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Assignment
On
Movie Review of “GANDHI”
Course Title: Leadership, Power & Influence
Course Code: HRM 504 & 603
Prepared for:
Parveen Sultana Huda
University of Asia Pacific
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Submission Date: 24 September, 2022
Purpose of a film review:
The main purpose of the movie review is to inform the readers about the film and its
ideas. There are also some others purposes to provide a honest review about the film
which are given below –
* To describe the plot, characters, directors etc in order to help determine whether or not
the film should be seen.
* To understand what we are watching and how it affects us.
* To summarize the film so that people have more information with which to gauge their
interest in the film.
* To analyze the film in terms of its artistic value and technical skill. This includes things
like acting, direction, cinematography, writing, and other aspects.
* To analyze the film in terms of its messages and cultural representations.
* To compare the film to similar films that came before it so that people have a frame of
reference.
* To help those with limited money and opportunity to go to the movies decide which
film is most worth their time and money.
Mahatma Gandhi:
Mahatma Gandhi, byname of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, (born October 2, 1869,
Porbandar, India—died January 30, 1948, Delhi), Indian lawyer, politician, social
activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British
rule of India. As such, he came to be considered the father of his country. Gandhi is
internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) to achieve
political and social progress. In the eyes of millions of his fellow Indians, Gandhi was the
Mahatma (“Great Soul”). The unthinking adoration of the huge crowds that gathered to
see him all along the route of his tours made them a severe ordeal; he could hardly work
during the day or rest at night. “The woes of the Mahatmas,” he wrote, “are known only
to the Mahatmas.” His fame spread worldwide during his lifetime and only increased
after his death. The name Mahatma Gandhi is now one of the most universally
recognized on earth.
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Gandhi’s Leadership Style:
Gandhi was not a born leader, but he certainly had traits of one (Exhibit 1). He was a
simple man leading a simple life, but strongly believed in and practiced the values of
unity, equality, truth, non-violence, justice, and honesty. His values and personality were
instrumental in fighting the might of the British. He was patient but persistent, as he
knew it was no simple task attaining India’s independence. While he was defiant,
resistant, daring and provocative at times, he always remained calm, caring, humble and
polite. He exhibited distinct characteristics, qualities and behaviours of a charismatic
leader, transformational leader which are analyzed below –
* Gandhi's Charismatic Leadership:
There is little doubt that Gandhi was a positive charismatic, and that he had a “socialized
power orientation”. According to Yolk (2010), leaders with socialized power orientation
exhibit the following characteristics, as did Gandhi:
• Strong self-control
• Motivated to satisfy the need for power in socially acceptable ways
• More emotionally mature
• Exercise power for the benefit of others
• Hesitant about using power in a manipulative manner
• Less egoistic and defensive
• Accumulate fewer material possessions
• Have a longer-range view His leadership influence emphasized internalization rather
than personal identification.
He was self-sacrificing and led from the front to communicate his commitment to the
freedom struggle. Gandhi once stated, “You must be the change you want to see in the
world”. Gandhi’s followers were responsive to his ideologies and appeals, and became
increasingly involved in this socialized charismatic relationship.
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* Gandhi's Transformational Leadership:
Gandhi’s transformational leadership encouraged his followers to transcend their own
self-interest and fight in unity. Thousands of Gandhi’s followers went to jail, and at times
were violently beaten as well (e.g. Hundreds of Gandhi’s followers willingly gathered at
the ‘Dharasana Salt Works’ and stood together while being beaten with sticks by the
British officials. Nevertheless, they not once resorted to violence because they respected
Gandhi’s sentiments). In fact, according to Dirks and Ferrin (2002), transformational
leadership is highly correlated with trust in the leader. Gandhi's transformational leaders
exhibit the following behaviors –
• Idealized Influence– This behaviour arouses strong follower emotions and
identification with the leader. Gandhi was able to influence the masses because he was a
man of his words, and always practiced what he preached. He was a role model for the
masses, and won their respect and trust through his actions. He demonstrated high ethical
conduct (non-violence), self-sacrifice (voluntary poverty and non-materialism),
dedication and persistence in order to attain India’s independence.
• Intellectual Stimulation– This behaviour increases follower awareness of problems
and influences followers to view problems from a new perspective. Gandhi was always
supportive of his followers, and encouraged them to think openly, ask questions, and
solve problems. He was willing to accept wrong-doing and mistakes, and was not
ashamed to discard a strategy that didn’t work as planned. For example, he called off the
non-violent campaign despite opposition from his subordinates because there were some
people who used violent means.
