Did the Father of the Nation fail as a father?

BAPU, THE FATHER: Experts discuss how the Mahatma shaped the nation but hurt his family in the bargain.

        

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According to him, Lage Raho Munnabhai in a very entertaining way gave people ideas about his principles but Gandhi, My Father brought to the fore the pain that the Mahatma underwent and how regrettable he was for not being able to convince his son.

Gandhi was candid about his relationships that represented his flaws. Those were flaws that were present in him and yet all revered him. So, does it tell that one can be fallible and one cannot be perfect to be hailed as someone great?

Khan, who is in complete awe of Gandhi, said that it a was the greatness that Gandhi was made of. “He was an honest man. He informed his families and friends about anything that he did. He has hidden nothing. He only had two faces – the public and private face. And that was the very special thing about him,” he said.

Nation or family – Gandhi’s dilemma

Speaking about his role as Harilal, Akshaye Khanna spoke about the dilemma between the father and the son.

“This is a story that every father, mother, son or daughter will be able to identify with no matter where they belong to or what culture they follow. It is a transient story and because it is about Mahatma Gandhi, it has an epic dimension to it. It is actually a simple story about a relationship,” Akshaye said.

However, it has been seen that the founding fathers of the freedom movement have all pushed their families off the centrestage. The leaders have never encouraged their families.

To which Mukherjee said, “The leaders represented a genuinely modern revolutionary culture. They did in their lives live that new India that they wanted to build. They understood that in the traditional Indian society family culture was very important and they did show to the people of India that they were working for a different society. A society in which there would be a genuine equality for the ordinary people.”

After seeing a new facet of Gandhi in this film, would the audience be able to accept the Mahatma as a complex person rather than a stereotyped saint?

Khan concluded the discussion by saying, “The film would definitely make one realise that the relationship that he had with Harilal was a complex one and the film was about the eternal dilemma that children and parents share when it comes to ambitions and expectations.”

Results of the SMS poll: Was the Father of the Nation a failure as a father?

Yes – 81 per cent

No – 19 per cent