Making History

By Pickle August 31, 2025

Gandhi, jointly created by Hansal Mehta and Applause Entertainment’s Sameer Nair, is the first Indian series to premiere in TIFF’s Primetime section. The show is a purely “swadeshi product,” the director tells Saibal Chatterjee

With Gandhi making history as the first Indian series to premiere in the Primetime section at TIFF, acclaimed filmmaker Hansal Mehta sits down with us to discuss the making of this ambitious, all-Indian production. In this exclusive interview, Mehta opens up about collaborating with historian Ramachandra Guha, the challenges of reimagining the Mahatma’s early years, and the pride of bringing a truly swadeshi story to the global stage.

How actively was Ramachandra Guha involved in the writing process of the series?

He has been there constantly to guide us. We sent him scripts. He loved some of the dramatization. But if he felt we’d taken any dramatic license, Mr. Guha has been quick to suggest corrections to maintain authenticity. He has been a very fine collaborator. Between him and Siddharth Basu, it worked very well for us. The series has been adapted from two of Mr. Guha’s books (Gandhi Before India and Gandhi: The Years that Changed the World). Siddharth Basu read the scripts to check for inaccuracies. He did very detailed fact-checking. We also worked with a company called Past Perfect. They are professional archivists. They assisted us with newspaper references, headlines, and specifications regarding props such as cars and other items. The three of them have contributed hugely to the detailing of the show.

“We have managed to create a vision of the 19th century like never before—purely by an Indian crew.”

Will the story of Gandhi encompass his life from birth to death, or will it solely concentrate on his early years and his contribution to the freedom struggle?

We are looking at three seasons of the series. The first season has eight episodes. Our first season covers Mohan’s formative years. It follows his experiences as a young father in India, as a man in search of himself studying law in London and then his dramatic, transformative years in South Africa. It is a deep dive in to a fascinating internal and external journey of self-discovery. This is the story of a young man called Mohan who would much later acquire the status of a Mahatma. It is essentially a very universal story of every young man in search of identity and purpose. This is such an important story to tell because it is a journey of self-discovery more than anything. It chronicles in depth and detail Gandhi’s life and a chapter of history that is largely unknown.

Did you always have Pratik Gandhi in mind for the titular role?

Before I was signed, Pratik Gandhi was signed. When Sameer (Nair) got the rights to Ramchandra Guha’s books, Pratik was performing this solo play about Mahatma Gandhi’s early life (Mohan No Masalo, in Hindi, English, and Gujarati). Applause signed Pratik first. When the announcement came, I called Sameer and asked why I am not part of this. Sameer said he did not know that I had the time. I told him I’ll drop everything and do this. Since I’ve taken this up, I have done absolutely nothing else. This project has consumed my entire life.

You have moved from stories of crime (scam and scoop) to something that is of historical significance, something sensitive because of the pressure to get everything right. In a scam or a scoop, there is scope for taking a few liberties. But there is none here. Was putting a show of this nature together a challenge in that respect?

It is painstaking. It is a lot of work. But it was a joy to see this world come alive, to see how we have managed to create a vision of the 19th century. I would say that you would never have seen something this grand or cinematic coming from India, made by an all-Indian crew, from cinematography to editing to VFX. If you look at A Suitable Boy or Delhi Crime of Poacher, shows that have travelled internationally, all of them have been made by foreign crews. Gandhi is, in the true sense, a swadeshi product. That makes us really proud, and we are excited to present it to the world.

“This is such an important story to tell because it is a journey of self-discovery more than anything.”

Apart from the epic cinematic vision that I try to achieve, whether it is Scam or Scoop or Shahid or Aligarh, my focus has always been on the human story. I make sure that focus never goes away. I am simply moving from one personality to another. My world has expanded into this, a canvas that is much bigger (than anything else I have attempted before). At its heart, Gandhi is a story of a human journey. You will forget that you are looking at Mahatma Gandhi as the series unfolds.

You would definitely have had Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi and Shayam Benegal’s The Making of the Mahatma in mind. But how did you ensure that they did not impinge upon your vision?

As you gather experience and evolve as a filmmaker, you learn to discern between what you admire and what you make. While both of them were special pieces of work in their own way, my Gandhi is in no way influenced by or carries any baggage of those two productions or, for that matter, of the Darshan Jariwala-Akshaye Khanna film, Gandhi, My Father. In each of them, the lens is very narrow. In Attenborough’s film, the focus is on Gandhi as a saint. It is reverential. Benegal portrayed Gandhi in a way that humanized him, using his own understated and almost observational style. I have my own way of approaching human emotions. The world that Gandhi comes from is very, very close. In essence, it is a Gujarati family that the series deals with.

Who is your Kasturba?

It is Bhamini Oza, who happens to be Pratik Gandhi’s wife in real life.

How did you go about casting the British actors?

We had two casting directors. Mukesh Chhabra did the casting of all the Indian talent. And we had Shakyra Dowling in the UK. She did all the foreign casting, including that for the South African roles. It was a very long process. We auditioned extensively. What we have pulled off is a very, very interesting international cast. I don’t think we have ever seen international actors like these in an Indian production. Even if you look at my writers’ room, we had London-based Felix von Stumm. We specifically got him to write the parts for the British actors to make sure that the language, the grammar, and the conversations would be authentic. When we write for foreign actors, the language ends up sounding artificial. I think we have done away with that in Gandhi.

This is your third time at TIFF. You have been there before with Shahid and Omerta. But Gandhi is India’s first-ever Primetime entry.

Yes, the third time is actually the most special. But Shahid was very special, too.

“You will forget that you are looking at Mahatma Gandhi as the series unfolds.”