• Individualized Consideration– This behaviour includes providing support,
encouragement and coaching to followers. Gandhi was always supportive of his
followers. For example, he patiently listened to the grievances and concerns of the poor
with regards to their inability to maintain a livelihood due to British policies. Gandhi was
also extremely supportive of other leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai
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Patel. He nurtured them, encouraged them to share ideas, and even empowered them to
make decisions, never making them feel dependent on him.
•Inspirational Motivation– This behaviour includes communicating an appealing vision,
and using symbols to focus subordinate effort. Gandhi stood by his personal values, and
consistently communicated his vision of independence. By openly communicating his
vision, and using symbols such as the ‘Salt Satyagraha’ movement, he provided his
followers with a sense of meaning, which in turn inspired them to remain optimistic and
increase their effort.
Gandhi Movie Summary:
The movie Gandhi starts off with the assassination of Gandhi on January 30, 1948. He
was killed because of the split of Hindus and Muslims into Pakistan and India, instead of
trying to keep the country united (which was impossible at the time). The story then
jumps back to Gandhi early in his life, when he is a practicing attorney. He is traveling in
South Africa on a train and is thrown off because he refuses to give up his first class seat.
The conductor wants him to move because he is Indian. This upsets him and he organizes
a burning of the discriminatory codes. The protestors are arrested and released. Gandhi is
motivated by religious means; he believes that everyone is equal in God’s eyes. He gets
involved in several movements for equality, and he stresses non-violence very strongly.
The Indians are very mad because British rule continues to limit their rights. They are
supposed to all get fingerprinted, and their marriage laws are invalid. Gandhi’s followers
vow to fight their oppressors to the death, but he discourages them from violence. He and
his wife form a sort of commune of purity. They live off of the land entirely. During one
scene, they ask all of Gandhi’s followers to burn all of their clothes that were made in
Britain and wear only what they can make themselves. Gandhi practices this for the rest
of his life, usually wearing just a loincloth. In another scene, Gandhi is in jail, and some
of his followers are peacefully gathered in a square. The police lock up the square and
kill almost everyone, over 1,500 people. Gandhi is disgusted and discouraged. He
continues to preach non-violence, but the Indians do have occasional conflict with the
police. Gandhi’s counter to the popular phrase “an eye for an eye” says that after that,
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“everyone will be blind.” Gandhi leads several organized protests against British rule. In
one, all Indians stopped doing their work, and the major cities in the country were
disabled. Another time, he led a 165-mile walk to the sea to protest the British monopoly
on salt. The Indians made their own salt out of the sea. A turning point on the Indian fight
for independence was the western press. Reporters witnessed a scene in which Indians
tried to get into a factory row by row, and were brutally beaten by soldiers, row by row,
as the women pulled the dead and injured away. Also, a reporter for Time magazine met
Gandhi when he was in jail, took a lot of pictures of him, and made his plight known to
the world. Finally, Gandhi travels to Europe to negotiate India’s freedom. While there,
they cover some ground, but the actual release comes several years later, on August 15,
1947. After they are free, there is a civil war between the Hindus and the Muslims. They
are forced to move around so they are in separate parts, India and Pakistan, and total
chaos breaks out. Gandhi goes on another one of his fasts and refuses to eat until he is
convinced all fighting has stopped. This is very difficult, but is accomplished. Soon
afterwards, however, is his assassination.
• Introduction - Gandhi is a biographical film based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi was
released on 30 November 1982. Directed and produced by Richard Attenborough from a
screenplay written by John Briley, Executive producer Michael Stanley-Evans and co-
producer Ran Dube. The film starts with Ben Kingsley in a leading role. Production
companies are Gold crest Films, International Film Investors, National Film
Development Corporation of India, Indo-British Films and distributed by Columbia
Pictures. The film is about Gandhi’s life, the leader of nonviolent non-cooperative Indian
independence movement against the British Empire during the 20th century.
• Summary of the film - The movie “Gandhi” starts off with the assassination of Gandhi
on January 30, 1948. He was killed because of the split of Hindus and Muslims into
Pakistan and India, instead of trying to keep the country united. The story then jumps
back to Gandhi early in his life, when he is a practicing attorney. He is traveling in South
Africa on a train and it thrown off because he refuses to give up his first class seat. The
conductor wants him to move because he is Indian. This upsets him and he organizes a
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burning of the discriminatory codes. Then the protestors are arrested and released.
