Hey Ram

In 1999, an 89-year-old Hindu man named Saket Ram is on his death bed in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is being taken care of by his grandson Saket Ram Jr., a famous novelist who writes historical fiction, and their family doctor, Munawar. Saket Ram Jr explains how he grew up listening to his grandfather's stories and proceeds to narrate one of his grandfather's strange stories that he plans to use for his next novel. As his grandson narrates the story, the older Saket Ram relives it. In 1946, Ram and his Pathan Muslim friend, Amjad Ali Khan are archaeologists working together under Mortimer Wheeler in Mohenjo-daro, Sind Province. Relations are good between the Indians and the English. Ram and Amjad do not approve of the planned partition and the upcoming creation of Pakistan. Although many Indian Muslims plan to move to the new Dominion of Pakistan, Amjad decides to stay in India as he believes it is his homeland.

After the archaeological site is shut down out of fear of riots, young Ram returns to Calcutta, Bengal State to his wife, Aparna. On his way home, he witnesses the riots and chaos during Direct Action Day. While out to get some food, Ram manages to save an innocent Sikh girl from a Muslim mob. When he returns to his house, he is attacked and held hostage by his family tailor, Altaf and a group of Muslims. They rape Aparna, but upon discovering that the police are entering the building, slit Aparna's throat and flee. Unable to cope with his tragic loss, Ram takes his gun and attempts to follow them. He manages to find Altaf, who begs for mercy, although Ram kills him.

Ram continues to shoot at Muslims committing violence in the streets until he runs into Shriram Abhyankar, a Thanjavur Marathi who is leading a group of a Hindus. Realising that they are both Hindu and thus not enemies, Abhyankar offers Ram a chance to join his militia. Abhyankar informs Ram that the individual responsible is none other than Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and gives him a banned book on anti-Gandhi rhetoric to read.

In 1947, now having returned to his hometown of Thanjavur, Madras Province, Ram's brother Bhashyam and sister Vasantha urge him to remarry. He is then married to the daughter of family friends, Mythili. While his wedding is being celebrated across the village, Ram tells his childhood friends Vedha and Yegham that he has no reason to be happy since the world's biggest political divorce is going on with the partition of India. During his first night, he learns that Mythili, like her family, are supporters of Gandhi and that the Mahatma will be visiting Calcutta a few days later on the anniversary of the bloody riots. Ram travels to Calcutta alone, where he visits his old home and laments at his loss. Then he joins a mob that confronts Gandhi and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the Prime Minister of Bengal, about the bloody riots. When questioned about whether they take full responsibility for the riots, both of them accept it and ask for forgiveness. The mob forgives them, but Ram refuses to.

Although Ram remains aloof at first, he slowly falls in love with Mythili. However, on their honeymoon in Bombay State, Ram and Mythili bump into a disguised Abhyankar, who introduces them to a dethroned Maharaja. During a hunting trip with Abhyankar and the Maharaja, Ram is reunited with his old Sindhi friend from Calcutta, Manohar Lalwani, who lost his family and home in the riots. After seeing Lalwani's misery, Ram realises he has still not gotten over Aparna's murder and his hatred is reignited. Abhyankar and the Maharaj's group hold the belief that Gandhi is solely responsible for the division of India and the violence between two religions, and believe him to be a traitor for supporting and protecting Muslims rather than his own Hindu people. As extremist Hindu fundamentalists, they plot to murder Gandhi and task Ram with performing the deed. Due to a horse-riding accident, Abhyankar is left quadriplegic and has Ram swear that he will renounce personal relationships and carry on his work of killing Gandhi.

Back in the present, Ram's situation worsens. His grandson and Dr. Munawar take him to the hospital, but are stopped by the police since there are bomb blasts in Madras due to Hindu-Muslim communal riots, as the day is anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, prompting the elderly Ram to remark how the Hindu-Muslim violence is still rampant in present day. A police officer makes them hide in an underground shelter for their safety. As they try to stay silent to avoid being attacked by the mob, Ram reminisces about how he plotted to kill Gandhi many decades ago.

Back in newly independent India, Ram begins to prepare to assassinate Gandhi once he returns to Madras. A pregnant Mythili becomes worried as her husband grows more distant and invites her parents and in-laws over to cheer him up. However, Ram has made up his mind to kill Gandhi and leaves Mythili, traveling to Varanasi, United Provinces where he goes through a purification and renouncement ritual. Then, he heads for Delhi and unknowingly stays at the same hotel as another fundamentalist planning to kill Gandhi, Nathuram Godse. When the police arrive to question Godse, a paranoid Ram hides his gun on a delivery truck, which departs from the hotel. Later on, Ram goes to the soda factory in Chandni Chowk in order to retrieve his gun.

In Chandni Chowk, Ram is reunited with Amjad, who takes him to the soda factory. It is revealed that many Muslims civilians, including Amjad's wife Nafisa and their children, are hiding there out of fear of being attacked by Hindus during curfew. When it is discovered that Ram came there for a gun, the Muslims, suspicious that he might be out to kill them, attack him. A fight ensues that triggers a series of violent events in the area. While trying to escape both Hindu and Muslim mobs, Amjad learns that Ram is in Delhi to assassinate Gandhi and he tries to convince him to not do it. He reveals that his father did not die of natural causes, but was murdered by a Hindu mob and asks Ram to end his hatred.

Just then, they are cornered by a Hindu mob who try to kill Amjad. Despite Ram's attempts to protect him, Amjad is struck on the back of the head with a hammer and Ram takes him back to the soda factory. Together, they then help protect the Muslims hiding in the soda factory until the authorities arrive to control the situation, although Amjad is shot.

While in the hospital, Amjad is questioned by a police officer about the Hindu man whom eyewitnesses state started the violence. Amjad lies that he has never seen that man before, and all he knows is his brother Ram who despite everything, saved his life. He then dies holding Ram's hand.

Subsequently, Ram runs into his father-in-law and his friend who are there to meet Gandhi. He learns that his uncle and elder sister have died after learning he has left. Gandhi requests to see Ram to invite him on his long walk to Pakistan after finding out he helped save innocent Muslims. Ram ultimately changes his mind about Gandhi after seeing that his teachings are all about love and non-violence. He decides against assassinating the leader, and attempts to confess the truth to him in order to beg for forgiveness. Gandhi interrupts him, informing Ram that they can talk about it during their long walk to Pakistan. However, seconds later, Gandhi is assassinated by Godse. Ram then attempts to shoot Godse, but is moved by how one person prevents the people from attacking Godse, who is arrested. Then on, Ram lives by Gandhian principles.

As the situation on the streets starts to cool down, Ram whispers his last words to his grandson and eventually dies. During Ram's funeral, Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi comes over and visits Ram Jr's private room, which is full of historical photos. Ram Jr hands over Gandhi's footwear and spectacles which his grandfather had previously collected from the place of the shootout and had treasured throughout his life.

{{cast listing|

• Kamal Haasan as Saket Ram Iyengar / Bhairav
• Shah Rukh Khan as Amjad Ali Khan / Bharat
• Hema Malini as Ambujam, Mythili's Mother
• Rani Mukerji as Aparna Ram, Ram's first wife
• Vasundhara Das as Mythili Ram Iyengar, Ram's second wife
• Girish Karnad as Uppilli Iyengar, Mythili's Father
• Naseeruddin Shah as Mahatma Gandhi
• Om Puri as Goel
• Atul Kulkarni as Shriram Abhayankar / Ramakrishna Pande
• Vikram Gokhale as Maharaja
• Saurabh Shukla as Mahohar Lalwani
• Nassar as Ibrahim, Police Officer
• Abbas as Dr. Munavar
• Sowcar Janaki as Mythili's grandmother
• Vaali as Bhashyam Iyengar
• Iravati Harshe as Nafisa
• V. S. Raghavan as K. T. Chari
• Delhi Ganesh as Chari
• Gollapudi Maruti Rao as Govardhan
• Chhavi Vashisht as Jaya
• Y. G. Mahendran as Yagyam
• Vaiyapuri as Vedha (Tamil) / Arun Mehra as Vedha (Hindi)
• Arun Bali as Shaheed Suhrawardy
• Shadaab Khan as Altaf Tailor
• Yatin Karyekar as Qureshi
• Manoj Pahwa as Jalal
• Chandrahasan as Mohangandhi Raman
• Mohini Mathur as Haajra Begum
• Tushar Gandhi as himself
• Sharad Ponkshe as Nathuram Godse
• Shubhangi Gokhale as Rani
• Annapurna as Mrs. Chattopadhyay
• Shruti K. Haasan as Vallabhbhai Patel's daughter
• Aravind as Sankar Kishthaya
• Shabbir as Aparna's attacker
• A. C. Murali as Parthasarathy
• Nikita Palekar as Pushpa Iyengar
• Gautham Kanthadai as Saket Ram Jr.

