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Hansal Mehta’s Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi, becomes the first Indian series selected for TIFF’s Primetime Programme.

Hansal Mehta’s Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi, will make history as the first Indian series to premiere in TIFF’s Primetime Programme.
In a landmark moment for Indian storytelling, Applause Entertainment’s much-anticipated international series Gandhi, directed by Hansal Mehta and starring Pratik Gandhi, will have its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The series has been officially selected for TIFF’s prestigious Primetime Programme, making it the first Indian series ever to be showcased in the festival’s dedicated celebration of long-form storytelling.
Adapted from historian Ramachandra Guha’s definitive biographies, Gandhi is envisioned as a sweeping, multi-season epic that reimagines the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi—not as the saintly figure etched in history, but as the young, flawed, and ambitious man still finding his way in the world.
Season One: An Untold Story of Becoming (1888–1915) will chronicle Gandhi’s early years, beginning with his adolescence in colonial India, his awkward stint as a law student in London, and his transformative 23 years in South Africa. It’s a tale of contradictions, failures, awakenings, and self-discovery—long before he became the Mahatma, he was simply Mohan.
TIFF Primetime, which began in 2015, has previously hosted acclaimed series like Alfonso Cuarón’s Disclaimer, Shawn Levy and Steven Knight’s All the Light We Cannot See, and Netflix’s first German original Dark. Gandhi now joins this distinguished roster, marking a significant cultural milestone for Indian content on the global stage.
Producer and Applause Entertainment MD Sameer Nair called the selection “both an honour and a moment of immense pride.” He added, “Taking you up close and personal to the young Mohan way before he became the man history knows, this series is the culmination of deep research, creative development, and unwavering belief in the human story we wanted to tell. TIFF will be the first time our Gandhi will be seen by audiences. To begin that journey on such a global platform is the perfect start.”
For director and showrunner Hansal Mehta, the project is deeply personal, “Gandhi has been the most creatively challenging and soul-stirring journey of my career. It’s not just a story from our past—it’s a meditation on conscience, a portrait of a man in constant conflict with himself and his times. TIFF has previously been home to some of my most precious work, and to have perhaps the most ambitious story of my career premiering there is doubly special—particularly in TIFF’s 50th year.”
The TIFF premiere will be attended by key members of the team including Sameer Nair, Hansal Mehta, Siddharth Khaitan, Pratik Gandhi, as well as Tom Felton and Kabir Bedi.
Backed by an accomplished creative team, the series features music by A.R. Rahman, with writing credits to Vaibhav Vishal, Karan Vyas, Felix von Stumm, Hema Gopinathan, Sehaj Kaur Maini, and Yashna Malhotra. Script guidance came from Siddhartha Basu and Ramachandra Guha himself. Casting was handled by Mukesh Chhabra (India) and Shakyra Dowling (International), with production design by Shashank Tere, costumes by Pia Benegal, and cinematography by Pratham Mehta—all contributing to the show’s authenticity and scale.
The world will now meet Gandhi not as the Mahatma, but as the man in the making, when the series makes its debut at TIFF 2025.

Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always on the hun…Read More
Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always on the hun… Read More
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