
In Gandhi Tatha Chettu, the 13-year-old protagonist is named Gandhi. She was named by her grandfather in memory of the revered political leader who paved the path for India’s freedom. However, a young girl named Gandhi is not merely a quirky detail here. The freedom struggle of our nation was fought not just for its time but also for a better future. So, when Gandhi’s grandfather sows seeds for a plant, and Gandhi later strives to preserve it against all odds, we realise it’s no less a noble intent.
Debutant director Padmavathi Malladi, who has written for works like Mahanati and Brinda, narrates this story with great confidence. In fact, Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy looms large in the film. While the first half moves at an idyllic, casual pace, following the everyday life of Gandhi (Sukriti Veni Bandreddi), the second half is equally single-minded in its tone and story—it’s a 13-year-old girl on a solo, herculean mission to save her village from an industrialist. Her various attempts, big and small, funny and melancholic, mirror Mahatma Gandhi’s unrelenting struggle. Despite the thematic richness, the film settles for a largely saccharine sweet tone, and the message is rather conventional, barely anything you haven’t seen before — protecting nature, preserving your heritage, the perennial need to be self-reliant, thinking of the collective good. However, Padmavathi Malladi goes all in, capturing these moments with a lot of heart. It’s hard not to root for Gandhi in her journey—her naivete and fearlessness bring a smile to your face.
There are many small touches that highlight the earnestness of the film— like when Ramachandraiah asks Gandhi to treat her detractors like she treats a coin that fell on the floor. “Just shake off the dust and carry the value it adds to you,” he says. The way the camera focuses on Gandhi’s scalp for a long duration as the barber shaves the hair, or when Gandhi walks in bald while teaching the villagers how to make jaggery — we don’t dwell on the villagers’ shocked faces; we simply move on to their excitement to see what they can learn from a teenager. At one point, when Gandhi is distraught after her best friends criticise Mahatma Gandhi, claiming that possibly delayed the independence, she goes to her grandfather, who gives her much-needed clarity. Even though the film is set in the early 2000s, this moment feels relevant today, in a socio-political atmosphere riddled with misinformation.
Also, Padmavathi Malladi captures the village in an evocative way where it feels alive, a place brimming with real people with their own set of hardships. It helps that they cast real villagers, adding authenticity to the visuals. Sukriti Veni Bandreddi, in her debut, delivers a competent performance, particularly in the portions that capture Gandhi’s inherent naivete. In the supporting cast, Anand Chakrapani leaves a strong impact as Ramachandraiah, the voice of reason in a village struggling to hold its ground.
It’s only in the climactic sequence that the film slightly buckles under the weight of its noble intentions, with one of the primary characters having an epiphany that feels rushed and not fully earned. And yet, this is also the sequence where the film almost veers into magical realism, reminding us of its fable-like quality at the heart of it. It doesn’t come together strongly enough, and yet, like the rest of the film, what remains admirable is the director’s conviction. The sermonising here is on the sleeves and yet heartwarming — precisely because it is so unabashed in its earnestness.
Like most films with a message to deliver, Gandhi Tatha Chettu also has an evil figure, a negative force that must learn the lesson. Satish (played by Rag Mayur with a casual charm) is an opportunistic city man unafraid to uproot a village for his own gains. A little before the interval, Satish meets Ramachandraiah, who preaches kindness and non-violence. And yet, when he enquires Satish about how many trees he has planted in his lifetime, the question is followed by a brutal assertion that Satish doesn’t deserve to breathe the air he lives in.
Anand Chakrapani delivers the scathing critique in such a calm manner that the moment hits you hard. Irrespective of how sweetly you deliver it, an urgent wake-up call remains as urgent. Playing within the confines of a sweet, message-driven movie, Gandhi Tatha Chettu accomplishes just that, leaving us emotional with its simplicity and wholesomeness.
Gandhi Tatha Chettu
Cast: Sukriti Veni Bandreddi, Rag Mayur, Ananda Chakrapani, Bhanu Prakash, Nehal Anand
Director: Padmavathi Malladi
Rating: 3/5