What makes you so fascinated with the Gandhi story? You first did a play, Mahatma Versus Gandhi, and now this movie, Gandhi My Father? I was intrigued by the powerful, yet poignant relationship Gandhi had with his son Harilal. Gandhi could not be a father just to one family but became the father of the nation. Meanwhile, there was his son who wanted a Bapu but got a Mahatma. Harilal was aware of the greatness of his father but believed that Gandhi could only attain such heights because of the support of his mother, Kasturba. Harilal consciously chose a very different path from his father and even converted to Islam for a brief period. Unlike most fathers Gandhi never shielded Harilal and the relationship between them disintegrated to the point where they were barely on speaking terms.

How did Akshaye Khanna get the role of Harilal?
Anil Kapoor, the producer of the film is an old friend. He suggested Akshaye to me. I told Akshaye that I’m looking for an actor, not a star. That anything else would be wrong for the movie. He understood and was brilliant in the audition. Even on the sets, Akshaye Khanna the star just evaporated. There was sheer dedication and no starry tantrums. The character has a lot of angst and Akshaye has very skillfully brought out the tragic quality of Harilal’s life and the fact that in many ways, he felt, he was a mere shadow of his father.

This film has the potential to be very controversial. Do you anticipate any backlash once it has released?
I am not at all nervous as I have exercised freedom with tremendous responsibility and care. The facts of the movie are taken from Harilal Gandhi: A Life, written by Chandulal Dalal, published by the Sabarmati Ashram Trust. I have also made sure the Gandhi family is involved and have even showed them the film. Also, this is a factual account of the life of Harilal and Gandhi, not something I’ve concocted and I’m not passing any value judgements in the film. It just explores the various facets of Gandhi’s family life. Some of the smaller themes in the film are Harilal’s relationship with his mother and Gandhi the husband. It helped that Anil Kapoor and I had a common vision for this film. He allowed me to work in a completely free environment. In fact, when I first narrated the script to him, he loved it so much he cried.

The film released across the world on August 3, 2007