acclaim, securing eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It also won five Golden Globe Awards, such as Best Foreign Film. At the BAFTA ceremony, Gandhi was named Best Film and received four additional BAFTA Awards.
1 Britannica Source
1. Gandhi
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Gandhi, British-Indian historical film, released in 1982, that tells the story of Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle to win independence for India through nonviolent civil disobedience. The movie won eight Academy Awards, including that for best picture, and five Golden Globe Awards, including that for best foreign film. It was also named best film at the BAFTA ceremony and took four additional BAFTA Awards.

(Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.)

The movie opens with the 1948 assassination of Gandhi (played by Ben Kingsley) by Nathuram Godse (Harsh Nayyar) and Gandhi’s funeral. The movie then takes up Gandhi’s story in 1893, when he is a young lawyer in South Africa and is thrown off a train for being in the first-class section (where Indians are not permitted) although he has a first-class ticket. He begins a protest campaign against the treatment of Indians in South Africa. His work attracts the attention of an American reporter, Walker (Martin Sheen). After a mass imprisonment of striking Indian miners, Gandhi and General Jan Smuts (Athol Fugard) reach a compromise. Gandhi returns to British-ruled India in 1915 and meets with Congress Party members Jawaharlal Nehru (Roshan Seth) and Sardar Patel (Saeed Jaffrey), who introduce him to Muslim League leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah (Alyque Padamsee). Gandhi travels through the country, learning and advocating nonviolent resistance. The widespread protests do result in some loosening of restrictions. However, a successful general strike is followed by the Massacre of Amritsar, in which troops led by General Reginald Dyer (Edward Fox) fire on a nonviolent protest, killing hundreds.

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Gandhi’s noncooperation movement expands throughout the country. He encourages the burning of British-made clothes and the weaving of clothing to wear instead. When one protest ends in violence by Indians against the British police, Gandhi begins a fast to end the use of violence by protesters. At one point he is imprisoned for sedition. In his most successful protest, he leads the Salt March to the sea so that Indians can make their own salt and avoid paying the British tax on salt. Gandhi later participates in a Round Table Conference in London to discuss the possibility of Indian independence, but no agreement is reached. During World War II, Gandhi and his wife, Kasturba (Rohini Hattangadi), are imprisoned for speaking against the war. After the end of the war, a new British viceroy, Lord Mountbatten (Peter Harlowe) arrives to facilitate Indian independence. Gandhi argues for a unified Hindu and Muslim country, but Jinnah believes that partition is necessary to avert civil war. In the end, British India is divided into the two independent countries of India and Pakistan. When violence breaks out between Muslims and Hindus on the border between the countries, Gandhi begins a long fast for peace. After he breaks his fast, he plans to travel to Pakistan but is assassinated before he can leave.

Director Richard Attenborough decided that he wanted to make a film about Gandhi in 1962 after having read a biography. He attained the approval of Nehru, who was then prime minister of India, and spent the next two decades trying to get the project off the ground. When at last he secured financing, there were protests by Indian filmmakers and others against Indian support going to the making of a British-directed movie about an Indian subject. The movie drew some criticism for its simplification of history and near deification of the title character, but Gandhi was generally well received in India, Britain, and the United States.

Production notes and credits

Studios: International Film Investors, National Film Development Corporation of India, Goldcrest Films International, and Indo-British Films
Director: Richard Attenborough
Music: Ravi Shankar
Cinematographers: Ronnie Taylor and Billy Williams

Cast

Ben Kingsley (Mahatma Gandhi)
Saeed Jaffrey (Sardar Patel)
Roshan Seth (Jawaharlal Nehru)
Alyque Padamsee (Mohammed Ali Jinnah)
Rohini Hattangadi (Kasturba Gandhi)

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)

Picture*
Lead actor* (Ben Kingsley)
Art direction*
Cinematography*
Costume design*
Direction*
Editing*
Makeup
Music
Sound
Writing*

Patricia Bauer

Gandhi

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Production notes and credits

Cast

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)