Thread by @Paperclip_In

It was the year 1921. A young filmmaker named Kanjibhai Rathod was determined to bring the Mahabharata to the big screen in colonial India. Yet, cloaked within the Mahabharata, it was Gandhi who danced in secret, looking eye to eye at the British Empire. A thread. 1/14

Kanjibhai believed that cinema could spark a cultural renaissance among the Indian populace by depicting subjects from their ancient heritage. 2/14

Rathod boldly cast the revered stage actor Dwarkadas Sampat in the role of Vidur, the wise uncle and counsellor to the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. 3/14

When completed in 1921, the previews profusely praised Kanjibhai’s dream project, Bhakta Vidhur, for its grand sets, costumes, and thoughtful portrayal of the epic tale. However, trouble loomed ahead for Rathod's ambitious project. 4/14

The government suddenly deemed the film to be potentially inciting resentment, leading to a ban in Madras, Karachi, and some other provinces. However, the motive behind this decision was not made clear at the time. 5/14

In time, they revealed their true political motive, stating, "It is not Vidur, it is Gandhiji. We won't allow it." By subtly yet unmistakably evoking the emerging spirit of Gandhi's peaceful resistance, Bhakta Vidhur was made to challenge imperial propaganda & censorship. 6/14

Vidur, the wise man, appeared in the film spinning the wheel, donning a Gandhi cap and Khadi shirt, while a nationalist music score played in the background extolling the charkha. The ingenuous masquerade was enough to unsettle the British censor board. 7/14

Remember, this was amid the protests against the Rowlatt Act, intended to suppress the growing nationalist movement. Mahatma Gandhi had called for satyagraha in response. And Bhakta Vidur was the ideal film to symbolize the great man who had shaken the empire. 8/14

Dwarkadas Sampat, the thespian who played Vidur, also produced the film. He instructed the artists to treat him just as the officials treated Gandhi and disregard his position as their boss. 9/14

They were also advised to use rocks and stones on the actor in specific sequences to add realism. No wonder the British were nervous. 10/14

When the movie arrived in Hyderabad (Sind), the British administration imposed a ban on it. The Majestic Cinema in Bombay screened Bhakta Vidur, drawing such huge crowds that the police had to use force to disperse them. 11/14

But by then, Bhakta Vidhur had achieved the real objective. Its empathetic portrayal of Gandhi’s dignity, wisdom, and sense of justice, under the veil of Vidur, deeply resonated with Indians from all walks of life. 12/14

Rathod's clever ploy to circumvent the censors to inspire progressive social change through Bhakta Vidur was remarkably foresighted for its time. He clearly grasped the power of cinema to shape society and introduced the nation to the remarkable potential of the medium. 13/14

The draconian censorship of Bhakta Vidur became a powerful symbol of the arrogance of imperial rule in curbing creative freedom and the film became a case study of the power of cultural connectedness, ultimately triumphing over such attempts 14/14

Sources: Pauwels, Heidi R.M. Indian Literature and Popular Cinema. Routledge, 2007.
Woods, Jeannine. Visions of Empire and Other Imaginings. Peter Lang, 2011.

Manishita Dass, Outside the Lettered City: Cinema, Modernity, and the Public Sphere in Late Colonial India, Oxford University Press

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