Couldn't they have found an Indian actor

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2007)

The story of Mohandas Ghandi is one that needed to be told through film perhaps several years earlier during the height of the civil rights movement when it could have helped enlighten more people. The cameo by a young Daniel Day Lewis is priceless. Two generations of academy award winners meet on a dusty street set in south Africa. I gave this movie an eight out of ten because it is truly an impressive piece of work. But a part of me is puzzled. Kevin Costner found authentic native Americans when he filmed dances with wolves. Mel Gibson managed to scrounge up the finest in Scottish talent for Braveheart. Why couldn't they find the perfect Indian to play Ghandi, perhaps the most influential Hindu in history? There are thousands of Indian actors the cast directors could have picked from and most Indians, due to years of colonization, speak English better then most Americans. Don't get me wrong, Sir Ben Kingsley is a fine actor and deserved the awards he received for the role. I am simply speculating when I wonder why they picked a British man whose ancestors probably helped invade and exploit India instead of an authentic Indian. That's all.