Hyderabad, Oct. 2 -- Cinema has returned to Mahatma Gandhi's life and ideas time and again. But did the man who inspired so many filmmakers enjoy watching movies himself? With Gandhi Jayanti bringing his legacy into focus, his brief encounter with the silver screen makes for an unusual story.

Gandhi had little interest in cinema and was openly critical of the medium. Yet, he is widely documented as having watched just two films in his lifetime, as per historical data available online. Surprisingly, his first was a Hollywood production, followed by a Hindi mythological film. Both screenings took place in 1944.

The Hollywood film that came first

The first was reportedly Mission to Moscow, a 1943 film directed by Michael Curtiz. Based on ...