"Nathuram Godse killed Gandhiji physically, but people of India have been killing his ideologies every day, making him irrelevant for the younger generation," said noted filmmaker from Assam Jahnu Baruah.

During an interaction at Guwahati Press Club today, the filmmaker of ‘Maine Gandhi ko nahin mara' said he had been inspired by the overwhelming response to his maiden venture in Hindi which was intended to reflect his stand against non-violence.

He said, " Insurgency in Assam wouldn't have attained today's alarming proportion had it been tackled sensibly and sincerely just when it was raising its ugly head in the state." " On finding myself a witness to such a violent situation in my home state, I as a filmmaker was inspired to make a film which was going to trigger a debate in the country about revival of Gandhiji's principles of self-reliance and non-violence."

" It is not that I want to impose on others what I firmly believe about Gandhiji and relevance of his ideologies in the present day context. The film was only meant for reviving Gandhi for younger generation in a different way. I believe the Father of our nation had answer to almost half of the myriad problems we are facing today," he said.

The director was humble in his admission that but for support from actor Anupam Kher ‘Maine Gandhiko nahin mara' would not have been made. He was about to shelve the project after NFDC had expressed its inability to finance it, but Mr Kher who had been bowled over by the script had come to the rescue of the director by agreeing to finance it.

" The experience has affirmed my belief that when there is a sincere will to do something good, God is sitting above all of us to show the way," Mr Baruah said.

When asked whether he expected to win awards for ‘Maine Gandhiko nahin mara', he said he believes that when a film is made with the purpose of winning award, the ‘entire purpose of making the film is lost'.

The director who has so far made seven high-quality films in Assamese, two of those earned lots of laurels for him nationally and internationally, believes that responsibility lies with the society for creation demand for more and good films.

He said Indian audience should change their attitude of looking for entertainment and only entertainment in films. It is time for them to get mature to ‘healthy audience' like those in European countries who are capable of critical analysis of different aspects of films.