Gandhi gets involved in several movements or equality, and he stresses non-violence
very strongly. He believes that everyone is equal in God’s eyes. The Indians are very mad
because British rules continues to limit their rights. They are supposed to all get finger
printed, and their marriage laws are invalid. Gandhi’s followers vow to fight their
oppressors to death, but he discourages them from violence. In another scene, Gandhi is
in jail, and some of his followers are peacefully gathered in a square. The police lock up
the square and kill almost everyone, over 1,500 people. Gandhi is disgusted and
discouraged. He continues to preach non-violence, but the Indians do have occasional
conflict with the police. Gandhi’s counter to the popular phrase “an eye for an eye” says
that after that, “everyone will be blind.” Gandhi leads several organized protests against
British rule. In one, all Indians stopped doing their work, and the major cities in the
country were disabled. Another time, he led a 165-mile walk to the sea to protest the
British monopoly on salt. The Indians made their own salt out of the sea. A turning point
on the Indian fight for independence was the western press. Reporters witnessed a scene
in which Indians tried to get into a factory row by row, and were brutally beaten by
soldiers, row by row, as the women pulled the dead and injured away. Also, a reporter for
Time magazine met Gandhi when he was in jail, took a lot of pictures of him, and made
his plight known to the world. Finally, Gandhi travels to Europe to negotiate India’s
freedom. While there, they cover some ground, but the actual release comes several years
later, on August 15, 1947. After they are free, there is a civil war between the Hindus and
the Muslims. They are forced to move around so they are in separate parts, India and
Pakistan, and total chaos breaks out. Gandhi goes on another one of his fasts and refuses
to eat until he is convinced all fighting has stopped. This is very difficult, but is
accomplished. Soon afterwards his assassination occur.
• Great scene of the film - In the middle of this epic film there is a quiet, small scene
that helps explain why “Gandhi” is such a remarkable experience. Mahatma Gandhi, at
the height of his power and his fame, stands by the side of a lake with his wife of many
years. Together, for the benefit of a visitor from the West, they reenact their marriage
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vows. They do it with solemnity, quiet warmth, and perhaps just a touch of shyness; they
are simultaneously demonstrating an aspect of Indian culture and touching on something
very personal to them both. At the end of the ceremony, Gandhi says, "We were thirteen
at the time." He shrugs. The marriage had been arranged. Gandhi and his wife had not
been in love, had not been old enough for love, and yet love had grown between them.
But that is not really the point of the scene. The point, I think, comes in the quiet smile
with which Gandhi says the words. At that moment we believe that he is fully and truly
human, and at that moment, a turning point in the film, Gandhi declares that it is not only
a historical record but a breathing, living document. In the middle of this epic film there
is a quiet, small scene that helps explain “Gandhi” is such a remarkable experience.
Mahatma Gandhi, at the height of his power and his fame, stands by the side of a lake
with his wife of many years.
• Opinion after watching the film - This acclaimed biographical drama presents major
events in the life of Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the beloved Indian leader who
stood against British Rule over the country. Dedicated to the concept of nonviolent
resistance, Gandhi is initially dismissed by English officials, including the influential
Lord Irwin (John Gielgud), but eventually he and his cause become internationally
renowned, and his gatherings of passive protest move India towards independence. The
film proved to be insightful, educational, and inspirational. The film traces India's rocky
path towards decolonization, led by the "Great Spirit" Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi led
India's struggle for independence from the British Empire before 1948. The trials and
tribulations of India and her people touch on many social issues. The film depicts cultural
changes, which were brought about by the impact of social and political change during
British colonization consequential decolonization efforts. The film itself served many
lessons of unity and justness, yet the hero himself was a prime example of courage,
humility, and patience.
Conclusion:
Gandhi has been a role-model and source of inspiration for many generations. His
unconventional means to fight injustice (truth, non-violence, non-cooperation and
peaceful resistance) have earned him high admiration and respect. He led from the front
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to attain India’s independence, and influenced millions of followers to fight for a moral
and just cause. He epitomized life based on moral conduct, and showed its strength to the
world. While laying the foundation for democracy in India, he has also showed how unity
and humanity can fight the strongest of forces. While it is highly unlikely to witness
another Gandhi in our lifetime, humanity has critical lessons to learn from his leadership
and life.
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