Exclusive! I've a deeper understanding and respect for Kasturba Gandhi after playing her: Hariprriya

In April this year, Hariprriya had announced her second collaboration with filmmaker Baragur Ramachandrappa, a film about the late Kasturba Gandhi, based on his book, Kasturba vs Gandhi. Called Thayi Kastur Gandhi, the film has Hariprriya in the title role, and explores the former’s life from childhood to the end. Hariprriya plays the character from when she marries Gandhi, essayed by actor Kishore, through middle and old age, in three different looks, which were unveiled today. “The film is Baraguru sir’s interpretation of the life and times of Kasturba Gandhi, told from her perspective over the course of several years. If you look at other films about Gandhi, although they featured Kasturba, they have never been from her point of view, be it her relationship with Gandhi, their family, dynamics with the children, her involvement in the freedom struggle, etc.,” says Hariprriya, adding, though, that the primary focus is on how Kasturba supported Gandhi over the years.

The film was shot at sets in Bengaluru, although the team was keen to head to original locations in Gujarat. “Sadly, the pandemic situation in the state at the time was not conducive for us to travel there. Instead, we put up sets to recreate the settings we wanted, which also ensured that the shoot went ahead without any hitch, allowing us to keep the looks from the film under wraps for the duration of the making,” says Hariprriya. Being on the set, she adds, almost transported her to that era. “Honestly, it felt like we were back in those times and that I have lived that life,” she says.

Working on this film has been momentous for the actress. “It is an honour to work with litterateur-turned-filmmaker Baragur Ramachandrappa sir and I have had the fortune twice already, first for Amruthamathi and now Thayi Kastur Gandhi. It also reunites me with Kishore, with whom I have acted in several films, for a film that was very different for both of us. Kishore looks fantabulous as Gandhiji," she says. 

The actress adds that her biggest takeaway from the film is that she is now more aware of how strong and opinionated a woman Kasturba was. "She was not a silent spectator to all of Gandhi’s campaigns and was quite vocal about her point of view. She always spoke up about the right and wrongs of their undertakings and had several conflicts with Gandhi. In fact, while Gandhi was always about his social activism and only then a family man, she had to balance being wife to him and mother to their children, while supporting him in their social endeavors. She took part in a lot of revolutionary activities and was quite the multi-tasker, which will be highlighted in this film. What we have also explored is how these two strong individuals solved their conflicts and what they learnt from these experiences. I was quite enamored by these characteristics of both Gandhi and Kasturba,” says Hariprriya, adding, “I have a greater understanding and respect for Kasturba now, thanks to playing her for this onscreen adaptation.”

This understanding, says the actress, is also thanks in part to writer-filmmaker Baragur Ramachandrappa’s intense research into the subject. “Sir has spent years researching the subject, which was a must, given their importance in history. There was no scope for cinematic liberties and we had to be factually correct about every morsel of information in the film. Being accurate about every aspect of Gandhi and Kasturba was challenging, but we could not afford to have anyone question anything we bring to the screen. I was relaxed on set, because I knew Baragur sir will do due diligence and get his facts right before embarking on a project like this,” says Hariprriya.