The Frontier Gandhi
Encyclopedia
The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace, a documentary released in 2008
, is the first full film account of Pashtun
leader and non violent activist Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Badshah Khan or Bacha Khan.
The documentary is the work of filmmaker and writer T.C. McLuhan, daughter of the Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan
, who spent 21 years to bring the story to the screen after an acquaintance gave her Nonviolent Soldier of Islam
.
The voice of Ghaffar Khan is played by Indian actor Om Puri
and includes interviews with elderly activists of the Khudai Khidmatgar
movement as well as major political figures in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The film had its Middle-Eastern premier at the 3rd Middle East International Film Festival
in Abu Dhabi
in October, 2009, where it won the top award for documentary films. The BBC
quoted Afrasiab Khattak
, head of the Awami National Party
in North-West Frontier Province
, as saying that "This film will help a lot in introducing Badshah Khan to the rest of the world."
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
, is the first full film account of Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
leader and non violent activist Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Badshah Khan or Bacha Khan.
The documentary is the work of filmmaker and writer T.C. McLuhan, daughter of the Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan
Marshall McLuhan
Herbert Marshall McLuhan, CC was a Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar—a professor of English literature, a literary critic, a rhetorician, and a communication theorist...
, who spent 21 years to bring the story to the screen after an acquaintance gave her Nonviolent Soldier of Islam
Nonviolent Soldier of Islam
Nonviolent Soldier of Islam is a biography of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan , an ally of Gandhi's in the Indian independence movement. Originally written by Eknath Easwaran in English, foreign editions have also been published in Arabic and several other languages.Foreign editions of Nilgiri Press Books,...
.
The voice of Ghaffar Khan is played by Indian actor Om Puri
Om Puri
Om Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
and includes interviews with elderly activists of the Khudai Khidmatgar
Khudai Khidmatgar
Khudai Khidmatgar literally translates as the servants of God, represented a non-violent freedom struggle against the British Empire by the Pashtuns of the North-West Frontier Province....
movement as well as major political figures in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The film had its Middle-Eastern premier at the 3rd Middle East International Film Festival
Middle East International Film Festival
Abu Dhabi Film Festival is an international film festival. Created in 2007, the ceremony is held annually in October in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage , under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the ADACH...
in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
in October, 2009, where it won the top award for documentary films. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
quoted Afrasiab Khattak
Afrasiab Khattak
Afrasiab Khattak or Afrasayab Khattak is a politician from Kohat, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. He is currently a member of the Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Pakistan and the provincial president of the Awami National Party in North-West Frontier Province.Afrasiab Khattak...
, head of the Awami National Party
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International...
in North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
, as saying that "This film will help a lot in introducing Badshah Khan to the rest of the world."