War and Peace (2002 film)

[1] The film covers the "Global Peace March" that occurred following the nuclear tests at Pokhran, and the opposition it faced from activists of the Sangh Parivar.

[2] In the second half of the documentary, Patwardhan travels to Japan to interview the hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States.

The curators describe how the United States Congress blocked an attempt to create an exhibition on the American use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and the effects of nuclear weapons.

[5] The board also asked Patwardhan to cut scenes depicting an exposé of corruption in the defence department of the NDA government by Tehelka magazine, as well as all speeches by politicians and the prime minister.

However, it said the content of the film was of "immense interest and importance in reminding the viewer of the threat to world peace posed by continuing posturing on the subcontinent.

"[1] In a review, scholar Linda Hess stated that the film was too long, but that the importance of the content and the skill of the producer made it worth watching.

[2] The film repeatedly uses images of Mahatma Gandhi juxtaposed with footage that depicts militant ideologies in both India and Pakistan, such as footage of an Islamist rally in Pakistan calling for Islamic world domination, followed by a rally of the Shiv Sena, which calls for a world dominated by Hindutva.

[2] Hess goes on to say that the Patwardhan's depiction of the film's complex content has a sense of irony and humor, and that "his eye and voice are unsentimental, his intellect acute.