A recent promotional event of veteran director Rajkumar Santoshi’s upcoming film Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh was disrupted when a bunch of protestors waved black flags and accused the makers of the film for demeaning Mahatma Gandhi and glorifying Nathuram Godse and his violent attack on Gandhi. This led Santoshi, who also allegedly received death threats, to lodge a police complaint and request additional security. On a related note, the historical drama depicts the war of two extremely opposite ideologies between Gandhi and Godse.
In an exclusive chat with News18 recently, Santoshi had revealed that even in the current political climate, he wasn’t hesitant about making Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh. He said, “I had no apprehension about making this film. You don’t need to be scared if you’re telling the truth. There were false allegations against Gandhi ji. Godse also suffered injustice. He gave a statement where he spoke about what he actually did and how he did it. But uski awaaz daba di gayi and people formed an opinion about him.”
Santoshi went on to share that he doesn’t belong to any political group and that he has made the film through the lens of objectivity. “Hopefully, people will come to understand and know both Gandhi ji and Godse a little more through the film. That’s our intention. I’m not affiliated to any political party. I keep to myself and believe in doing my own work. My ideologies are my own,” he said.
The filmmaker, who is returning to the director’s chair a decade after actor Shahid Kapoor starrer Phata Poster Nikla Hero (2013), expressed that his primary intention is to make films that entertain the audience and that he has never worried about and catered to formulas and market demands. “I make films to entertain people and not to please anyone, be it Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993), Andaz Apna Apna (1994) or Ghatak (1996). People should come to the theaters with their families and leave with a happy heart,” he remarked.
Santoshi asserted that he would never make films that would cause discomfort to the audience and that’s why, even his action films are devoid of excessive gore and expletives. He elaborated, “Whether my films earn money or not, I make sure that there’s no obscenity or use of cuss words in them. I’ve made it a point that my films should be clean entertainers. Even the action in them isn’t crude that makes people wonder, ‘Yeh kya ho raha hai?’ I never project unnecessary bloodshed and extreme violence in films. I had made a list of dos and don’ts for myself and I’ve stuck to them. Kuch bhi ho jaaye, apna zameer nahi bechunga main.”
When quizzed about Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh clashing with superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, which is touted to be the most highly anticipated film of the year, Santoshi remarked, “Pathaan is a big film. Ours isn’t. It’s [Pathaan] produced by a big banner. My best wishes to the film. Shah Rukh Khan is a very big star. He’s a very good human being, a hard worker and an amazing artiste.”
Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh is a Santoshi Productions LLP and PVR Pictures venture and is produced by Manila Santoshi. The music of the film is composed by AR Rahman. It is set for a theatrical release on January 26, 2023.
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