Time and again, cinema has shown us the importance of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi through various media including plays and musicals. Bollywood saw a series of films made on the 'father of the nation' also fondly known as Bapuji and his principles.
We had Ben Kingsley starring as Gandhi in the movie released in 1982. The biographical film, 'Gandhi' focused on the trials and tribulations that Gandhiji went through during his freedom movement.
Another popular film was 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' starring Sanjay Dutt along with Arshad Warsi. The actor Munna in the film sees the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi and uses non-violent ways based on Gandhian values to help people.
On the other hand, 'Gandhi — My Father', a film based on the biography of Harilal, showcased the relationship between Gandhiji and his son Hari. The film also shows how Hari wanted to study abroad and become a barrister like his father but Gandhi wanted him to help him in his fight for freedom.
The 'Making of Mahatma' was another Hindi film with Rajat Kapur playing Gandhi's role released in 1996. Likewise, 'Hey Ram' or 'Oh God' was a bilingual Hindi and Tamil film written, directed and produced by Kamal Hasan who also starred as the protagonist in the movie. The film released in 2000 saw Nasserudin Shah playing the role of Mahatma Gandhi.
'Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara' which released in 2005 tells us the story of a retired Hindi teacher who falls prey to Alzheimers disease. He sees a picture of Gandhiji, a newspaper photo, and strangely believes that he was the one who killed Gandhi.
There were many other films made on Gandhiji in different languages. In Kannada, we had Girish Kasaravalli's 'Koormavathara' and 'Gandhi Smiles'. Kasaravalli's film was the adaptation of a novel by Kum Veerabhadrappa and was produced by Basanthkumar Patil. The film talks about a government servant who is at the edge of retirement and wants to adhere to the principles of Mahatma Gandhi.
The movie bagged the prestigious National Award in Best Kannada Feature Film category.
'Gandhi Smiles' directed by Krish Joshi talks about a common issue observed in the upper cast of the society wherein a pregnant girl is ditched by her lover and she eventually ends up aborting the child.
This movie also highlighted the concept 'Gram Swarajya' (a stateless, classless society) which was extremely dear to Gandhiji.