The art of killing Gandhi

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Editor's note: Ashok Tyagi is a big fan of Ashok Tyagi. And why shouldn’t he be? “I have impeccable credentials,” he says. He was a brilliant student who always stood first in class, went on to join the premier filmmaking school, the Film and Television Institute of India, and has made movies starring legends like Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna. His latest project is, in his words, “the best docu-drama I’ve seen”. In fact, every time he sees it, he is moved to tears. “Why I Killed Gandhi” is a re-enactment of the trial of the Mahatma’s assassin Nathuram Godse. Actually, it is only one episode from the trial. The part where Godse is given a chance to address the court and explain why he pulled the trigger at an unarmed old man. Because he cared for Hindus and India, Godse had said. The act was illegal but not immoral. Just like Arjuna killing the Kauravas in the Mahabharata wasn’t. It’s the first time a film on Nathuram Godse has hit screens in India. (A 1963 British-American film, “Nine Hours to Rama”, …