Directed by:
Ketan MehtaScreenplay:
Farrukh DhondyCinematography:
Himman DhamijaComposer:
A.R. RahmanCast:
Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Toby Stephens, Ameesha Patel, Kiron Kher, Jeremy Clyde, Sophiya Haque, Mukesh Tiwari, Amin Hajee, Shahbaaz Khan (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
1857 AD. The entire Indian sub continent is ruled by a company. The British East India Company. The most successful business enterprise in history. The company has its own laws, its own administration, its own army. It controls the destiny of one fifth of humanity. 'Company Raj' as it was known, had been plundering the country, treating the locals unjustly and causing widespread resentment. After a hundred years of subjugation, the Indian consciousness is rising through the revolutionary prospect of change and self-rule. During a fierce battle in one of the Afghan wars that the Company fought in the mid-century, Mangal Pandey, the heroic sepoy, saves the life of his British commanding officer William Gordon. Gordon is indebted to Mangal and a strong friendship develops between them, transcending consideration of rank and race. The friendship is soon challenged by the introduction of a new rifle called the Enfield. The new rifle has come with a new cartridge which is rumored to be coated with the grease of a cow and pig fat. The new cartridge has to be bitten before it is loaded, which ignites anger and resentment among the Indian sepoys. The cow is sacred to the Hindus, the pig forbidden to the Muslims. They will not touch such a kartoos, it would defile them. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (2)
The film disappointed me for two main reasons. I felt like it must have been shot in the late eighties or early nineties. Now that I found out it was filmed in 2005, I still find it hard to believe. Plus, I was expecting something in the style of The Far Pavilions and all I got was this drama with singing and dancing. Rani Mukherjee was really nice to look at. Toby Stephens went to a fancy dress party dressed up as a pirate, which, after Black Sails, had me in stitches. At the end, I finally also learned something substantial.
()
Personally, I very much welcome The Rising: Ballad Of Mangal Pandey as a successor to the older Lagaan. The basic Western myth of India stands and falls on the period of British colonization, and this myth needs to be further exploited in films of this type. The most burning issues of 1857 are attractively combined in The Rising, as are the outstanding performances by Aamir Khan, Toby Stephens, and Rani Mukherjee, with the cherry on top being Kiron Kher’s performance. The musical interludes may seem inorganic only to viewers who have not yet had much experience, but I especially enjoyed the Holi festival. And 90 years later Indians got their independence, so a bit of pride is definitely in order.
()
Gallery (47)
Photo © Yash Raj Films Pvt. Ltd.
![The Rising: Ballad Of Mangal Pandey - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/162/115/162115130_ed4ba6.jpg)
Ads