Filmmaker Hansal Mehta is facing a last-minute crisis ahead of the world premiere of his upcoming series Gandhi at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, thanks to a delay in getting a Canadian visa, he said on Wednesday.
With just 10 days to go for the event, the director said his team members are yet to receive their Canadian visas, putting their travel plans in jeopardy.
“Can anybody help with visas at the Canadian High Commission in Delhi? We’re 10 days away from our world premiere at TIFF2025 and no sign of our visas. It’s nearly 3 weeks since we sent our passports,” Mehta wrote on X.
Gandhi, starring Pratik Gandhi in the titular role, is the first-ever Indian series to premiere at the festival in the Primetime slate. Sharing his excitement after the announcement earlier this year, Mehta had described the selection as “an audacious dream, born of belief and perseverance”, calling it a moment of pride for Indian storytelling on the global stage.
Based on Ramachandra Guha’s books Gandhi Before India and Gandhi: The Years that Changed the World, the series chronicles the formative years of Mahatma Gandhi. Alongside Pratik Gandhi, the show also stars Bhamini Oza as Kasturba Gandhi.
Mehta and Pratik previously collaborated on the widely-acclaimed series Scam 1992 (2020), which catapulted the latter to stardom.
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will take place from September 4-14.