- Title: Inspired by 'The Crown', new series explores Mahatma Gandhi's early life
- Date: 3rd May 2024
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (APRIL 24, 2024) (REUTERS) FELTON SEATED FOR INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, TOM FELTON, SAYING: "Clearly the world would look very different without him. So to be part, again, to be part of realising why he became the way he became and how his actions were, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me to say 'yes, I'd love to be part of th
- Embargoed: 17th May 2024 10:06
- Keywords: Gandhi Gandhi TV series Gandhi series Mahatma Gandhi Tom Felton
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM / ASLALI AND BOMBAY (NOW MUMBAI), INDIA
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM / ASLALI AND BOMBAY (NOW MUMBAI), INDIA
- Country: UK
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe,Television
- Reuters ID: LVA00I936001052024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: India's independence hero Mahatma Gandhi's younger years are brought to life in a new television series currently filming in the United Kingdom.
The series, which went into production in India at the start of the year, will focus on Gandhi's life and travels before he became known as "Mahatma". It has set the bar high, Sameer Nair, the managing director of the show's producers, Applause Entertainment, said in an interview.
"In the past movies have been made but the opportunity to tell a series much in the vein of 'The Crown', that kind of storytelling, long-form, one-hour episodes, eight episodes, allows you to tell that much more story about all the characters, all the people," Nair said at the series' London set.
"This is really a coming of age story, starting from a young age, coming to London, studying law in 1888, coming back to India, going to South Africa, spending 23 years there. It's like a very rich story that few people know about. You know the man, you don't know the story," said Nair.
The series is based on historian Ramachandra Guha's biographical books "Gandhi Before India" and "Gandhi: The Years that Changed the World", which producers plan to turn into a three-season show.
Season one, shot in Mumbai, Gujarat and the UK, is directed by filmmaker Hansal Mehta. It stars actor Pratik Gandhi in the title role, a character the 44-year-old is familiar with after many years of portraying the civil rights leader in theatre plays.
"It's going great so far. We are almost halfway through. It's the biggest character of my career till now. I had been playing Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on stage for the last eight years, so unknowingly, somewhere I was prepping for this day," he said, using Gandhi's given name, with which he goes by in the series.
Joining Gandhi on the set at The George Tavern, a London public house with hundreds of years of history, was British actor Tom Felton, who plays Josiah Oldfield. The young Gandhi befriended the Englishman when he moved to London to study law. A member of the Vegetarian Society of London, Oldfield offered his support to the non-meat-eating Gandhi and the two lived together for a period of time in the early 1890s.
Getting to tell the story of Gandhi's transformation from a shy man to a historically significant figure was both exciting and educational for Felton, whose initial 20-minute meeting with Mehta about the part, turned into a four-hour chat about Gandhi's life.
"Clearly the world would look very different without him. To be part of realising why he became the way he became and how his actions were, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me to say 'yes, I'd love to be part of this'," the "Harry Potter" actor, 36, said.
The series aims to engage with younger audiences, said Mehta, while also transporting them into the past.
"It's immersive but also very, very appealing. We've tried to keep that balance," the director and showrunner said.
"And then you have actors like Pratik, like Tom Felton, playing these important parts. It's an important magnet for a younger audience to watch this important story."
Even with all his experience, playing the "Father of the Nation" came with pressure, said Pratik Gandhi, who chose to anchor his performance in Gandhi's human qualities.
"The way I'm approaching this character is that he was not born with this thought of non-violence. He was not a born great person. He was not a superman or superhuman. But all these experiences of his life made him what he became. And that capabilities are there in each one of us," he said.
Speaking to Reuters on his last day on set, Felton said he had enjoyed his first Indian production experience. In addition to advice from his "very wise" 93-year-old grandfather, he had leant on his fellow cast and crew for support, he said.
"They're amazingly efficient, kind. Their work quality is amazing. But most importantly, they get the British sense of humour. So lots of banter flying around on day two, which is always a good sign and keeps everyone very relaxed and calm. So yeah, I've enjoyed every minute," Felton said.
For Mehta, bringing Gandhi's story to the screen in the current global climate, was making the production particularly meaningful.
"I think good stories are meant for the world and there's no, there's been no more important time than today, today's conflicted, polarised times, to tell a story of this kind of significance," he said.
(Production: Steve Hignett, Hanna Rantala) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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