Sex has always dominated Hindi cinema but in a curious hide-and-seek sort of way. Sanjay Suri argues that Hindi cinema was the unlikely offspring of the Father of the Nation in this respect a product of his celibacy and austerity. Gandhi s heroic retreat from wealth and sexuality was written into the cinema and then elaborately filmed shot by shot. Just about every film brings up these two themes for the hero to then rise above. Suri draws on numerous examples from Mother India to Do Bigha Zameen; Naya Daur to Pyaasa; Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam to Guide; and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to Lage Raho Munna Bhai to show how cinema was made within well-defined moral fences that were built with dos and don ts about sex and money. In the 150th year of his birth, A Gandhian Affair is a history of India through the preoccupations of its cinema under the spell of the Mahatma.

All Editions

Paperback, 1st Edition

ISBN13: 9789353570804

HARPER COLLINS, 2019

Share Your Thoughts

Your review helps others make informed decisions

Click on a star to start your review