Rajit Kapur on 28 years of playing Mahatma Gandhi in The Making Of The Mahatma, “Somehow in last eight years, the film has become even closer to me” 28 : Bollywood News

October 10, 2024 News जन मंथन

Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s The Making Of The Mahatma remains one of his most pivotal works. As per the title, the movie shows how Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi became Mahatma Gandhi and it featured Rajit Kapur in the titular role. The film recently completed 28 years on October 4. In order to mark that occasion, Kapur spoke with us about the film and his experience of the same.

Rajit Kapur on 28 years of playing Mahatma Gandhi in The Making Of The Mahatma, Somehow in last eight years, the film has become even closer to me

Rajit Kapur on 28 years of playing Mahatma Gandhi in The Making Of The Mahatma, “Somehow in last eight years, the film has become even closer to me”

It’s been 28 years of playing the young Mohandas in Shyam Benegal’s The Making Of The Mahatma
It’s been 28 years, but somehow in the last eight years, the film has become even closer to me, because I’ve been involved with the Spik Mackay group, and the film has been screened in various institutions across the country.

You have been accompanying the film to various parts of the world?
I’ve been accompanying, not really the film, but having discussions post the film with various schools, technical institutions, about Gandhi, Gandhi’s thinking, his philosophy, Gandhism, whatever you may call it, just to understand its relevance today. However, I have a quibble about my Mahatma experience.

What is that?
I find that the press only wakes up on the relevance of the Mahatma on Gandhi Jayanti, and I get calls to ask me about my experience about The Making Of The Mahatma. And that happens every year on October 1st or two days before Gandhi Jayanti. But yeah, my film The Making Of The Mahatma suddenly become more important than I thought it would ever be.

Why do you think that happened?
Because of being the film that really reflects on the turning point in his life, and what made him change his mind about coming back from South Africa to India and serving his country. And the various interesting discussions I’ve had with a lot of the youth today, some of them are able to pick out certain things that they could still apply today.

Please elaborate?
It’s not just about, you know, non-violence, but, Gandhiji said. ‘Be the change that you want to be’, and that’s a real tough one. It’s very tough to be the change that you want to see.

What do you feel about the revisionist opinion on Mahatma Gandhi?
I find in certain schools and colleges, there’s been a lot of criticism, you know, but there are all these hypothetical questions. What would he have done today? Would he have done the same thing? But he did what he had to do at that time. You know, I find that a bit ridiculous to think of how would he have reacted today, what he would have done, you know. These are different circumstances, you know, different kind of attitude and different kind of thinking.

You remain close to Gandhism?
Yes, very interesting sessions in so many schools across the country. I’m still doing that. I’m going to Dhanbad on the 14th and 15th of this month. You know, I was in Dibrugarh and the North East in March, and I promised Spic Mackay at least, you know, 8 to 10 sessions every year with various institutions, just on showing the students the film, and then talking about it like a Q&A.