IFFI 2023 | ‘Gandhi Talks’ movie review: Vijay Sethupathi’s silent film fulfils part of its mission

November 24, 2023 12:32 pm | Updated 04:02 pm IST An idea that becomes an obsession can pull one along through adversities and make one go great lengths to realise it, but it could also make you lose sight of other things that make a movie work. Filmmaker Kishore Pandurang Belekar, by his own admission, revealed at the premiere of his silent film Gandhi Talks at the 54th International Film Festival of India that the idea of making a silent film has been with him for the past 23 years. And, Belekar does go great lengths to ensure that the characters don’t have to speak, although at times, one can Gandhi Talks revolves around Mahadev, an unemployed man who attempts everything in his power to land a job, but fails. ‘Gandhi Talks’ Director: Kishore Pandurang Belekar Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swamy, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sidharth Jadhav Run-time: 141 minutes Storyline: Mahadev, an honest but unemployed man, takes a drastic step after meeting a bankrupt businessman The title of the film appears as a lament for Gandhi being reduced to just a face on the currency notes, because the ideals that he lived by are hard to reach for. Although Gandhi Talks veers off course at times, the film deserves credit for Belekar’s daring to make a silent film with mainstream stars in an era when the call is for louder-than-the-previous “pan-Indian” films.