Manoj Bajpayee to play Mahatma Gandhi in Sudhir Mishra's next backed by Anubhav Sinha

National Award winner Manoj Bajpayee will essay Mahatma Gandhi for the first time in a gripping drama uncovering a lesser-known 21-day chapter of India’s independence history. Bajpayee will be working with Sudhir Mishra, who will direct the film, while Anubhav Sinha will produce the film under his banner, Benaras Media Works.

National award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee had essayed several memorable characters on screen but this will be the first time that the actor will play Gandhi on screen. The film also stars a powerhouse ensemble, including the stellar Saurabh Shukla, who joins the cast to bring this historic era to life.

Speaking about the core idea driving the film, director Sudhir Mishra shared, “This new film focuses on an important yet lesser-known chapter of history—the 21 days in the life of Mahatma Gandhi during India’s independence. At a time when the nation was stepping into freedom, and Delhi was becoming the center of power, Gandhi made an unexpected choice: he chose to walk away. But by walking away, he did not retreat. He reinvented himself. While history books record the surface events of that era, this story explores what lay beneath that famous choice and will depict the personal journey of a leader redefining his path.”

About Anubhav Sinha and Sudhir Mishra

Over the past decade, Anubhav Sinha has established himself as one of the most versatile creative forces in Indian cinema. Through groundbreaking, thought-provoking films like Mulk, Article 15, and Thappad, he has consistently used the big screen to spark meaningful conversation while setting new benchmarks for storytelling. Apart from his own directorial work, Sinha has also backed distinctive voices across the industry as a producer, bringing visionary stories to life with raw honesty and cinematic flair.

This upcoming project marks an exciting new milestone as he produces the next directorial feature for legendary filmmaker Sudhir Mishra. As Mishra approaches a remarkable 40 years in Hindi cinema, a rich legacy shaped by modern classics such as Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Dharavi, and Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin, this project holds immense significance. Celebrated as one of the industry's finest and most decorated directors, Mishra brings the prestige of three National Film Awards to this project, having won for his works Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin (Best Debut Film of a Director), Dharavi (Best Feature Film in Hindi), and Main Zinda Hoon (Best Film on Other Social Issues). This film also marks his return to the big screen for a theatrical release after a long hiatus.

Together, the duo is uniting their unique artistic voices to bring a cinematic narrative rooted in real-life incidents from the era of India’s independence.

With two masters of their craft coming together and a talented ensemble cast bringing this historic era to life, the film is poised to be an unmissable cinematic event. By blending a deeply personal human story with the scale of India's independence, this ambitious venture promises to offer audiences a fresh, intimate, and moving perspective on a chapter of Indian independence history they only thought they knew.