Manoj Bajpayee Steps Into Mahatma Gandhi’s Role as Lucknow Shoot Begins

Manoj Bajpayee has begun filming in Lucknow for director Sudhir Mishra’s forthcoming historical drama, in which he will portray Mahatma Gandhi for the first time in his career.

The project went on floors with an outdoor sequence in the city on Friday, September 4. Currently carrying the working title Gandhi and My Mother, the film will explore a lesser-known 21-day period from the later years of Gandhi’s life rather than attempt to cover his entire journey.

Anubhav Sinha is producing the film through Benaras Mediaworks, while NH Studioz is presenting it. Saurabh Shukla is also part of the principal cast. A final title and release date have not been announced.

First Sequence Filmed in Lucknow’s Narhi Area

Reporting from the production location established that filming began in Narhi, near Lucknow Zoo. The opening schedule included a young girl and a recreation of Gandhi’s public movement.

Period costumes, vintage vehicles and old-style signboards were used to transform the location into a setting resembling the 1940s. Production is expected to continue in Lucknow until October, according to producer Anubhav Sinha.

Earlier information had suggested that filming would begin in Kolkata. The launch of principal photography in Lucknow therefore represents a change from or an addition to the locations discussed during pre-production. The complete filming itinerary has not been officially disclosed.

Manoj Bajpayee Undergoes Physical Transformation

Sinha said Bajpayee had lost considerable weight in preparation for the demanding role. The actor is also following a restricted diet and a particular lifestyle as he works on the physical and psychological requirements of portraying Gandhi.

“Manoj has lost considerable weight for the film and is currently in the ‘Gandhi zone’,” the producer said while discussing the start of filming.

No official character image has yet been released. Claims about the precise extent of Bajpayee’s transformation should therefore remain limited to what the producer has confirmed rather than being assessed through unofficial photographs.

The performance marks new territory for Bajpayee, whose career has included politicians, police officers, gangsters, intelligence operatives and complex ordinary men, but never Mahatma Gandhi.

Not a Conventional Gandhi Biopic

The film’s most distinctive element is its narrow historical focus. Mishra has described it as an examination of 21 days during India’s transition to independence, when political power was moving towards Delhi but Gandhi made a different choice.

“This new film focuses on an important yet lesser-known chapter of history the 21 days in the life of Mahatma Gandhi during India’s independence,” Mishra said while announcing the project.

According to the filmmaker, Gandhi’s decision to move away from the emerging centre of political power was not a retreat. The story will instead examine how he reconsidered his path during a decisive period for the country.

The director has also called the project “a film within a film,” involving the dilemma of an actor and the difference between Gandhi’s position in his own time and the way he is perceived today.

That description suggests the film will not function solely as a straightforward reconstruction of historical events. It may also examine the responsibility and difficulty involved in representing Gandhi for a contemporary audience. The precise narrative framework, however, has not been fully revealed.

Sudhir Mishra’s Personal Connection to the Story

Mishra’s interest in the subject has a family connection. His mother, Durga Devendra Nath Mishra, met Gandhi when she was a child and later had several conversations with her son about the experience.

The filmmaker said his mother was both fascinated by and angry with Gandhi. Her father had joined the freedom movement under his leadership, giving the family its own relationship with the political and personal consequences of Gandhi’s decisions.

Before his mother died in 2022, Mishra promised her that he would make a film about Gandhi. He began developing the screenplay after her death.

This background explains the working title Gandhi and My Mother, although Sinha has confirmed that the production is searching for a new title.

Sudhir Mishra and Anubhav Sinha Reunite

The project reunites Mishra and Sinha after Afwaah, released in 2023. Both filmmakers have repeatedly engaged with political institutions, social conflict and the relationship between individuals and systems.

Mishra’s filmography includes Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Dharavi and Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin. Sinha’s recent work as a filmmaker and producer has similarly examined questions of discrimination, political tension and social responsibility.

Their collaboration makes the decision to avoid a broad, chronological Gandhi biography particularly notable. The tighter 21-day structure offers space to study a moral and political choice rather than merely reproduce familiar milestones from history.

The Celebrity Hour Take

Manoj Bajpayee’s transformation will inevitably attract attention, but the film’s real test lies beyond physical resemblance. Gandhi has been interpreted repeatedly on screen, making another conventional biopic difficult to justify purely through casting.

Sudhir Mishra appears to be approaching that challenge by reducing the historical canvas and introducing a film-within-a-film framework. That could allow the project to explore not only what Gandhi did during those 21 days, but also why portraying him remains complicated in present-day India.

Mishra’s family connection gives the story another layer. His mother’s mixed feelings of admiration alongside anger suggest a perspective that may resist both unquestioning reverence and easy dismissal.

The next meaningful updates will be the final title, Bajpayee’s authorized first look, and a clearer explanation of the specific historical period being dramatized.

Sources & Verification

This report was prepared using the film’s original announcement, statements from Sudhir Mishra and Anubhav Sinha, and verified reporting from the Lucknow production location. Bajpayee’s casting, the 21-day narrative, Saurabh Shukla’s involvement and the start of filming are supported by attributable production information. The working title remains provisional, while no release date or complete synopsis has been announced.