Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 14, 2018)

Lakshmi Iyer, one of the producers of the international film, Gandhi: The Conspiracy, was overjoyed when Rahat Fateh Ali Khan agreed to render a track in the historical drama. What followed was a round of meetings in Dubai and drawing up of agreements last month. However, the producer claims that days before the final recording of the song — that is inspired by Shahid Kabir’s famous poem, Main Na Hindu, Na Musalman — Khan did a volte-face.

Stating that the Pakistani singer had even sung a scratch version in Dubai, Iyer tells mid-day, “Rahat sahab was excited to be part of the project. Unfortunately, when he returned to Pakistan, he was advised otherwise by his well-wishers. They felt that the movie, which deals with Partition and Gandhi’s assassination, might not be accepted in Pakistan, and he might face their wrath.”

She adds that Rabbi Shergill finally stepped in to croon for the Algerian director Karim Traidia’s film. Iyer insists there is no bad blood. “We are in touch with him for our future projects. The political relationship between India and Pakistan is turbulent. I hope there will be a day when political differences can be solved.”

The film that also features late Om Puri, delves into the incidents that led to Gandhi’s death. Khan remained unavailable for comment.

Late actor to be seen in a thriller revolving around Gandhi’s demise that was shot two years ago
Shravan Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 5, 2018)

Veteran actor Om Puri passed on January 6, 2017. A year later, one of his last international films is gearing up for release. Gandhi: The Conspiracy (Gandhi Hatya Ek Saazish) is directed by Algerian filmmaker Karim Traidia. Producer Lakshmi Iyer believes that there have been many films on the Father of the Nation, but this one reveals some little-known facts as it is written by an American, Ralitza Ivanova, who draws parallels between Gandhi’s assassination and that of former American President, Abraham Lincoln. “The idea was to make the oft-told story interesting so we zeroed in on a conspiracy theory which nobody had heard of and wove it into a suspense thriller,” Iyer explains.

Stephen Lang, the American actor known for his performances in Manhunter, Public Enemies, Don’t Breathe and Avatar, plays a cop in the film. The story revolves around cops who know that the assassination is going to happen. “Om Puri played a South Indian cop who wants to save Gandhi’s life while there are others who think the nation is bigger than Gandhi,” adds Iyer.

The film which was shot two years ago in Sri Lanka over 50 days, features artistes from 34 nationalities, all of them playing Indian characters and keen to learn more about Gandhi. Reminiscing about Om, Iyer says they got really close during the shoot and everyone was shocked to hear about his untimely demise. “He was with us in Dubai when we released a teaser. He was such a wonderful person, he’d cook for us occasionally and he believed in this kind of cinema. He was an old-school actor who read the script, liked the subject a lot and gave his nod in two days. It was a blessing for us to have him on the sets. How I wish he were still around,” she signs off on an emotional note.