Manoj’s Gandhi film has a Kolkata connect

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra is helming a new biographical drama with Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role of Mahatma Gandhi and Saurabh Shukla in another pivotal role. The team is expected to start filming in September 2026, with Kolkata serving as the primary location.Talks are on with Waheeda Rehman to play Gandhiji’s mother. Rasika Dugal may also join the cast–Pritimoy Chakraborty, a producer of the film‘The film will focus on the six months leading to Gandhiji’s assassination’Gandhiji and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy worked together in August 1947 in Kolkata to restore communal harmony. Sudhir is keen to keep that portion in the film, and we’re trying to zero in on the perfect casting for Suhrawardy’s role– Pritimoy Chakraborty, a producer of the filmSpeaking to us, Pritimoy Chakraborty, one of the producers, revealed that the film won’t chronicle Gandhi’s entire life.

“It will focus on the final six months leading up to his assassination. It will trace his peace missions through violence-hit Bengal in the aftermath of Partition, his move to Delhi in September 1947, and the tense political and social circumstances that ultimately culminated in his assassination in January 1948,” he said.Pritimoy added that the screenplay, which is currently in development, will portray Gandhi as a complex historical figure rather than aone-dimensional icon. “The story will explore how, despite his stature today, Gandhiji remained a deeply debated personality during hislifetime, facing criticism and opposition from multiple ideological groups.

Also, Gandhiji knew how to speak Bangla, so the audience will get to see Manoj deliver a few dialogues in Bangla,” he said.Pritimoy revealed that project also carries a deeply personal significance for Mishra. “Sudhir’s late mother Durga Devendra Nath Mishra once asked him why he never made a film on Gandhiji. Before her passing in 2022, he promised her that he would eventually bring his long-envisioned Gandhi film to life,” he said.

Revealing that a significant portion of the film is set during the three months Gandhi spent in Kolkata before moving to Delhi, Pritimoy said, “It explores his interactions with Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and the ideological differences between them. We are trying to present those events with historical accuracy. Gandhiji’s personal physician, Sushila Nayyar, was Punjabi, so we are looking for a Punjabi actress for that role.

We are also auditioning actors from Kolkata for several roles, with Sudhir’s team overseeing the process.”The film will be shot extensively in and around Kolkata, including the Gandhi Bhavan.