Dorothee heat’s Weblog

What is parodied in Gandhi II.?

Many of Mahatma Gandhi’s pricipals are parodied in the trailer. His idea of non-violent behaviour towards the enemy is one main aspect of Gandhi’s ideology. In the trailer he is presented as a bloodthirsty man, just waiting for his victims to cross his way. By acting this way the approve of passive-resistence by the ‘real’ Gandhi is parodied as well. In the trailer Gandhi seems to be a womanizer altough we know that Gandhi has always been faithful to his wife. On top of that the clip shows Gandhi eating meet (a steak!) and drives in a fancy sports car which is a contrast to his real attitude containing the ascet being of Gandhi, the rejection of eating a (to him) holy cow and of placing emphasis on materiasitic goods.

Why does one of the interviewed in ‘In Search of Gandhi’ state that nowadays Gandhi would grab a gun?

The documentary shows a contemporary image of India given by a film crew travelling in India, tracking down the path Gandhi took in the 1920’s and by which he inspired millions of Indians to stand up against the British colonial rule in India and to fight -non-violentely- for a independent democracy.

The movie reveals the Indian problems of the 21st century. Altough the country is officially a free democratic country there are grievances in a huge extend. The gap between the rich and the poor is frequently increasing, 80% of the population are considered as being ‘untouchables’ and the violence between Muslims and Hindus are still the order of the day. Thus the values which were so close to Gandhi’s heart have not endured the sixtieth anniversary of the Indian Independence.

The interviewer who claims that Gandhi would grab a gun in case that he was living in the year 2008 bases his argumentation on the perception that Gandhi’s ideas are not up to date anymore as they are contradictory to the modern appreciated accomplishments drawn by our globalised society. Nowadays the best way in which one earns respect in a community is to be succesfull, to make money and be  forward-looking. As this is not an opportunity for the poor people in the country it intensifies the inequality of human beings. According to the interviewed person the Indian Independence was never obtained by all Indians. The destitutes just went from Britain dependence to that of the rich section of the population. Even a man like Gandhi with his steadfast ideals might have been desperate enough -in the light of the hopeless circumstances- to use violence and weapons.

1. the assasination scene

as it is shown at the beginning AND at the end of the movie it is obviously a very significant scene in the movie

- when I was watching the scene for the first time I was less shocked compared to the second time, I think it was like that because people nowadays are already used to violence and crime shown in movies and therefore it can no longer frighten people, but when the assasination scene occured a second time I could sympathise with the old man, the movie made be feel involved in his life and it just seemed unjust that Gandhi who always struggled for non-violence and peace should become a victim of violence

2. the scene in the train in South Africa

the scene shows the young Gandhi who is not very experienced with the treatment of non-whites in countries where the British rule, he seems to be rather naive when he insists to be sitting in the first class

> the scene gives im INITIATION, from that day on he was aware of the unjust conditions and realised that he wanted to change something, improve the living conditions for minorities

3. Gandhi’s first public meeting

his behaviour shows that he is not a great speaker yet, he still has to learn how to convince others but it also shows that his will is very strong as he doesn’t give up burning the pass laws even when he is physically hurt

4. tour of Gandhi’s ashram

the ashram is a miniature edition of Gandhi’s wishes for the whole world, all people are equal, there is no supression or injustice

5. second meeting about pass law

it shows how Gandhi has already gained the support of many Indians, he has improved his skills in convincing and motivating people to fight for their rights

6. Gandhi is visited by a farmer, travells through the country

the scene shows that Gandhi still has to learn a lot about his home country India as he has been away for a long time, the farmer is a symbol of the cruelty and the exploitation the British implant against the Indians, Gandhi is appalled when he travells through the country and sees the misery dominating the country, but the fact that so many people came to welcome him make him feel confident and strong enough to defy the British

7. the fasting scene

Gandhi is aware of the fact that he has started a huge movement, but now he has to discover that some people begin to act violent. Gandhi doesn’t want to lead a movement like that and wants to stop the riots going on in India and in his name. He fasts to crack the heads of the rioters and to change their mind’s about their attitude