}}

Kamal Haasan had spent all of 1998 on filming Marudhanayagam, which ended up in production hell due to lack of funds, and did not act in any other film during the period (barring Kaathala Kaathala), much to the dismay of his fans. To please them, he sought to begin and finish another film before resuming work on Marudhanayagam, which became Hey Ram.{{Cite magazine |date=4 April 1999 |title=ராமர் பைனான்ஸ்! |url=https://archive.org/download/kalki1999-04-04/kalki1999-04-04.pdf |access-date=10 June 2023 |magazine=Kalki |pages=4–6 |language=ta |via=Internet Archive}} Another motivation for Haasan to do the film was because, although he was born in a family of people devoted towards Mahatma Gandhi, he himself was not initially a devotee, and had a critical view of Gandhi even as a teenager. Haasan initially intended to title the film as Satya Sodanai ({{Translation|Experiments With Truth}}), a reference to the title of Gandhi's autobiography, published in English as The Story of My Experiments with Truth, but later decided on Hey Ram, the last words allegedly spoken by Gandhi when he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse.{{Cite web |date=5 April 1999 |title=Kamal Hasan' s Hey! Ram to focus on ahimsa |url=http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/%28docid%29/12ECDDE7F5A839B065256940004BD687?OpenDocument |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427175403/http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/12ECDDE7F5A839B065256940004BD687?OpenDocument |archive-date=27 April 2008 |access-date=1 May 2023 |website=The Times of India}}{{Cite web |last=Chauhan |first=Gaurang |date=18 February 2020 |title=Kamal Haasan on 20 years of Hey Ram: 'Warnings the film spoke about are coming true' |url=https://www.zoomtventertainment.com/tamil-cinema/article/kamal-haasan-on-20-years-of-hey-ram-warnings-the-film-spoke-about-are-coming-true/554881 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121090702/https://www.zoomtventertainment.com/tamil-cinema/article/kamal-haasan-on-20-years-of-hey-ram-warnings-the-film-spoke-about-are-coming-true/554881 |archive-date=21 January 2022 |access-date=21 January 2022 |website=Zoom}} The film was produced by Haasan and his brother Chandrahasan under their banner Raaj Kamal Films International, and was the company's first film to be shot simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi. The dialogues for the Hindi version were written by Manohar Shyam Joshi. Cinematography was handled by Tirru, and editing by Renu Saluja.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|p=384}}

Haasan chose the Hindi actor Shah Rukh Khan to portray the Pathan character Amjad Ali Khan, partly because the actor's father was a Pathan who was from Peshawar. Though not a native Tamil speaker, Khan dubbed in his own voice. It marks Khan's debut in Tamil cinema. He did not ask for any remuneration from Haasan, as he considered it an honour and privilege to work with one of his mentors.{{Cite web |date=29 May 2013 |title=SRK didn't take money for Hey Ram |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/SRK-didnt-take-money-for-Hey-Ram/articleshow/20313213.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015091010/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/SRK-didnt-take-money-for-Hey-Ram/articleshow/20313213.cms |archive-date=15 October 2015 |access-date=16 January 2017 |website=The Times of India}} The Marathi actor Mohan Gokhale was initially cast as Shriram Abhyankar; he had started working on the film in Madras but died suddenly due to a heart attack. Haasan later chose Atul Kulkarni, another Marathi actor, to do the role.{{Cite web |date=11 August 2005 |title=Test your epic gyaan |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/aug/11quiz.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120050258/https://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/aug/11quiz.htm |archive-date=20 January 2022 |access-date=20 January 2022 |website=Rediff.com}} Hema Malini, who had reduced acting in films by then, accepted to act as Ambujam after being offered the role by Haasan. For the role of Ambujam's daughter Mythili, Haasan initially wanted Malini's daughter Esha Deol; the role ultimately went to Vasundhara Das. It is her first major appearance in a Tamil film.{{Cite web |title=Interviews with Vasundhara |url=https://ganeshyamala.tripod.com/vasundharadas/id6.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222215916/https://ganeshyamala.tripod.com/vasundharadas/id6.html |archive-date=22 February 2022 |access-date=1 April 2023 |website=ganeshyamala.tripod.com}} Hassan's daughter Shruti made her acting debut portraying the role of Vallabhai Patel's daughter.

