Mahatma Gandhi seems to be inspiring Bollywood again.

One of the movies coming up is playwright Feroz Khan's screen adaptation of "Gandhi Versus Gandhi". The film, "Mahatma Versus Mahatma", is being produced by Anil Kapoor and features Akshaye Khanna as Gandhi's disgruntled son Harilal.

The film focuses on the domestic friction in Gandhi's life caused by his neglect of family duties. "Mahatma Versus Mahatma" is being shot in Pune.

Up next for shooting is Assamese director Jahnu Barua's first Hindi film "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara", which is about a man obsessed with the Mahatma.

There is more to come. Mahesh Manjrekar's "Viruddh" is about a Gandhian ideologue who is suddenly faced with the tragedy of his son's murder and his subsequent battle for justice from a cold and uncaring social system.

Then there's Sunny Deol playing the title role in Guddu Dhanoa's "Gandhi". Though this Gandhi has nothing directly to do with the Mahatma, he's nonetheless got the principles that protect him from perverse social codes.

So, are films about Gandhian ideologists back in vogue?

Decades ago Dharmendra played one such memorable protagonist in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's "Satyakam". The film bombed and so did the chances of seeing on screen the idealistic freedom fighter who would rather die than compromise on his principles.

Manoj Kumar fought a Gandhian battle to save his land in the back-to-the-roots saga "Upkar".

In "Purab Aur Paschim", he weaned a set of debauched Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) back to 'Bharat' (India).

The cynical antagonist that Amitabh Bachchan played in the 1970s and 80s also secreted an idealist. In Manmohan Desai's "Desh Premee", "Coolie" and "Mard", Bachchan was cast as a man fighting for his country and community.

The era of the real ideologue returned in 2002 with Aamir Khan in "Lagaan" playing a fiercely idealistic villager fighting colonial aggression on behalf of his village.

Shah Rukh Khan recently played an ideologue in Ashutosh Gowariker's "Swades" who gives up his big American Dream to return to his roots.

The new reverence for Gandhian principles in some of the major films being shot in Mumbai can be seen as a direct backlash to the excessive sleaze and violence that has swamped our cinema in recent times.

Put simply everyone wants a bit of peace and harmony in the movies. And who is better equipped to provide these than the apostle of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi?