'BLOWN AWAY BY MEHTA'S GANDHI

At the world premiere of Gandhi at TIFF, AR Rahman and Hansal Mehta discuss their collaboration, the way the series speaks to the contemporary period, in a story told by his compatriots this time

- INDIRA KANNAN

THE Primetime section of the Toronto International Film Festival or TIFF, which celebrated its 50th year earlier this month, featured a series from India for the first time this year. The series created by Hansal Mehta and Sameer Nair, and directed by Mehta, was Gandhi.

For over four decades, Gandhi recalls Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning film of the same name. While that 1982 film chronicled the Mahatma, the Father of the Nation, Mehta's Gandhi introduces us to Mohaniya, the son, brother, and the family man. Taking star billing all on its own in Mehta's series is the music composed by AR Rahman. Here again, Rahman demonstrates his effortless ability to move between Indian classical, folk, and Western classical music. Mehta, who had never worked with Rahman before, cold-called him for this series, and after sending him rough cuts of the first four episodes, won over the composer.