Kapil’s comedy thriller....Page 4 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine All about Kinetics........Page 3 The Father through the lens form the soul of a nation but could not save the For millions of Indian children today, Gandhi is identified with the bald, soul of his own son,” said Feroz Abbas Khan, bespectacled old man whose face appears in the currency note. Within this who directed the Anil Kapoor-produced Gand- hi, My Father (2007), a tragic tale narrated from ambiance of anonymity and ignorance, Hindi cinema has succeeded to some the perspective of his eldest son Harilal Gand- hi. extent in liberating the Father of the Nation from his captive anonymity frozen Mohandas (2008) directed by cinematogra- on rectangular pieces of paper to celebrate the principles he lived by. On pher-director Mazhar Kamran is based on a real-life incident, turned into a novel by Uday the occasion of his birth anniversary, on Oct 2, Shoma A. Chatterji looks at Prakash. It narrates how in contemporary films on portrayal of Gandhi and on his ideologies India, the values of honesty, integrity and non- violence Gandhi stood for have decayed so When Richard Attenborough made Gandhi Mara (2005) presents Gandhi as a concept much that a young man who tries to live by (1982), no one would have thought Mahatma that is lost on Indians today. It revolves around these principles, is punished instead of reward- Gandhi would be a good bet to be played at the India after Gandhi and the failure of the ed for his goodness. The four things Mohan- high stakes in the Bollywood market. But times ountrymen to live up to his dreams of patriot- das has in common with Gandhi are – his first have changed. So have the average Indian ism, secularism, integrity and commitment. name, his honesty, his integrity and his pacifist filmmaker’s perception about Indian history. The film attempts to raise questions on the attitude towards life. Born into a family of a very Gandhi seems to be omnipresent in many Indi- responsibility of an individual as citizen both poor weaver, Mohandas tries to rise above his an films in terms of ideology, metaphor and for Gandhi's murder and for the people's sub- class with a good education. He becomes the message if not in terms of physical presence. sequent failure to disseminate his ideas and first graduate in his community. He applies for Shyam Benegal’s The Making of the Mahat- his legacy to contemporary Indians. Recalls a job at the Oriental Coal Mines in Annupur and ma (1995) brought out the sacrifices a woman Anupam Kher about his pivotal role in the film, is selected. When the call to report does not must make, albeit with reluctance, when she is "I portrayed a retired professor who lives with come, he goes to find out only to be thrown out. married to a man with a mission. The film his daughter and son in Mumbai. The film When he insists why, they bash him up and tell essayed a strong portrayal of Gandhi’s wife opens with his memory fading slowly, consid- him that he is not the Mohandas he claims to Kasturba (Pallavi Joshi). The personal con- ered a 'natural' phenomenon for ageing peo- be and that the real Mohandas has already flicts between Gandhi and Kasturba often ple. But his dementia leads to another crisis – filled up the vacancy! throw up the schism in the marriage, with Kas- it brings back memories of a lost past, a trau- There are very few true Gandhians alive turba crusading relentlessly for the security ma where he recalls being accused of having who still practice and follow Gandhi’s ideology and welfare of her sons, and the husband slow- assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. The guilt of peace, harmony and secularism. This year’s ly evolving into more of a leader than a hus- comes back and as his present memories release Gour Hari Dastaan - The Freedom File band and father. The film, an Indian-South begin to fade, the past images become sharp- is a feature film that illustrates, through a fic- African co-production, was based on Fatima er. The more his life is whitewashed, the tionalised account, the real struggle of a Gand- Meer’s The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma. stronger this one memory remains.” hian named Gour Hari Das who still believes Kamal Hasan's Hey Ram (2000) is In the hit film Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006) described a fictitious series of events that led where Gandhi appears as a motivational ghost in, lives by and practices the teachings and ide- to the assassination of an intriguing leader in front of the atypical hero Munnabhai. ology of Gandhi. Gandhi hovers like symbol, Saket Ram who vacillates between his faith in Through his interactions with Gandhiji’s ghost, a message, a metaphor or as the real person Gandhi and all that