Manoj Bajpayee Steps Into Gandhi’s Role, Begins Shooting for Sudhir Mishra’s Next in Lucknow

Manoj Bajpayee is set to take on one of the most challenging roles of his career.

The actor will portray Mahatma Gandhi for the first time in Sudhir Mishra’s upcoming feature film, Gandhi and My Mother. The National Award-winning filmmaker’s project will focus on a crucial 21-day chapter around India’s Independence, examining Gandhi’s decisions and actions during one of the most defining periods in the country’s history.

The film has now officially gone on floors, with the cast beginning an outdoor shooting schedule in Lucknow. Divya Dutta and Saurabh Shukla are also part of the cast.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Lucknow schedule began in the Narhi area near the Lucknow Zoo. The team filmed a sequence involving a young girl and one of Gandhi’s public movements.

The makers are also going to great lengths to recreate the period setting. Vintage cars, costumes and old-fashioned signboards are being used to recreate the look and atmosphere of the 1940s and give the film a more authentic backdrop.

Mishra’s decision to make the film is deeply personal. The filmmaker had previously revealed that his mother, Durga Devendra Nath Mishra, met Gandhi as a child and often spoke to him about those experiences. Before her death in 2022, Mishra promised her that he would make a film about Gandhi.

“I had promised my mother that I would make a film on him,” Mishra had said, explaining that the script focuses on a chapter from the later part of Gandhi’s life. The project is being backed by Anubhav Sinha, founder of Benaras Mediaworks, marking another collaboration between Sinha and Mishra after their 2023 film Afwaah.

Sinha has also revealed that Bajpayee has undergone a significant physical transformation for the role. The actor has lost considerable weight and is following a restricted diet and a specific lifestyle as he prepares to step into Gandhi’s shoes.

“Manoj has lost considerable weight for the film and is currently in the ‘Gandhi zone’,” Sinha said. The shoot is expected to continue in Lucknow until October.

While the makers have confirmed that the story revolves around a 21-day period in Gandhi’s life, several details are still being kept under wraps. The project is currently being referred to by a working title, with the team also considering a new name for the film.

Details about the remaining cast, the complete shooting schedule and the theatrical release are yet to be announced.