Sameer Nair: It’s a human drama, not a political story

Updated On: 16 August, 2022 07:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu

From pursuing historian Guha for book rights, to exploring the Mahatma’s bond with Jinnah, creator Nair discusses making a definitive biopic with his web series Gandhi

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Sameer Nair, Ramachandra Guha, and Pratik Gandhi/ Instagram

In May, to mark five years of Applause Entertainment, creator Sameer Nair announced Gandhi, the magnum opus based on Mahatma Gandhi’s life. The multi-season series will be based on Indian historian-author Ramachandra Guha’s books, Gandhi Before India and Gandhi — The Years that Changed the World. It’s not surprising when Nair begins the chat by admitting that getting Guha on board was not easy. “I pursued Mr Guha for three years,” he smiles, before recounting, “I first reached out to him in July 2019. I met him without reading the book in its entirety, and he sent me back. Then I read the whole book, and went back to him. I reached out to him again during the pandemic. [The conversation] went from a straight ‘No’ to ‘Let me see’, to ‘Let’s talk.’”

Sameer Nair, Mahatma Gandhi and Ramachandra Guha