JOHANNESBURG, June 10:
A South African Indian filmmaker wants to release a new documentary on Mahatma Gandhi earlier than scheduled to emphasise the relevance of his teachings amid the global outrage caused by the custodial killing of African-American George Floyd.
The film, titled ‘Ahimsa – Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless’, written and directed by Ramesh Sharma, was produced by Internationally-renowned South African Indian filmmaker Anant Singh’s company Videovision to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth.
The film was originally scheduled to be screened first at film festivals across the globe, but since these have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Singh said negotiations were currently underway to screen the documentary on television networks as soon as possible.
Singh announced the completion of the documentary on June 7, the date on which in 1893 Gandhi was thrown off a train at Pietermaritzburg Station in South Africa because it was reserved for whites only. The incident sparked off his lifelong fight against discrimination.
In the film, a host of historians and academics from across the globe share their views on the impact that Gandhi had on the world.
“This film comes at a time when the world needs to be reminded of the Mahatma’s teachings of peace and non-violence, especially as support for George Floyd grows across the world in solidarity,” Singh said.
Floyd, the 46-year-old victim from Houston, was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by the white police officer who kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath on May 25 in Minneapolis.
Floyd’s death triggered nationwide violent protests with a section of the protesters resorting to looting and rioting across the country, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
“It (documentary) reminds us that we need to restore human rights and dignity on a universal level. The aggression of the police against George Floyd was so futile and takes me back to the police brutality we endured during apartheid in South Africa,” he said.
The film also features the impact that Gandhi’s teachings had on the American Black Civil Rights movement, with a number of veterans of the movement recalling the history of racism in the US.
Singh added that the film highlights the impact of the Gandhian message of non-violence worldwide; how it inspired Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Barack Obama and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States; the Solidarity Movement in Poland as well as Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
“The film speaks to the conscience of humanity as people globally grapple with intractable problems surrounding race, and as societies struggle to give the marginalised and underserved human dignity and restore fundamental human rights,” Singh said.
“It deals with oppression and the denial of basic freedoms to people by those who are in positions of power and who fiercely protect their positions by inflicting violence on innocent people,” Singh said.
Singh said he was “very excited” that the film features the song, ‘Ahimsa’ performed by U2 and A.R. Rahman, with the lyrics written by Bono and A.R. Rahman, because it complemented the spirit of the film. (PTI)
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