Three seasons planned for Hansal Mehta's 'Gandhi' series; Pratik Gandhi-starrer promises epic scale and numerous characters

Hansal Mehta, the filmmaker behind Scam 1992, recently announced that his new series, Gandhi, will be the first Indian show to be featured at the upcoming edition of The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), in its global debut.

The biographical series, headlined by Pratik Gandhi as the eponymous figure, Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi, will be screened as part of the festival's carefully curated PrimeTime slate.

Sameer Nair, MD, Applause Entertainment, said they are aiming to tell the story through three seasons, adding that it will be significantly different from the Richard Attenborough film from 1982.

"When Attenborough made Gandhi, he had only two and a half hours to make it, and he ended up making a story about Gandhi via a narrow lens. What we are hoping to do with this is to also tell the story of the Indian independence, and there are so many other characters involved," said Nair in an interview with PTI.

The series is based on the books "Gandhi Before India" and "Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World", by acclaimed historian and author Ramachandra Guha.

Nair promises an epic scope, adding that it will not just focus on Gandhi and a few characters, but many more. "It's not just Gandhi, it's also about people who are with him, who were against him, the British and the whole situation. So, these three seasons are more like our The Crown (Netflix)."

The project brings in an additional level of excitement since Applause Entertainment also backed other applauded shows like Vikramaditya Motwane's Black Warrant, Nagesh Kukunoor's The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination, and Pankaj Tripathi-starrer Criminal Justice, aside from Scam 1992.

The show, which has music by AR Rahman, will chronicle Gandhi's life from 1888 to 1947, with the first season covering 1888 to 1915; the second, 1915 to 1932; and the third, 1932 to 1947. The makers are aiming for a December streaming launch.

Mehta and Pratik first collaborated on Scam 1992, a television series on the escapades of Harshad Mehta, a stockbroker-turned-fraudster. This will also be Pratik’s second time playing Gandhi, as he previously donned the role in Manoj Shah’s Gujarati play Mohan No Masalo.

Pratik’s wife, Bhamini Oza, will also play his on-screen wife, Kasturba. The film features an international cast with Tom Felton, Amar Upadhyay, Libby Mai, Harry McKeown, and R. Badree playing crucial roles.