Sudhir Mishra, Manoj Bajpayee's film on Gandhi begins shooting
What's the story
The shooting for the much-anticipated Hindi film, tentatively titled Gandhi and My Mother, has begun in Lucknow. National Award-winning filmmaker Sudhir Mishra is at the helm of this project, which stars Manoj Bajpayee as Mahatma Gandhi. The film also features actors Divya Dutta and Saurabh Shukla.
Filming details
Period film set in the 1940s
The shooting for Gandhi and My Mother began on Friday with an outdoor sequence in Lucknow, reported Hindustan Times.
The first scene was shot at the Narhi locality near the Lucknow Zoo, featuring a young girl and Bapu's public movement.
The production team has successfully recreated the 1940s era with vintage cars, costumes, and old signboards adding to the authenticity of the period setting.
Actor's preparation
Bajpayee has lost considerable weight for the role
Benaras Mediaworks founder Anubhav Sinha, who is producing the film, revealed more about Bajpayee's preparation.
"Manoj has lost considerable weight for the film and is currently in the 'Gandhi zone' on a restricted diet and a particular lifestyle."
"The film's shoot will continue till October in Lucknow. All we can share is that it's about a 21-day chapter from Gandhi's life."
Filmmaker's inspiration
Mishra's mother met Gandhi as a child
Mishra has a personal connection to the film's subject.
In an earlier interview with HT City, he had said, "My mother (Durga Devendra Nath Mishra) had met Gandhi as a child, and we have had long discussions with her about him."
"Before she passed away (in 2022), I made a promise to her that I will make a film on him."
Past projects
Mishra has shot several films in Lucknow
This is not the first time Mishra and Sinha are working together. The duo had earlier collaborated on Afwaah (2023).
Mishra has also shot several films in his hometown of Lucknow, including Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin (1987), Daas Dev (2018), and Afwaah.
Sinha has also directed multiple projects in the state capital, such as Mulk (2018), Article 15 (2019), Thappad (2020), and Bheed (2023).