Ever since watching the movie Slumdog Millionaire this year, I've been increasingly interested in India-themed books and movies. I realized that I just didn't know much about Indian history and culture, despite the fact that many of my colleagues are from India. I read the incredible (and, at 1400 pages, incredibly long) novel A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, which takes place a few years after the partition of India and Pakistan. The novel piqued my interest in that period of Indian history, so next on the agenda was the movie Gandhi (1982).
Gandhi tells the story of Mohatma Gandhi's struggle against British colonial rule in India
We watched Gandhi together as a family, and even though the movie was over three hours long we were held spellbound throughout the entire movie. Needless to say, I was incredibly moved by the performance of Ben Kingsley as Mohatma Gandhi.
A highly recommended movie!
I always associate this film with being at school. First time seeing it was in history class junior year at Sequoia High, then a few years later sat in on a screening at the SPU student union building; at the former it seemed like another long biopic and I was likely itching to watch something else instead, like Aliens. Second time was more meaningful and came when my political consciousness was developing. Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Gandhi as a professor pacifist really had an impact and influenced me for years to follow.
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