In the midst of protests, the music director for Rajkumar Santoshi’s upcoming movie Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh, AR Rahman, has voiced his support for the movie. For purportedly denigrating Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and exalting his assassin Nathuram Godse, the movie courted controversy. At a film promotion, AR Rahman claimed that audiences no longer have faith in moviemakers and referred to Rajkumar Santoshi as a “victim” of the circumstance.
Rajkumar Santoshi recently requested enhanced security for himself and his family in a letter to the Mumbai Police. He claimed to have received threats from unidentified individuals asking him to stop the film’s release and promotional efforts.
The director proclaimed that he has no fears. “Both Gandhi and Godse were brave individuals,” he remarked. Following his murder of Gandhi, Godse showed no fear of the repercussions. How can I be worried when I’m filming a movie about these two bold individuals? Death threats don’t bother me, but my family and friends advised that I take safeguards because they are a genuine threat. I so asked Mumbai Police for security, and they gave it to me. I am appreciative of them.
AR Rahman reportedly told a news agency PTI , “They haven’t seen the movie, but they already know the trailer is biassed. Because filmmakers are taking sides, people have lost faith in them. It’s unfortunate that Santoshi is the victim, ” he added.
He went on to discuss the importance of ignoring social media boycott trends and used the recently released Shah Rukh Khan movie Pathaan as an illustration. Despite criticism surrounding the song Besharam Rang, Pathaan did extremely well on its first day of release. Pathaan, which debuts on Thursday, will compete at the box office with Gandhi Godse.
Gandhi Godse made possible by AR Rahman
“When I told Rahman about this film, Santoshi said, ‘It’s a good idea and you should make this film. I’m with you.’ Once I got Rahman on board, people started associating with us. This film got made because AR Rahman was with us. Otherwise, the film wouldn’t have been made,” the director added.
“When I told people that I wanted to make this film, nobody encouraged me. I didn’t have money. The only investment that I had was the truth. I did not want to make this film with stars because it is about the ideologies of Gandhi and Godse. I wanted lesser-known faces and preferably a Gujarati actor to play Gandhi and a Marathi actor to play Godse,” said Santoshi.
Asked about his involvement in the film, Rahman said he thought that Santoshi was courageous and didn’t compromise. “There are so many narratives about both Gandhi and Godse. And he has dealt with it intelligently. I knew that nothing was easy and that it would be a trial-by-fire movie. And in today’s times, people like him have to bring back the charm of storytelling. I believe in humanity and the people of India. So, this is a very important film.”
Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh, which will hit the theatres on January 26, is about an imagined conversation between Mahatma Gandhi and Nathuram Godse. This is Santoshi’s return to the directorial chair after a decade after 2013’s Phata Poster Nikla Hero.
The ace music director rearranged two of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajans — Raghupati Raghav Rajaram and Vaishnav Jan To.
Gandhi Godse: In an alternate history of India, which is depicted in the film Ek Yudh, Mahatma Gandhi survives Nathuram Godse’s attempt to assassinate him in the early post-independence years of 1947–1948. Following their encounter in a prison, Gandhi and Godse engage in an intriguing discussion.