Mangal Pandey: The Rising
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| Mangal Pandey: The Rising |
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| Directed by | Ketan Mehta |
| Produced by | Bobby Bedi |
| Written by | Farrukh Dhondy |
| Starring | Aamir Khan Rani Mukerji Toby Stephens Amisha Patel Kirron Kher |
| Distributed by | Yash Raj Films |
| Release date(s) | August 12, 2005 |
| Running time | 150 min. |
| Language | Hindi English |
| Budget | Rs. 330M (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
Mangal Pandey: The Rising (Indian title) or The Ballad of Mangal Pandey (international title) (released in India on August 12, 2005) is an Indian movie based on the life of Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier who is known for his role in the Indian rebellion of 1857. It is directed by Ketan Mehta, produced by Bobby Bedi, and with a screenplay by Farrukh Dhondy.
Aamir Khan, a leading Bollywood actor, plays the lead role of Mangal Pandey. Pandey was a Sepoy whose actions helped spark the Indian rebellion of 1857. The rebellion is known as "The Indian Mutiny", "The Sepoy Mutiny" or "The Sepoy Rebellion" by most of the English-speaking world. Indians refer to it as the "First War of Independence".
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[edit] Synopsis
The film begins in 1857, when India was ruled by the British East India Company. Mangal Pandey (Aamir Khan) is a sepoy, a soldier of Indian origin, in the army of the East India Company. Pandey is fighting in the Anglo-Afghan Wars and saves the life of his British commanding officer, William Gordon (portrayed by Toby Stephens). Gordon is indebted to Pandey and a strong friendship develops between them, transcending both rank and race.
Gordon rescues a young widow, Jwala (Amisha Patel), from committing sati (the act of following her deceased husband on to the funeral pyre). Afterwards, he falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Heera (Rani Mukerji) has been sold into prostitution, to work for Lol Bibi (Kirron Kher). There is a spark of attraction between her and Pandey and a liaison follows.
Gordon and Pandey's friendship is challenged following the introduction of a new rifle, the Enfield rifled musket. In reality as in the film, rumors began to spread among the sepoys that the cartridges (referring here to cardboard wrapped powder and shot, not metallic cartridges) were greased with either pig fat or beef tallow - an abhorrent concept to Muslim and Hindu soldiers, respectively, for religious reasons. British military drills of the time required soldiers to bite open the cartridge. The idea of having anything which might be tainted with pig or beef fat in their mouths was unacceptable to the sepoys of both religions.
In the film, Gordon investigates, and is told to assure Pandey that the cartridges are free from pollution. Demonstrating his total trust in Gordon, Mangal bites the cartridge. But Pandey soon discovers that the cartridges really are greased by animal fat. The rumour of this imposed pollution is the spark that ignites the powder keg of resentment in the country. Mutiny breaks out, led by Pandey.
The film ends with documentary footage of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
[edit] Box office
The film had a successful start at the Indian box office, grossing Rs 17,20,00,000 in its opening week.[1] It became average grosser overall.[2].
[edit] Cast
- Aamir Khan as Mangal Pandey
- Rani Mukerji as Heera
- Toby Stephens as Captain William Gordon
- Coral Beed as Emily Kent
- Amisha Patel as Jwala
- Kirron Kher as Lol Bibi
- Joel Guyton Lee as Adjutant Bunbury
- Varsha Usgaonkar as Rani Laxmibai
[edit] Criticism
In India, the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party demanded a ban on the film, accusing it of showing "falsehood" and indulging in "character assassination" of Mangal Pandey. As an example, the BJP spokesman stated that the film shows Mangal Pandey visiting the house of a prostitute.[1] The Samajwadi Party leader Uday Pratap Singh called in the Rajya Sabha for the movie to be banned for its "inaccurate portrayal" of Pandey.[2] The Uttar Pradesh government criticised the film for "distortion" of historical facts, and considered banning it.[3] The protestors Ballia district, of which the historical Pandey had been a native, damaged a shop selling cassettes and CDs of the film, stalled a goods train on its way to Chapra (Bihar), and staged a sit-in on the Ballia-Barriya highway.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ BJP demands ban on Mangal Pandey. Indian Express (August 11, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- ^ Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Bulletin, Part I, 205th session, Special Mentions (2-02 p.m.). Government of India (August 18, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- ^ a b UP govt to consider ban on 'Mangal Pandey'. Indian Express (August 11, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