Haasan initially considered having British actor Ben Kingsley, who portrayed Gandhi in a 1982 film, to reprise the role in Hey Ram but dropped the idea as he felt "it would be cliched and the film wouldn't be honest". He later approached Naseeruddin Shah, who portrayed Gandhi in a play. Shah was initially reluctant due to the long hours of makeup required, but eventually accepted. Haasan wanted a Bengali woman to portray Saket Ram's Bengali wife Aparna, and chose Rani Mukerji, also because of her Bollywood stardom. Saurabh Shukla was cast as a Sindhi character Lalwani after Haasan was impressed with his performance in Satya (1998). Girish Karnad, who portrayed Saket Ram's father-in-law Uppili Iyengar, recommended Sharad Ponkshe, who portrayed Godse in the Marathi play Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy, to Haasan for reprising his role in the film. Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar wanted to join the film, and Haasan accepted; Tushar plays himself. Mohini Mathur, who was 13 years old when witnessing Gandhi's assassination, accepted Haasan's request to play Amjad Ali Khan's mother Haajra.

Principal photography began on 22 March 1999.{{Cite news |date=5 April 1999 |title=Kamal Hasan's first Hindi-Tamil, bilingual film Hey Ram |url=http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/060FC68BC5DAA7C165256940004B7B04?OpenDocument |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310190634/http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/060FC68BC5DAA7C165256940004B7B04?OpenDocument |archive-date=10 March 2012 |access-date=25 March 2022 |work=The New Indian Express |agency=PTI}} The then Shankaracharya of Kanchi had filmed an interview scene for the film but later requested that his portions be removed to avoid controversy. To achieve on-site dubbing of dialogues, Haasan hired Srivastav from Mumbai. Production of the film cost a total of ₹11 crore (worth ₹92 crore in 2021 prices), excluding Haasan's salary. In order to show Mohenjodaro of ancient times, the crew recreated a set at a village near Chennai as the original location was located at Pakistan which crew felt was impossible to go to due to political reasons.

Initially Haasan chose L. Subramaniam to compose music for the film. Haasan completed shooting the whole film along with the song sequences that were composed by Subramaniam. According to Haasan, when he approached Subramaniam for the final sound for mixing, he had asked for ₹1 crore, which was not the amount agreed upon earlier.{{Cite web |last=Khatib |first=Salma |title=Changing notes of Heyram |url=http://www.screenindia.com/old/jan28/music1.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121035534/http://www.screenindia.com/old/jan28/music1.htm |archive-date=21 November 2010 |access-date=25 September 2011 |website=Screen}} So Haasan went to Ilaiyaraaja to help him solve this situation. Haasan told Ilaiyaraaja that the songs had already been shot with the music composed by Subramaniam and he wanted to remove the songs and re-shoot them with Ilaiyaraaja's. On hearing that, Ilaiyaraaja told Haasan that he could fix it without Haasan needing to re-shoot any footage or songs; Haasan agreed after initial reluctance.{{Cite web |last=Sinha |first=Seema |date=26 January 2015 |title=Ilaiyaraaja saved Kamal Haasan from re-shooting many portions of Hey Ram |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Ilaiyaraaja-saved-Kamal-Haasan-from-re-shooting-many-portions-of-Hey-Ram/articleshow/46021574.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105172102/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Ilaiyaraaja-saved-Kamal-Haasan-from-re-shooting-many-portions-of-Hey-Ram/articleshow/46021574.cms |archive-date=5 January 2020 |access-date=9 November 2019 |website=The Times of India}} Subramaniam said he left the project, fearing that his association with the film may offend Hindu people due to its contentious storyline.

The lyrics for the songs were not changed, but Ilaiyaraaja composed new tunes for the songs that would be in sync with the already shot footage. The background music and the songs were recorded in Hungary's Budapest Symphony Orchestra and thus Hey Ram became the first Tamil film and the second Indian film to be re-recorded with a foreign symphony orchestra. The first one was Ilaiyaraaja's own score for the Malayalam film Guru (1997).{{Cite web |last=Sekhar |first=Shyam |date=1998 |title=An Encounter With The Maestro {{!}} An Afternoon with Illaiyaraaja {{!}} Part III & IV (Conclusion...) |url=http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Specials/98/August/Raja3.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924042411/http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Specials/98/August/Raja3.htm |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=2 July 2015 |website=Indolink}} The song "Isaiyil Thodangudhamma" was not present initially, but Ilaiyaraaja had seen an opportunity for a possible song in the scene and asked Haasan to give him a chance to add one. But Haasan, being the writer-director of the film, did not see it. Then Ilaiyaraaja convinced Haasan to trust him with this and brought Hindustani singer Ajoy Chakrabarty to sing "Isaiyil Thodanguthamma" and also writing the lyrics for the same. Chennai Online wrote, "The album, with its rich acoustic score, is one of his [Ilaiyaraaja's] best efforts".{{Cite web |title=Hey Ram - Music Album |url=http://www.chennaionline.com/musicreviews/heyram.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050311111342/http://www.chennaionline.com/musicreviews/heyram.asp |archive-date=11 March 2005 |access-date=20 November 2023 |website=Chennai Online}} S R Ramakrishna of The Music Magazine wrote "Ilaiyaraja's score brings back the grandeur, allusiveness and haunting beauty of his best work. Hey Ram is an exciting album".{{Cite web |last=Ramakrishna |first=S R |title=Raja rules again |url=http://www.themusicmagazine.com/heyram2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021231143439/http://www.themusicmagazine.com/heyram2.html |archive-date=31 December 2002 |access-date=7 December 2023 |website=The Music Magazine}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Tamil version

| extra_column = Singer(s)

| title1 = Ram Ram

| note1 =

| extra1 = Kamal Haasan, Shruti Haasan

| lyrics1 = Kamal Haasan

| length1 =

| title2 = Nee Partha

| note2 =

| extra2 = Asha Bhosle, Hariharan, Rani Mukherjee

| lyrics2 = Kamal Haasan, Jibanananda Das

| length2 =

| title3 = Pollatha Madhana Paanam

| note3 =

| extra3 = Mahalakshmi Iyer, Anupama Deshpande

| lyrics3 = Vaali, Jagdish Khebudkar

| length3 =

| title4 = Vaaranam Aayiram (Vaishnava Janatho)

| note4 =

| extra4 = Kanapadikal, Vibha Sharma

| lyrics4 = Narsinh Mehta, Andal, Gnanakoothan

| length4 =

| title5 = Isaiyil Thodanguthamma

| note5 =

| extra5 = Ajoy Chakrabarty

| lyrics5 = Ilaiyaraaja

| length5 =

| title6 = Sanyaas Mantra

| note6 =

| extra6 = Kamal Haasan, Hema Malini

| lyrics6 =

| length6 =

| title7 = Ramaranalum

| note7 =

| extra7 = Kamal Haasan, Jolly Mukherjee, Hariharan

| lyrics7 = Vaali

| length7 =

}}

{{Track listing

|headline = Hindi version

|extra_column = Singer(s)

