Sixty years ago Britain formerly withdrew from India and a separate Muslim state, Pakistan, was created.

These two historic events played a large part in the life and death of Mahatma Gandhi, who peacefully campaigned for Indian independence and was assassinated by a fellow Hindu for allowing Pakistan to secede.

These events are portrayed in Richard Attenborough's epic biopic Gandhi, to be screened at this year's Bite the Mango International Film Festival at the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Opening in some cinemas tomorrow, and possibly in line for a showing during Bite the Mango, is another film about Gandhi, the highly-acclaimed Gandhi My Father, the movie debut of Indian theatre director Feroz Khan.

The two-hour film delves into the troubled relationship between Gandhi and his eldest son Harilal. But why make such a film in the first place?

Feroz said: "We have the political Gandhi explained in depth and very wonderfully in Sir Richard Attenborough's film. We have also had a film in India about his social principles.

"I believe the time has come to put the political and the social with the family in what is a very personal and intimate portrait of Gandhi. This helps us to get a better understanding of the man."

While the Mahatma (it means Great Soul) was busy changing the history of India his son was undergoing a very different journey, ultimately losing himself in his own personal wilderness.

"The irony is that someone who could transform the soul of India could not save the soul of his own son. They kept meeting each other and Gandhi kept asking his son to follow his path.

"He stood on his principles and would not budge. Gandhi believed that people had to subjugate their personal feelings for the greater good of India. He asked his family to make the same sacrifice, but Harilal was not ready.

"He did try to join the non-co-operation movement; but he rebelled against the expectations of his father. He wanted his own identity. This led to them going on their own paths, one to become a saint and a martyr and the other to become a beggar and an alcoholic.

"We speculate in the film that if the son had not gone on this path he would have become another Gandhi rather than what he ended up becoming," Khan said.

A film on the same theme, although not on the same scale, is Bal Kumar's 15-minute short, Mother's Journey, which took three years to make and cost about £15,000. Like Gandhi My Father, this film may be shown at Bite the Mango.

It is certainly on the list of film festivals for Edinburgh, Toronto, Venice and Cannes.

Huddersfield-based Kumar, 35, earns his living as a freelance lecturer in film and media and has a 15-year background in film. He is now establishing a reputation for his short movies.

Why did this one take so long to make?

"Because I wanted it to be absolutely the right production with a well-known cast and high production values. I re-wrote it at least ten times. It is a sketch for a longer film for which I am currently raising the money," he said.

Mother's Journey is set in Hebden Bridge and is based on the story of Mr Kulmar's mother. It explores racism and domestic violence as well as the film-maker's own "too real" childhood memories.

Anjali Mya Chada plays the lead character of Sudesh, a reluctant immigrant whose difficulty in acclimatising to an alien culture is exacerbated by her loveless and physically abusive marriage.

Her husband is played by Nitin Ganatra (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bride and Prejudice); he too is struggling to come to terms with life in the UK.

"My father has passed away. My mother - she's still alive - begins the story feeling very isolated. She has got to the point where she feels much more assimilated and feels more at home than she did. There is a religious metaphor as well - the belief in God to get you through.

"These days people think you're a nutter if you believe in God. I am the oldest of five. I always see Britain as my home, but sometimes people say horrible things or you are in a difficult situation," he added.

Bite the Mango is scheduled to run from September 21 to 27. For more information contact 0870 7010200.