B. R. Ambedkar

Lore & Background

When Jabbar Patel set out to make a biopic on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, his first choice for the role was Shah Rukh Khan. SRK declined—not from disinterest, but out of respect. Patel then happened upon a photograph of Malayalam superstar Mammootty. Intrigued, he had Mammootty’s face photo-shopped to resemble Ambedkar and sought an introduction through filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Soon after, Patel flew to Kochi to meet the actor. At first, Mammootty refused outright, explaining that he avoided Hindi films and felt he bore no resemblance to Ambedkar. Patel then revealed the edited image. Seeing himself transformed, Mammootty realized he could embody the role. Yet one final obstacle remained: Patel insisted Ambedkar could not be portrayed with a moustache. Mammootty balked—his moustache was iconic, and he feared his fans would be shocked. Patel, however, stood firm. Eventually, Mammootty agreed, and preparations for the role began. Looking back, his portrayal of Ambedkar is often regarded as deeply immersive—comparable in impact to Ben Kingsley’s performance as Gandhi.

Reader's Guide

The film was a project funded jointly by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Government of Maharashtra. It was made at a budget of ₹ 89.5 million. The production was managed by the government-owned National Film Development Corporation of India. In an interview with Pritish Nandy of Rediff.com, director Jabbar Patel said that the research and filming took three years each. The government said they wanted a film on the scale of Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. For the role of Ambedkar, they considered hundreds of actors around the world. Patel claimed that, in that search, they also sought Robert De Niro who was very keen on the role but backed off when he was told that he had to drop his American accent and speak the way Ambedkar did—in his typically 'clipped Indo-British accent'. Mammootty was cast by chance when Patel saw his picture on a magazine and felt he had some resemblance with Ambedkar. Mammootty was initially resistant to be cast as that would have meant shaving off his mustache, recalls Patel. Since there were no footage of Ambedkar available to them, his body language and way of talking was to be done out of imagination. The film was simultaneously shot in English and Hindi. Although Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was certified in 1998, it was released commercially in 2000.

Did You Know?

• The film won National Film Awards for Best feature film in English, Best Actor (Mammootty) and Best Art Direction (Nitin Chandrakant Desai) in 1999.
• The film was screened retrospective on 15 August 2016 at the Independence Day Film Festival jointly presented by the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals and Ministry of Defence, commemorating 70th Indian Independence Day.
• Director Jabbar Patel's first choice for the role of Ambedkar was Shah Rukh Khan, who declined out of respect.
• Robert De Niro was considered for the role but backed off when told he had to drop his American accent and speak in Ambedkar's 'clipped Indo-British accent'.
• Mammootty initially refused the role because he avoided Hindi films and felt he bore no resemblance to Ambedkar, but changed his mind after seeing a photo-shopped image of himself as Ambedkar.