|total_length =

| title1 = Hey! Ram

| note1 =

| extra1 = Kamal Haasan, Shruti Haasan

| lyrics1 = Sameer

| length1 =

| title2 = Janmon Ki Jwala

| note2 = {{small|poem of Jibanananda Das recited by Rani Mukherjee}}

| extra2 = Asha Bhosle, Hariharan

| lyrics2 = Sameer

| length2 =

| title3 = Asa Ga Madan Ban Ghusla Kasa

| note3 =

| extra3 = Preeti Uttam, Anupama Deshpande

| lyrics3 = Sameer, Jagdish Khebudkar

| length3 =

| title4 = Sanyaas Mantra

| note4 =

| extra4 = Kamal Haasan

| lyrics4 =

| length4 =

| title5 = Chahe Pandit Ho

| note5 =

| extra5 = Kamal Haasan, Hariharan, Jolly Mukherjee

| lyrics5 = Sameer

| length5 =

| title6 = Prem Bann

| note6 =

| extra6 = Preeti Uttam

| lyrics6 =

| length6 =

| title7 = Vaishnav Jana To

| note7 =

| extra7 = Vibha Sharma

| lyrics7 = Andal, Gnanakoothan, Sameer

| length7 =

| title8 = Har Koi Samjhe

| note8 =

| extra8 = Ajoy Chakrabarty

| lyrics8 = Sameer

| length8 =

}}

Hey Ram was released simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi on 18 February 2000. A digitally remastered version of the film was released on 8 November 2019 on Amazon Prime Video.{{Cite web |date=8 November 2019 |title=Kamal Haasan's digitally remastered Hey Ram now on Amazon Prime! |url=https://www.moviecrow.com/News/25012/kamal-haasans-digitally-remastered-hey-ram-now-on-amazon-prime |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215070912/https://www.moviecrow.com/News/25012/kamal-haasans-digitally-remastered-hey-ram-now-on-amazon-prime |archive-date=15 December 2019 |access-date=19 January 2022 |website=Moviecrow}} Internationally, the film was screened at the 25th Toronto International Film Festival and at the 2000 Locarno Festival.{{Cite web |title=25th Toronto International Film Festival Coverage: List of Films |url=http://www.digitalhit.com/torontofilmfestival/2000/filmlist |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201548/http://www.digitalhit.com/torontofilmfestival/2000/filmlist |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=11 October 2013 |website=digitalhit.com}} In 2015, Hey Ram was screened at the Habitat Film Festival.{{Cite web |title=The 10th Habitat Film Festival 2015 |url=http://www.habitatfilmclub.com/pdf/HFC_Brouchre_2015.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322032250/http://www.habitatfilmclub.com/pdf/HFC_Brouchre_2015.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2017 |access-date=22 March 2017 |website=Habitat Film Club}}{{Cite web |last=Jha |first=Subhash K |author-link=Subhash K. Jha |title=Kamal Haasan {{!}} Playing it cool |url=http://www.screenindia.com/old/feb04/cover.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024220320/http://www.screenindia.com/old/feb04/cover.htm |archive-date=24 October 2008 |access-date=18 November 2020 |website=Screen}} The film was re-released at Sathyam Cinemas on 8 November 2019.{{Cite news |date=31 October 2019 |title=60 years of Kamal: Rajini to take part in celebrations |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/60-years-of-kamal-rajini-to-take-part-in-celebrations/article29836391.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518061030/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/60-years-of-kamal-rajini-to-take-part-in-celebrations/article29836391.ece |archive-date=18 May 2021 |access-date=10 September 2020 |work=The Hindu}}

There were protests and press releases by political parties in select centres against the perceived negative depiction of Gandhi.{{Cite web |last=Nahta |first=Komal |author-link=Komal Nahta |date=1 March 2000 |title=Controversy yes, but no collections |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2000/mar/01box.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102122147/http://www.rediff.com/movies/2000/mar/01box.htm |archive-date=2 November 2012 |access-date=21 July 2012 |website=Rediff.com}}{{Cite web |date=11 April 2000 |title=Gandhi film arouses passions |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/709680.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624040122/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/709680.stm |archive-date=24 June 2009 |access-date=1 April 2023 |website=BBC News}}

