Gandhi

PGDrama, History

Budget$22,000,000

Domestic Box Office$52,767,889

Worldwide Box Office$77,737,889

Synopsis

In 1893, Mohandas K. Gandhi is thrown off a South African train for being an Indian and traveling in a first class compartment. Gandhi realizes that the laws are biased against Indians and decides to start a non-violent protest campaign for the rights of all Indians in South Africa. After numerous arrests and the unwanted attention of the world, the government finally relents by recognizing rights for Indians, though not for the native blacks of South Africa. After this victory, Gandhi is invited back to India, where he is now considered something of a national hero. He is urged to take up the fight for India's independence from the British Empire. Gandhi agrees, and mounts a non-violent non-cooperation campaign of unprecedented scale, coordinating millions of Indians nationwide. There are some setbacks, such as violence against the protesters and Gandhi's occasional imprisonment. Nevertheless, the campaign generates great attention, and Britain faces intense public pressure. Too weak from World War II to continue enforcing its will in India, Britain finally grants India's independence. Indians celebrate this victory, but their troubles are far from over. Religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims erupt into nation-wide violence. Gandhi declares a hunger strike, saying he will not eat until the fighting stops. The fighting does stop eventually, but the country is divided. It is decided that the northwest area of India, and eastern part of India (current day Bangladesh), both places where Muslims are in the majority, will become a new country called Pakistan (West and East Pakistan respectively). It is hoped that by encouraging the Muslims to live in a separate country, violence will abate. Gandhi is opposed to the idea, and is even willing to allow Muhammad Ali Jinnah to become the first prime minister of India, but the Partition of India is carried out nevertheless. Gandhi spends his last days trying to bring about peace between both nations. He thereby angers many dissidents on both sides, one of whom finally gets close enough to assassinate him.

What is the budget of Gandhi?

"Gandhi," a drama released in 1982, was directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen. The production budget was $22,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for drama productions of the 1980s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a drama production like this include:

Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
Location Filming & Period Production Design: Authentic locations , whether contemporary or historical , require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period.
Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.

What were the major cost factors in Gandhi?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Gandhi."

Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.

How Does Gandhi's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $22,000,000, Gandhi sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

12 Rounds (2009): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,280,326
Before I Go to Sleep (2014): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,669,776
Dances with Wolves (1990): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $424,208,848
Derailed (2005): Budget $22,000,000, Worldwide Gross $57,479,076
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005): Budget $22,000,000 , Gross $45,109,561

The median budget for wide-release drama films in the era ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Gandhi Box Office Performance

"Gandhi" earned $52,767,889 domestically and $77,737,889 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $22,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Gandhi," that break-even threshold was roughly $44,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $77,737,889, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

Production Budget: $22,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $77,737,889
Net Return: $55,737,889
ROI: approximately 253.4%

At 253.4%, "Gandhi" earned roughly $3.53 for every $1 invested in production.

Awards and Recognition

Won 8 Oscars. 35 wins & 23 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Actor: Ben Kingsley (55th Academy Awards)
Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay: John Briley (55th Academy Awards)
Academy Award for Best Production Design: Stuart Craig (55th Academy Awards)
Academy Award for Best Production Design: Robert W. Laing (55th Academy Awards)
Academy Award for Best Production Design: Michael Seirton (55th Academy Awards)
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Film Editing: John Bloom (55th Academy Awards)
Academy Award for Best Picture: Richard Attenborough (55th Academy Awards)