THIS Film Used Over 3 Lakh People for Just One Scene; Set New World Record for Most Extras

In the world of cinema, we have seen the bizarre and also transcended from the sublime to the ridiculous. Some truths are so strange that they eat up fiction for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the end of the day, we are asked to question ourselves, did it really happen?

World Record

One such incident took place over four decades ago. In the days for CGI, sometimes old school was the best. There was a scene of an iconic film that used over 300,000 extras for just one scene. Not only that, but it set a new Guinness World Record for most extras used in a film. 3 lakh is a huge amount and that many people were actually used. The movie being referred to here is arguably the best biopic ever made. Yes, we are talking about the 1982 classic Gandhi and the scene we speak of is Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral procession.

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What Happened

Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral procession scene had a large crowd and over 300,000 people were used for just that one scene.

"It is believed that over 300,000 extras appeared in the funeral scene of Gandhi, the epic directed by Richard Attenborough. Announcements by loudspeaker van, in newspapers and on television and radio summoned over 200,000 volunteer extras to Delhi's ceremonial mall, the Rajpath, where they were supplemented by another 94,560 contracted performers, the majority of whom were paid a fee equivalent to 40 pence each. The sequence had to be shot in a single morning, that of 31 January 1981, the 33rd anniversary of Gandhi's funeral. Eleven camera crews shot 6,096m (20,000ft) of film, more than the total footage of the 188 minute released film. The edited funeral sequence ran for only 125 seconds of screen time," the record states.

Star Cast

Gandhi was directed by Richard Attenborough. It was a co-production between India and Britain and the Government of India provided the funds for production via the National Film Development Corporation of India. Sir Ben Kingsley portrayed India’s ‘Father of the Nation’. Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth, Saeed Jaffrey and Virendra Razdan played the roles of Kasturba Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad respectively.

Successful Film

It was a critical and commercial success. At the 1983 Oscars, Gandhi won as many as eight Academy Awards. It won Best Picture and Best Director to Richard Attenborough, Best Actor to Sir Ben Kingsley, Best Original Screenplay to John Briley, Best Art Direction to Stuart Craig, Robert W. Laing, and Michael Seirton, Best Cinematography to Billy Williams and Ronnie Taylor, Best Costume Design to John Mollo and Bhanu Athaiya, and Best Editing to John Bloom. Bhanu Athaiya was India's first Oscar winner.

Timeless Classic

Fast forward to 2025, Gandhi is a timeless classic. Sir Ben did full justice to that role and really pulled off the look and mannerisms of the great man on the big screen. The film also starred Bollywood actors such as Habib Tanvir, Amrish Puri, Om Puri, Alok Nath and Dalip Tahil played some important smaller roles. Famous British actor Edward Fox played the infamous General Dyer. Hollywood star Martin Sheen also had a role.

Today, the movie is well remembered and one can always watch it online. If you have already seen Gandhi, good for you and no harm doing so again. If you have not, you need to do it as soon as possible. Not just as a story of the great man, the movie also is a must for cinema lovers. After all, a great story resulted in a great screenplay and the result was a masterpiece.