Hey Ram received widespread critical acclaim.{{Cite news |last=Pillai |first=Sreedhar |date=21 April 2003 |title=In a new avataar |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/in-a-new-avataar/article28405874.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120044130/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/in-a-new-avataar/article28405874.ece |archive-date=20 January 2022 |access-date=20 September 2020 |work=The Hindu}} T. Krithika Reddy from The Hindu wrote, "Live sound, prosthetic make-up (Micheal Westmore), splendid cinematography (Thiru), magnificent art work (Sabu Cyril) and painstakingly designed costumes (Sarika) are some of the other highlights of this magnum opus, which is distinct in style and content...The chemistry between Kamal and Rani is explosive to say the least. Shah Rukh Khan, as usual comes up with an impeccable performance. Vasundhara, as the stoic second wife makes an impressive debut. Naseerudin Shah as Gandhi steals a clear march over the others in supporting roles."{{Cite news |last=Reddy |first=T. Krithika |date=25 February 2000 |title=Film Review: Hey! Ram |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2000/02/25/stories/09250221.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201163652/http://www.thehindu.com/2000/02/25/stories/09250221.htm |archive-date=1 February 2017 |access-date=5 October 2016 |work=The Hindu}} Dinakaran wrote, "The starting of 2000 itself has given a great joy to Tamil cinema! A Tamilian has created a film that caters to international standards."{{Cite news |date=6 March 2000 |title=Hey Ram |url=http://www.dinakaran.com:80/cinema/english/reviews/2000/06-3.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230203613/http://www.dinakaran.com/cinema/english/reviews/2000/06-3.htm |archive-date=30 December 2005 |access-date=20 September 2020 |work=Dinakaran}} Methil Renuka of India Today praised the film's "technical wizardry" and cast performances but called it "difficult to categorize".{{Cite web |last=Renuka |first=Methil |date=28 February 2000 |title=Movie review: Kamal Haasan's 'Hey Ram' |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/20000228-movie-review-of-kamal-haasan-hey-ram-777128-2000-02-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203080210/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/films/story/20000228-movie-review-of-kamal-haasan-hey-ram-777128-2000-02-28 |archive-date=3 December 2019 |access-date=20 January 2022 |website=India Today}} K. N. Vijiyan of New Straits Times said, "To this writer, the message of the need for unity among various religious faiths was well told by Kamalhaasan".{{Cite news |last=Vijiyan |first=K. N. |date=26 February 2000 |title=Between fiction and history |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5VRIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iRQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5876%2C2725230 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625015451/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5VRIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iRQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5876%2C2725230 |archive-date=25 June 2024 |access-date=20 January 2022 |work=New Straits Times |pages=Reel stuff 4 |via=Google News Archive}} S. Chandramouli of Kalki praised the acting of Kamal Haasan, crisp dialogues, art direction for recreating old times, symbolism but felt other characters speaking different languages gives an impression of watching a film from other language while also felt Kamal who slowly built up his character realistically went hurried with the character's change of heart and concluded saying this film will be enjoyed by urban audience but language will definitely be an issue in villages in spite of that, if this film wins, it will be good for the country and for the world of Tamil cinema.{{Cite magazine |last=சந்திரமௌலி |first=எஸ். |date=27 February 2000 |title=ஹே ராம் விமர்சனம்! |url=https://archive.org/download/kalki2000-02-27/kalki2000-02-27.pdf |access-date=3 July 2024 |magazine=Kalki |pages=1–3 |language=ta |via=Internet Archive}} Deccan Herald wrote "Hey Ram is a film not to be missed. For though it`s too long and too simplistic it is part of us, and a landmark for every thinking Indian".{{Cite web |last=Ramesh |first=Kala Krishnan |date=20 February 2000 |title=Hey Ram |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb20/rev.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000229081909/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb20/rev.htm |archive-date=29 February 2000 |access-date=14 September 2023 |website=Deccan Herald}}

The Hindi version of Hey Ram grossed ₹8.91 crore in India and $550,000 overseas.{{Cite web |title=Top Worldwide Grossers 2000 |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_world_total/2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829083048/http://boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_world_total/2000 |archive-date=29 August 2015 |access-date=22 July 2015 |website=Box Office India}}

The Hindi version opened on 18 February 2000 across 115 screens and netted ₹2.39 crore in opening week and ₹5.32 crore lifetime. It was the 35th-highest-grossing film of 2000 in India.{{Cite web |title=Top India Total Nett Gross 2000 |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_gross_boxoffice/2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828013103/http://boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_gross_boxoffice/2000 |archive-date=28 August 2015 |access-date=22 July 2015 |website=Box Office India}}

At the overseas box office, the Hindi version grossed $350,000 in opening week and $550,000 lifetime.{{Cite web |title=Top Overseas Gross 2000 |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_over_total/2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829091827/http://boxofficeindia.com/Years/year_over_total/2000 |archive-date=29 August 2015 |access-date=22 July 2015 |website=Box Office India}}

• List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi
• List of historical films set in Asia

{{reflist|refs=

{{Cite news |last=Jeshi |first=K. |date=27 September 2004 |title=No stopping him |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/no-stopping-him/article28346973.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120050856/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/no-stopping-him/article28346973.ece |archive-date=20 January 2022 |access-date=19 January 2022 |work=The Hindu}}

{{Cite web |title=Hey Ram |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Movies/movie_detail/hey_ram |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707015531/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/Movies/movie_detail/hey_ram |archive-date=7 July 2015 |access-date=22 July 2015 |website=Box Office India}}

{{Cite web |date=22 March 1999 |title=Hema Malini – Sha Ruk Khan In Kamalhaasan's New Film! |url=http://www.dinakaran.com/cinema/english/cinenews/22-03-99/kamal.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041116232041/http://www.dinakaran.com/cinema/english/cinenews/22-03-99/kamal.htm |archive-date=16 November 2004 |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=Dinakaran}}

{{Cite news |last=S |first=Srivatsan |date=9 November 2019 |title='Hey Ram is my apology to Mahatma Gandhi': Kamal Haasan |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/hey-ram-is-my-apology-to-mahatma-gandhi-kamal-haasan/article29931157.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113022408/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/hey-ram-is-my-apology-to-mahatma-gandhi-kamal-haasan/article29931157.ece |archive-date=13 November 2019 |access-date=21 September 2020 |work=The Hindu}}

