''The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace'', a documentary released in 2008, is the first full film account of
Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
leader and
nonviolent
Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...
activist
Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Abdul Ghaffār Khān (; 6 February 1890 – 20 January 1988), also known as Bacha Khan () or Badshah Khan (), and honourably addressed as Fakhr-e-Afghan (), was a Pakistani Pashtun, independence activist, and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar ...
, also known as Badshah Khan or Bacha Khan.
The documentary is the work of filmmaker and writer
T.C. McLuhan, daughter of the Canadian media theorist
Marshall McLuhan
Herbert Marshall McLuhan (July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media theory. He studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Cambridge. He began his ...
, who spent 21 years to bring the story to the screen after an acquaintance gave her ''
Nonviolent Soldier of Islam
''Nonviolent Soldier of Islam'' is a biography of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988), an ally of Gandhi, Gandhi's in the Indian independence movement. Originally written by Eknath Easwaran in English, foreign editions have also been published in A ...
''.
The voice of Ghaffar Khan is played by Indian actor
Om Puri
Om Prakash Puri (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Bengali, Kannada,English, Punjabi and one Telugu film, as well as independent and art films and also starred ...
and includes interviews with elderly activists of the
Khudai Khidmatgar
Khudai Khidmatgar ( ps, خداۍ خدمتګار; literally "servants of God") was a predominantly Pashtun nonviolent resistance movement known for its activism against the British Raj in colonial India; it was based in the country's North-West ...
movement as well as major political figures in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The film had its Middle-Eastern premier at the 3rd
Middle East International Film Festival
The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF; ar, مهرجان أبو ظبي السينمائي), formerly the Middle East International Film Festival, was an international film festival held in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 2007 to 2 ...
in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
in October, 2009, where it won the top award for documentary films. The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, as saying that "This film will help a lot in introducing Badshah Khan to the rest of the world."
McLuhan has stated that she believes the film counters stereotypes.
McLuhan reported encountering resistance both in making the film and in marketing it, and stated that one reason was
The film had its Indian premier at the 2nd
on 14 September 2013, where it received a standing ovation.
'' reported that a private screening of the film had been requested by the president of India for 17 September 2013.