Which 1982 Richard Attenborough biopic about an Indian independence leader won Best Picture? Gandhi won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, Gandhi follows Mohandas K. Gandhi from his formative experiences in South Africa through his leadership of India’s independence movement and his assassination in 1948. Ben Kingsley portrays Gandhi in the film’s central performance.
The film premiered in India in November 1982 and received 11 nominations at the 55th Academy Awards. It won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, cinematography, costume design, and editing.
The movie is a historical drama rather than a documentary. It compresses or combines some events and portrays certain historical figures selectively, but it introduced Gandhi’s nonviolent political philosophy to a broad international audience. It should not be confused with A Passage to India, another acclaimed film about India that was not the Best Picture winner.