Mintu and Mitra are two mischievous eleven-year-olds who find Gandhi boring and history pointless, until a chance encounter with an elderly man who lives by Gandhian principles. Through small everyday tests of honesty, courage and non-violence, the boys start to understand what those textbook ideas actually mean. Gandhi & Co. turns a civics lesson into a warm children's adventure about doing the right thing when no one is watching.
Gandhi & Co. is the rare children's film that respects both its young audience and its subject. Directed by Manish Saini, who already has a National Award for Dhh, it follows two eleven-year-olds, Mintu and Mitra, who find Gandhi dull and history pointless until an elderly neighbour who quietly lives by Gandhian principles starts pulling them into small, real tests of honesty and courage.
The film's smartest choice is to never lecture. Instead of reciting the Mahatma, it drops the boys into everyday dilemmas, a found wallet, a lie that would be easier than the truth, a fight it would feel good to win, and lets them work out for themselves why the harder path is the right one. Darshan Jariwala anchors the adult side with warmth, and the child leads, Reyaan Shah and Hiranya Zinzuwadia, are natural enough that the moral never curdles into performance.
The wider world noticed. Gandhi & Co. won the Golden Lotus for Best Children's Film at the 69th National Film Awards, took the top prize at the Zlin Film Festival, and collected acting and directing honours at SIFFCY, an unusually decorated run for a small Gujarati production. The craft is modest and the pace is gentle, which younger viewers raised on faster cinema may find slow, and the storytelling occasionally simplifies to keep its audience close.
Those are fair prices for what it achieves. This is a sincere, well-made film that treats children as capable of real moral thought, and it makes a nearly century-old figure feel usable rather than dusty. Watch it with a child, or as an adult who wants a reminder that gentleness is not the same as weakness.
Verdict
A National Award winning children's film that makes Gandhian ideas feel usable, not preachy. Modest in scale, generous in spirit.
What works
- National Award winning children's film
- Teaches without lecturing
- Natural performances from the child leads
- Darshan Jariwala's warm presence
What holds it back
- Gentle pace may feel slow to kids
- Craft is modest and small-scale
- Occasionally simplifies its storytelling
- Limited theatrical footprint
Cast & crew
Writers: Manish Saini
Cast: Reyaan Shah (Mintu), Hiranya Zinzuwadia (Mitra), Darshan Jariwala (Bharatbhai), Jayesh More (Parth), Dhruma Mehta (Mintu's Mother), Dhyani Jani
Producers: Mahesh Danannavar
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Manish Saini
More Drama Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Gandhi & Co. worth watching?
A National Award winning children's film that makes Gandhian ideas feel usable, not preachy. Modest in scale, generous in spirit. Kevu Che rates it 4 out of 5.
What is Gandhi & Co. about?
Mintu and Mitra are two mischievous eleven-year-olds who find Gandhi boring and history pointless, until a chance encounter with an elderly man who lives by Gandhian principles. Through small everyday tests of honesty, courage and non-violence, the boys start to understand what those textbook ideas actually mean. Gandhi & Co. turns a civics lesson into a warm children's adventure about doing the right thing when no one is watching.
What is the IMDb rating of Gandhi & Co.?
Gandhi & Co. (2023) holds an IMDb rating of 8.0 out of 10 from 21 votes.