Nine Hours to Rama

Nine Hours to Rama is 1963 British-American neo noir crime film directed by Mark Robson that follows a fictionalised Nathuram Godse in the hours before he assassinated the Indian independence leader, Gandhi, and police attempts to prevent the murder. It is based on a 1962 novel of the same name by Stanley Wolpert. The film was written by Nelson Gidding and filmed in England and India with mainly white actors in prominent roles. It stars Horst Buchholz, Diane Baker, Jose Ferrer, and Robert Morley. It was shot in CinemaScope DeLuxe Color. The film was shot clandestinely throughout India and was banned in the country upon release, as was the novel.

The film is a fictional narrative set in the nine hours in the life of Nathuram Godse (Horst Buchholz) that led up to his assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (J.S. Casshyap). As he prepares for the shooting at Gandhi's residence, flashbacks recall Godse's hostility to Muslims during the Partition, his adherence to Hindu Mahasabha that hatches the plot to kill Gandhi, and his involvement with a married woman Rani (Valerie Gearon) and a prostitute Sheila (Diane Baker). Meanwhile, a police officer Supt. Gopal Das (Jose Ferrer) attempts to find the killer before it is too late.

• BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography (Colour) – Arthur Ibbetson (nominated)

• List of American films of 1963
• List of artistic depictions of Mahatma Gandhi
• List of films banned in India

• Nine Hours to Rama at IMDb
• Nine Hours to Rama at the TCM Movie Database
• Nine Hours to Rama at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films