It is believed that over 300,000 extras appeared in the funeral scene of Gandhi (UK 1982), the epic directed by Richard Attenborough (UK) (b. August 29, 1923).
Announcements by loudspeaker van, in newspapers and on television and radio summoned over 200,000 volunteer extras to Delhi's ceremonial mall, the Rajpath, where they were supplemented by another 94,560 contracted performers, the majority of whom were paid a fee equivalent to 40 pence each.
The sequence had to be shot in a single morning, that of 31 January 1981, the 33rd anniversary of Gandhi's funeral.
Eleven camera crews shot 6,096m (20,000ft) of film, more than the total footage of the 188 minute released film. The edited funeral sequence ran for only 125 seconds of screen time.
