Sneak preview of 'Gandhi My Father' in New York

A feature film on the tumultuous relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his eldest son Harilal, "Gandhi My Father", will be screened here Friday at Museum of the Moving Image.

The museum is holding a sneak preview of the controversial film produced by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor. It is also screening Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Devdas" Aug 10 to celebrate the vitality of India cinema as part of its World Cinema Showcase series.

"Gandhi My Father" is a 128-minute film written and directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, a well-known Indian theatre personality. It stars Akshaye Khanna as Harilal and Darshan Jariwala as the Mahatma. It will be released in India in August.

The film's subject matter is controversial. Most Indians are finding it difficult to digest the fact that the Father of the Nation was a flawed father to Harilal.

In open rebellion against Gandhi's ideals, Harilal converted to Islam, later converting back to Hinduism. He also sought to remarry after his wife's death. All this prompted Mahatma Gandhi to disown him. Harilal lived the life of a derelict, finally drinking himself to death.

"Devdas", based on a story by Bengali author Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was a successful film of 2002.

It will be introduced by film journalist Anupama Chopra, who will also release her new book "King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan" on the occasion. The book is billed as the first comprehensive narrative account of Bollywood published by a major US publishing house, the Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner Books).

Indo-Asian News Service