{{Cite web |last=Rajitha |date=18 November 1999 |title=Walk Out! |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/nov/18kamal.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803154941/http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/nov/18kamal.htm |archive-date=3 August 2016 |access-date=22 May 2016 |website=Rediff.com}}

{{Cite web |last=Mannath |first=Malini |title='HEY RAM' – Right man for the right role |url=http://www.chennaionline.com:80/entertainment/reeltalk/index.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128202723/http://www.chennaionline.com:80/entertainment/reeltalk/index.asp |archive-date=28 November 1999 |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=Chennai Online}}

{{Cite news |last=Subrahmanian |first=Mahalakshmi |date=26 December 1999 |title=Experiments with one's own talent |url=http://www.cscsarchive.org:80/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/F8610098DCB15912652569400062A3C6?OpenDocument |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224173456/http://www.cscsarchive.org:80/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/F8610098DCB15912652569400062A3C6?OpenDocument |archive-date=24 December 2008 |access-date=8 October 2022 |work=Deccan Herald}}

{{Cite magazine |date=28 November 1999 |title=ஹே ராம் சிடி-ரோம்! |trans-title=Hey Ram CD ROM! |url=https://archive.org/download/kalki1999-11-28/kalki1999-11-28.pdf |access-date=3 July 2024 |magazine=Kalki |pages=4–7 |language=ta |via=Internet Archive}}

{{Cite web |title=Interview with Kamal Hassan {{!}} Kamal Hassan's done it again! |url=http://www.tamilstar.com/interview/actor/kamal/index.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010628021741/http://www.tamilstar.com/interview/actor/kamal/index.shtml |archive-date=28 June 2001 |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=Tamil Star}}

{{Cite news |last=S |first=Srivatsan |date=9 November 2019 |title='Hey Ram is my apology to Mahatma Gandhi': Kamal Haasan |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/hey-ram-is-my-apology-to-mahatma-gandhi-kamal-haasan/article29931157.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113022408/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/hey-ram-is-my-apology-to-mahatma-gandhi-kamal-haasan/article29931157.ece |archive-date=13 November 2019 |access-date=9 November 2019 |work=The Hindu}}

{{Cite web |date=31 January 2019 |title=என்னுடைய கோபம்...இளையராஜாவின் கண்ணீர்! - கமல்ஹாசன் சொல்லும் 'ஹேராம்' கதை |url=https://cinema.vikatan.com/tamil-cinema/148457-kamal-haasan-talking-about-ilayaraja |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109143905/https://cinema.vikatan.com/tamil-cinema/148457-kamal-haasan-talking-about-ilayaraja |archive-date=9 November 2019 |access-date=9 November 2019 |website=Ananda Vikatan |language=ta}}

}}

• {{Cite book|last=Dhananjayan|first=G.|title=Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931–2013|title-link=Pride of Tamil Cinema|publisher=Blue Ocean Publishers|year=2014|oclc=898765509|author-link=G. Dhananjayan}}

• {{IMDb title|id=0222012|title=Hey Ram}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060105010525/http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/HEYRAM.html Philip's Fil-ums review]

{{Kamal Haasan}}

{{RaajKamalFilmsInternational}}

{{National Film Award Best Special Effects}}

{{Indian submission for Academy Awards}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2000 crime drama films

Category:2000 films

Category:2000 multilingual films

Category:2000s avant-garde and experimental films

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Category:2000s Indian films

Category:2000s Tamil-language films

Category:Cultural depictions of Jawaharlal Nehru

Category:Cultural depictions of Lord Mountbatten

Category:Cultural depictions of Mahatma Gandhi

Category:Cultural depictions of Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Category:Cultural depictions of Vallabhbhai Patel

Category:Films about Mahatma Gandhi

Category:Films about religious violence in India

Category:Films about World War II alternate histories

Category:Films directed by Kamal Haasan

Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor National Film Award–winning performance

Category:Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja

Category:Films scored by L. Subramaniam

Category:Films set in 1947

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Category:Films that won the Best Costume Design National Film Award

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Category:Indian avant-garde and experimental films

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Category:Family of Mahatma Gandhi

Category:Suhrawardy family

Category:Tamil-language Indian films

Category:Works about the Mahatma Gandhi assassination