Prakash Magdum

Civil servant with interest in films | Author

About: Prakash Magdum is a debut writer combining his Gandhian leanings with his passion for cinema and history, to research a topic that had eluded the archivist’s gaze for its potential. Prakash Magdum was the former Director of NFAI, a former Registrar at FTII and is now Additional Director General of the Press Information Bureau, Gujarat.

BOOK

Name: The Mahatma on Celluloid: A Cinematic Biography

Description:

Mahatma Gandhi remains one of the most photographed and filmed persons in the world. The camera loved him, and followed him like a shadow throughout his life. Yet, despite being a public communicator par excellence, Gandhi chose not to use the then newest form of art-cinema. He was steadfast in his belief that it was a bad influence.

From A.K. Chettiar's Mahatma Gandhi: Twentieth-Century Prophet to Attenborough's Gandhi, The Mahatma on Celluloid unravels many unknown facts about the newsreels, documentaries and films made on Gandhi. Based on extensive research, the book also includes excerpts and anecdotes from interviews with filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Jahnu Barua, Feroz Abbas Khan and Girish Kasarvalli who share their insights on the Mahatma's enduring tryst with cinema.