Rajkumar Hirani: Video dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi was in the making for a year

The filmmaker talks about the two-minute video that he created to pay homage to Gandhi
Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, who introduced a generation of Indians to Gandhigiri through his films, crafted a two minute-video paying tribute to Mahtama Gandhi, as part of his 150th birth anniversary celebrations. Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Kangana Ranaut, Alia Bhatt and Sonam K Ahuja were roped in to pay homage to the father of the nation in the video, which was shot both in English and Hindi.
Talking about the video, Rajkumar Hirani told us, “About a year ago, I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. At that time, while appreciating the reach cinema has, he had said that governments can make laws and policies but filmmakers can reach out to the hearts of people and bring about social change more easily and effectively. He suggested that we should make a film to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and take his thoughts to the youngsters. After pondering over some ideas for a few months, I zeroed in on an idea a few months ago. I decided to keep it simple and straightforward. The actors were extremely cooperative. While I was prepared to shoot with them on different days at different locations, assuming they are all very busy, they agreed to shoot it in one day at a studio.”
The three Khans came together to shoot for Rajkumar Hirani’s video
The video is the first of several such videos, which will be brought out periodically, extending the celebrations across a year. Elaborating on the theme of the video, Hirani said, “We cannot summarise Mahatma Gandhi’s life even in three hours in a movie. So, even in our video, the attempt is to remind people of his values and bring him alive within us again. So much more on his life will be done this year. All that together will hopefully inspire more youngsters to know about him.”
In 2006, Rajkumar Hirani’s Lage Raho Munnabhai had tried to highlight the Gandhian philosophies in an interesting, audience-friendly manner. Even 13 years after release, the film continues to be watched and referred to in popular culture. While the filmmaker moved on to other projects, the Sanjay Dutt-Arshad Warsi-starrer went on to achieve cult status.
When we brought this up, Hirani said, “When I saw Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, I was blown away. After that, I started reading about the Mahatma. Gandhi bashing was in fashion when I was growing up. He was blamed for the Partition and far too many things. People thought his ways won’t work today. But I thought it might be interesting to bring him out in today’s time and show the world that his ways can work even now. Munnabhai, a goon, meeting Mahatma Gandhi, a non-violent man, opened up many opportunities for a fun-filled film with the right message that resonates with people even now.”
#ChangeWithin: Eight actors come together for a short film by Rajkumar Hirani to pay tribute to Gandhi
Talking about Saturday’s event, Hirani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi delivered an inspiring speech. “There were 40-50 of us from the industry present in the room. He told all of us to realise our potential as communicators and how we can bring about a big change in our social fabric. He assured us that the government will support us in our endeavours to make India a better society,” Hirani said.
“I am sure more directors will now come forward and make films that underline change. The PM’s response time is pretty exemplary. He has been trying consistently to address our issues. There was an officer from the I&B ministry at the gathering who tabled our industry issues. The concern with high GST rates was addressed pretty swiftly. The PM is now trying to address our concerns about one-window clearances for shooting, curbing and eliminating piracy from the system, and simplifying the process of working with the animal welfare board, among others. It’s really good for us that he is available to us whenever we need him,” he added.