It’s a good day for people looking to build a collection of Oscar-winning pictures on DVD. This August, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment will release the epic 1981 film Gandhi on DVD for the first time.

The biography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, who rose from a small-time lawyer to India’s spiritual leader through his philosophy of non-violent but direct-action protest; “Gandhi” won eight Academy Awards in 1983 including Best Picture and Best Actor for Ben Kingsley in the title role of Mohandas Gandhi. One of the largest productions in film history, the funeral scene employed over 300,000 extras.

The new DVD from Columbia TriStar is a true Special Edition on par with some of Columbia’s earlier successes including “Bridge on the River Kwai” and “Lawrence of Arabia”. In addition to a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and English audio tracks in both Dolby 2-Channel and Dolby Digital 5.1, the disc will include the “Ben Kingsley Talks About Gandhi” featurette, four vintage newsreel clips: “Gandhi Goes to England”, “Gandhi’s Farewell Talk in Europe”, “Mahatma Gandhi Begins Death Fast”, and “Gandhi Talks: First Talking Picture ever Made by India’s Famous Leader”, the making of “Gandhi” Photo Montage, the words of Mahatma Gandhi, a weblink to the official “Gandhi” Website, the Theatrical Trailer, Talent Files, and Production Notes. No information is available on how many discs will be included, but with the film running 190 minutes, and the wealth of features provided, this release is most likely to be a two-disc set.

Coming on August 28th, the classic film “Gandhi” will be available for $24.95.