The World Is Family, a personal documentary by Anand Patwardhan, has its TIFF debut

Anand Patwardhan, a famous filmmaker, constructs his family picture in his most recent movie, “The World is Family,” which had its world premiere at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) here this week.

Patwardhan documents his family’s connections to the liberation struggle and how they developed strong relationships with Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, and other key figures of the independence movement. He does this with the use of rare archive film, family photos, and interviews he has conducted over the years with various family members.

The loss of the high ideals and intergroup harmony that the leaders of the independence struggle stood for, however, is the central issue of Patwardhan’s most intimate documentary.

His sadness for the vanished ideals of India’s liberation movement and forgotten heroes like the Sindhi leader Allah Baksh Soomro can also be heard in “The World is Family.”

“Today’s India is not what Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Nehru envisioned and fought for,” he said. “Today, that past is being erased. India has changed from the past. I have said this for years,” the director said.

“However, I’m not suggesting that what we’ve lost can’t be found again. It is possible, but you must begin,” he added.

In addition, on Tuesday, Patwardhan became the second Indian speaker at the TIFF Visionaries panel after “Baahubali” director S.S. Rajamouli did so last year.

“For decades, Anand Patwardhan has been a singular figure of independent documentary in India, inspiring a flourishing of new directors today,” reads the TIFF introduction to his film.

The acclaimed Indian director’s fourth movie, “The World is Family,” will be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.