he stood for and his hatred Munnabhai begins to practice Gandhigiri, a col- is these films.. for Gandhi he holds responsible for the friction loquial synonym for Gandhism to help ordinary “Munnabhai to theek hai, yeh Mahatma between Hindus and Muslims that led to the people solve their problems. Gandhi metamor- Gandhi kaun hai?' ('Munnabhai is fine, but who Partition of India. His faith in Gandhi is restored phoses into a symbol of social agenda for the is this Mahatma Gandhi?') This was a question when Gandhi is assassinated. The story maximum good of the maximum number with a chai-wallah boy asked director Rajkumar unfolds in flashback from the point of view of Munnabhai becoming the agency. The irony Hirani when he was told that the crew was Saket Ram’s grandson. Saiket Ram dies on the lies in that Gandhi known for his strict adher- shooting for a film named Munnabhai meets seventh anniversary of the destruction of Babri ence to honesty and truth places his faith on Mahatma Gandhi, the original name of the film Masjid in Ayodhya. Of the films on the Mahat- the unlettered but well-meaning pathological that was later changed. Have films evolving ma Hey Ram happens to be the most confus- liar Munnabhai to spread goodness among fel- understanding Gandhi through others till I dis- a beggar. He converted to Islam and became around Gandhi changed this perception? If it ing and ambivalent in approach to the leader low-humans. covered a deep wound he carried in his heart. Abdullah Gandhi as a rebellion, then reconvert- has changed the perspectives of the man on through cinema. “Gandhi has always been compelling, com- Somewhere in the shadows of the great man ed to Hinduism as a penance, finally drinking the street even a bit in terms of awareness, we Jahnu Barua’s Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin plex and strangely contemporary. I grew up lived his son, roaming the streets of India like himself to death. Mahatma Gandhi could trans- have only Hindi cinema to be grateful to. (TWF) NO ‘INDUSTRY STATUS’ FOR TOURISM has been deprived of benefits/incentives available to Gour said that the Tour & Travel Operators, who form the SSI/MSME. backbone of the Tourism Industry, are required to be included He said Tourism industry of which Hotel industry is the main for all other benefits like soft loans for the purchase of Office sector makes a significant contribution to the State Gross Devel- Automation Equipment and purchase of Luxury cars for taxi opment Project (SGDP) and therefore the Government should purposes, 100% subsidy on purchase of Diesel Generating sets give serious thought for their upgradation, infrastructural and Invertors up to 15KVA range, Electric tariff on the same improvement and providing them soft loans and sufficient incen- rates as the Manufacturing Industry instead of Commercial tar- tives. iffs being charged, Income Tax exemption as available to man- Khajuria further said that as the current Industrial policy has ufacturing industry, etc, as available to the Hotel, Transport & expired and the new Industrial Policy is in the offing, therefore other Industry connected with the tourist trade. it is suggested that the new industrial policy should bear uni- formity for all the industrial units and there should be no dis- Condemning the negligent attitude of successive State Gov- crimination. He further submitted that the instances like SRO ernments towards Tourism Industry, President, Chamber of 72 of 2003 which debars Jammu, Katra and Patnitop from avail- Commerce and Industries, Jammu, Rakesh Gupta, said in ing benefits/incentives and were placed in negative list, should last 10 years the number of tourists visiting the State has gone not be repeated. down just because of Government’s apathy, which failed to pro- One of the members of Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant vide proper infrastructure, roads and connectivity to many Association, Firaj Ahmed also accused the Government of tourist places and developed many historical places in Jammu denying ‘industry’ benefits to tourism sector. He said Tourism Industry is the only industry which has the potential of high region which if developed properly might attract a large num- growth and addressing the unemployment issue in the State. ber of tourist from all over the Country. Therefore, the Government should bring Tourism Industry into He said that it is difficult to understand why the State Gov- special category. “If Government supports Tourism Industry it ernment is ignoring this important Industry which has the capac- can do magic in reviving the economy of the State”, he said but ity not only to address the rising unemployment issue but also expressed disappointment that till now, Government made only boosting the economy of the State.