My story of Gandhi goes back a few years to a long haul flight, where I managed to watch the first half – and then the tape snapped and so I was unable to complete the spectacle. Fast forward a few years and rewind a few months and I finally saw the whole epic in one go – or close enough – this time on DVD.
It is huge. The history, the personalities, the events. The story of one man who preached passive resistance, convinced others of his conviction and freed India from Empire. And the shattering of that dream as India split apart into states separated by religion that even today simmer with tension, and his own assassination.
The story itself is incredible enough, and it is told in a slow, methodical way. Even the 15 minute intermission was “lovingly” kept in the DVD, though the insane people at the DVD Chapter Making Club decided to put the chapter break in the middle of the pitch-black intermission “scene”.
What can I say? It is a classic. A bum-numbing 3 hours, but engrossing and incredible nonetheless. And now there is even a statue to the great man outside Wellington train station. How cool is that.
Verdict: A great movie in every sense – 5 reincarnations out of 5
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