The Making of the Mahatma
1996 film by Shyam Benegal

The Making of the Mahatma is a 1996 biographical film directed by Shyam Benegal, about the early life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (also known as Mahatma Gandhi) during his 21 years in South Africa. The film is based upon the book The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma by Fatima Meer, and was an international co-production between India and South Africa.
Cast
Rajit Kapoor as barrister Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Pallavi Joshi as Kasturba Gandhi
Paul Slabolepszy as Jan Smuts
Sean Cameron Michael as Warder
Charles Pillai as Thambi Naidoo
Keith Stevenson as Rustomjee (also in Akayla)
Lieb Bester as Boer coach leader
Peter J. Elliott as Jail superintendent, Pretoria
Awards
1996: National Film Award for Best Actor – Rajit Kapur as Gandhi
1996: National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English
See also
List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi
External links
The Making of the Mahatma at IMDb
Review from Hinduism Today
Desai, M. S. M. (6 October 1996). "Benegal's Mahatma makes a different history". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 26 May 1997. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
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