Notable for its CinemaScope visuals and a score by Malcolm Arnold, it was filmed partially on location in India.
As of 2026, Nine Hours to Rama is like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+. However, you can find it in the following ways: Download Nine Hours To Rama 1963 Movie The Birds
Upon its release, Nine Hours to Rama was met with significant controversy. In India, the film was banned for its sympathetic—or at least overly humanizing—portrayal of Gandhi’s assassin. The government felt that giving the killer a "hero’s journey" narrative structure was disrespectful to the memory of the Mahatma. Notable for its CinemaScope visuals and a score
Nine Hours to Rama (1963) is a British-Indian co-production directed by Mark Robson. Based on Stanley Wolpert’s novel, it fictionalizes the hours leading up to the January 30, 1948, assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The film stars Horst Buchholz as Nathuram Godse (the assassin), José Ferrer as the fictional police officer Gopal Das, and Valerie Gearon as a British woman caught in the political turmoil. In India, the film was banned for its
From a technical standpoint, the film was a nightmare to produce and remains a marvel to watch. In 1963, CGI did not exist. The bird attacks were created through a combination of trained birds, mechanical props, and sophisticated optical effects. The infamous scene where birds pour down the chimney and attack the family inside a boarded-up house is a masterclass in editing and sound design. Notably, the film has no musical score; the soundtrack consists entirely of bird sounds and electronic noises, heightening the sense of unease.
The film follows Godse (played by Horst Buchholz ) as he prepares for the assassination, using flashbacks to explain his radicalisation and disillusionment during the Partition of India. Meanwhile, a police superintendent (Jose Ferrer) races against time to prevent the murder.
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