Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh (transl. Gandhi Godse – A War) is a 2023 Indian-Hindi language history film written and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, and produced by Manila Santoshi. The film stars Deepak Antani and Chinmay Mandlekar in the lead roles.[3] The film deals with a fictional situation in which Mahatma Gandhi survives his assassination and thereafter decides to not only pardon Nathuram Godse, but also socialize with him.
| Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Rajkumar Santoshi |
| Written by | Rajkumar Santoshi Asghar Wajahat (Dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | Rajkumar Santoshi |
| Produced by | Manila Santoshi[1] |
| Starring | Deepak Antani Chinmay Mandlekar Tanisha Santoshi Ghanshyam Srivastav Anuj Saini |
| Cinematography | Rishi Punjabi |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | Santoshi Productions LLP |
| Distributed by | PVR Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes[2] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Plot
editGodse holds Gandhi responsible for the partition and misery of Hindus. He shoots Gandhi on 30 January 1948 but Gandhi is miraculously saved and pardons Godse. After breaking his ties with the Congress, Gandhi begins his Gram Swaraj Movement to inspire villages towards self-reliance. Meanwhile, the system highlights Godse's writing and manipulates public sentiment against Gandhi whose interference has created a ruckus within the government. This leads to Gandhi's arrest which he insists on serving with Godse. They have multiple debates and arguments, even confrontations in prison. Soon Gandhi and Godse start to understand each other. Gradually Gandhi brings a change over Godse. During a marriage officiated by Gandhi, another attacker tries to shoot and kill him; Godse saves his life and soon together they are released from jail.
Cast
edit- Deepak Antani as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- Chinmay Mandlekar as Nathuram Vinayak Godse
- Tanisha Santoshi as Sushma
- Anuj Saini as Naren
- Pawan Chopra as Jawaharlal Nehru
- Mukund Pathak as B. R. Ambedkar[4]
- Ghanshyam Srivastav as Vallabhbhai Patel
- Sandeep Bhojak as Jailer Amod Rai[5]
- Vipul Deshpande as DSP Rana
Production
editSantoshi confessed in pre-release promotions that it was hard to receive investment for such a large scale film with a potentially controversial subject. He added that it was only after composer A. R. Rahman accepted to do the film, investors started showing interest, and the film may not have been made if Rahman said 'no'.[6]
Filming commenced on 20 September 2020 and was wrapped on 6 May 2022. Bhopal and Mumbai served as the principal locations.
Music
edit| Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 26 January 2023 (Film) | |||
| Genre | Feature Film soundtrack | |||
| Language | Hindi | |||
| Label | Sangeet Music | |||
| A.R. Rahman chronology | ||||
| ||||
The music is composed by A. R. Rahman in his third collaboration with Rajkumar Santoshi after Pukar and The Legend of Bhagat Singh. The director-composer duo had not collaborated for over two decades, though Rahman was approached for Khakee and he did not sign it due to scheduling conflicts.[7]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" | Late Lakshmanacharya | Various Artists | 3:04 |
| 2. | "Vaishnav Jan To" | Narsinh Mehta | Shreya Ghoshal | 5:54 |
| Total length: | 8:58 | |||
Release
editThe film was released in India on 26 January 2023, coinciding with the Indian Republic Day.[8]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 0% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.3/10.[9]
The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its performances, visual style, music, and cinematography, but criticized its screenplay and story.[10][11][12][8]
Due to the dispute over the context of the film, Santoshi sought police protection after allegedly receiving threats.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Jhoolan Prasad Gupta from engineering to film producer with Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 30 January 2023.
- ^ "Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Director Rajkumar Santoshi says 'we are scared to hear Godse's..." India Today. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh credits". Metacritic.
- ^ "Sandeep Bhojak: Actor should never restrict oneself". 21 January 2023.
- ^ "Gandhi Godse Wouldn't Have Been Possible Without AR Rahman" - Rajkumar Santoshi, retrieved 1 February 2023
- ^ "The man who doesn't matter in Khakee". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ a b Kumar, Anuj (26 January 2023). "'Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh' movie review: A timely dialogue on the idea of India". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "Gandhi Godse-Ek Yudh". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh Review - Means Well Overall But Doesn't Fare Particularly Well". NDTV.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ MISHRA, UTKARSH. "Gandhi Godse - Ek Yudh Review: Idea Gone Astray". Rediff. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh movie review: This revisionist take on Mahatma Gandhi, Nathuram Godse is both naïve and insidious". The Indian Express. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Gandhi Godse director Rajkumar Santoshi seeks police protection after getting threats, says 'I feel unsafe'". India Today. Retrieved 1 February 2023.