Manoj Bajpayee to Play Mahatma Gandhi in Sudhir Mishra's 'Gandhi And My Mother'
Manoj Bajpayee will portray Mahatma Gandhi for the first time in his career, headlining a new film directed by Sudhir Mishra and titled Gandhi And My Mother (Variety).
The film zeroes in on a lesser-known chapter of India's independence struggle: 21 days in Gandhi's life during which he made an unexpected choice to walk away and reinvent himself. An older report from Screen Daily, published in November 2025, described the story as focusing on the last six months of Gandhi's life and listed a 2026 shoot (Screen Daily). The newer Variety piece, published 20 August 2026, adds the 21-day framing and confirms production is still slated for 2026.
Bajpayee is a multiple Indian National Film Award winner — the highest government recognition for cinema in India. Mishra has won three of his own, for Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin, Dharavi, and Main Zinda Hoon. The pairing brings together two of Hindi cinema's most decorated figures in a project that requires both the gravitas and the stillness a Gandhi portrayal demands.
Saurabh Shukla has joined the cast, according to Variety. Shukla is a familiar presence in Indian film, known as both an actor and a writer. His role has not been specified.
On the production side, the film brings together several names. Anubhav Sinha's Benaras Mediaworks is producing, alongside producer Narendra Hirawat, with NH Studioz serving as presenter — a role that typically involves financing and distribution support. Sinha is himself an acclaimed director and producer in Hindi cinema, which gives the project additional creative weight behind the camera.
For Mishra, the film marks a return to theatrical release after his 2023 film Afwaah. That gap of three years between theatrical releases is not unusual for a director working in the independent-leaning tier of Hindi cinema, where financing and release slots are harder to secure than in the mainstream studio system.
What gives this project added texture is that it is not the only Gandhi screen venture in the works. Hansal Mehta is making his own Gandhi series starring Pratik Gandhi, with music by A.R. Rahman, produced by Applause Entertainment. That series has yet to announce a streaming home (Variety). Two Gandhi projects, one a theatrical film and one a streaming series, moving forward at the same time means audiences may soon see two very different interpretations of the same historical figure.
Neither project has announced a release date. For Mishra's film, that will depend on the 2026 shoot wrapping on schedule.
