Mangal Pandey': Will history repeat itself for Aamir? INDIATIMES MOVIES
Rating: *** Cast : A amir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Ameesha Patel, Toby Stephens, Coral Beed, Kirron Kher, Varsha Usgaonkar, Habib Tanveer. Crew: Director : Ketan Mehta Producer : Bobby Bedi, Deepa Sahi Music : A.R Rahman Lyrics : Javed Akhtar Director of Photography : Himman Dhamija Editor : Shreekar Prasad Screenplay : Farrukh Dhondy Stunts : Abbas Ali Moghul Choreography : Raju Khan, Saroj Khan, Sandip Soparrkar Costume Design : Lovleen Bains The four year long wait is over for the fans of Aamir Khan. And for them `Mangal Pandey' would be well worth the wait. He has excelled as always as Ketan Mehta's `Mangal Pandey'. The movie starts in an almost epic-like, grand fashion with an elephant giving a symbolic clarion call for freedom. It takes your breath away, but the pace of the story, especially in the first half (to set the tone) is a little long drawn. In the end, it is not a `Lagaan' (which the makers didn't want it to be anyway) meaning that in terms of entertainment value, it falls a star short. The film, set in 1857, is about Mangal Pandey, a sepoy in the British army. Revolving around this simple Brahmin, the movie unfolds the turbulent times and the happenings that changed the history of India. It shows the unrest brewing against the British who set up the East India Company as traders and finally settled down as rulers. It is also a platform around which the next century would revolve. The film also addresses a lot of factors like abolition of Sati and the caste system that created the mood for the restlessness among the Indians. Aamir's character evolves from a very simple, staunch Brahmin who is happy to receive his Rs 7/- salary from the British to a man who fired the imagination of a nation. Mangal shares a deep friendship with a British commanding officer, Gordon whose life he once saved. Though, he practices untouchability and maintains his Brahaminical faith, but time and again he shows that he would not tolerate any injustice done to his fellow Indians. He falls in love with Heera (Rani Mukherjee) a prostitute. He dares to visit her where only Englishmen, eunuchs and untouchables were allowed to go. What triggers off the revolt is the supposedly greased cartridges laced with cow and pig fat. To use them the soldiers have to bite into them to break the seal. When the regiment officer commands them to use the greased cartridge in their rifles the regiment refuses to do so. On Gordon's assurance that no animal fat is used in them, Mangal Pandey steps forward and uses them. Soon they discover the truth and Mangal feels betrayed and hurt. This toughens him to take a stand to lay his life for his country. He realizes that he was not fighting for his hurt religious sentiments but for his own freedom and for the freedom of his country. In the end he is shown smiling - unafraid of death. Coming to the much talked about look that Aamir worked on and gave 2 ½ years maintaining it, the long tresses and his moustache give him an uncanny resemblance to the sketches of the real life Mangal Pandey. Whether it's his uniform or his dhoti and the sacred-thread, there's authenticity written all over the film. As a staunch Brahmin, he is shown bathing in the Holy river, cooking his own food and wearing a caste-defining long red `tika'. He does not speak chaste Hindi as a Brahmin should, since he has not undergone any formal education. And yet, he is not the rustic that we saw in `Lagaan'; he is a much traveled man thanks to the movement of his battalion to various states. He has the capacity to think that if the struggle for freedom is launched at the same time in different parts of India the company would definitely loose the battle as the sepoys outnumbered the British. And Aamir plays that with his amazing repertoire of emotional intensity and talent. As always, Aamir scores a 10 for the sheer getting into character and dedication. Making that extra effort to define his role apart from a `Lagaan' set in similar era among the very same Britishers; the touch of `urbanisation' in character shows however subtly. For his character, Aamir has put on weight and made an effort to look older to give more gravity to the character of Mangal Pandey. He comes across as a serious guy throughout the film except when he along with Gorden under the influence of `Bhang' plays a prank on the unsuspecting British officers. One of the film's rare light moments in a heavily charged atmosphere throughout. As far as the performances go, needless to say, Mr. Perfect Aamir Khan becomes Mangal Panday and emerges as a top notch actor (as if that were ever in doubt) yet again. Almost the sole focal point of the film. He delivers yet another riveting performance. Rani Mukherjee, sexy and dusky as ever, has done justice to her crisp, short role as the betel-juice spouting prostitute; though her costumes look far too contemporary, with plunging necklines, uncharacteristic for that era. Ameesha as a young widow who is rescued by Gordon is hardly noticeable in her miniscule role but is sincere. Om Puri as a narrator fills the gaps in his deep baritone. Toby Stevens is highly impressive as Gordon, the British officer who comes from a humble background and makes India his home. He has made a good attempt to learn and convey in Urdu and Hindi. Kiron Kher as the 'kotha' owner is good. Cinematography is excellent and the canvas huge. The `tripping' point, surprisingly, is the music by A. R Rahman. It's not as appealing as a movie of this stature (and for a musician of his class) demanded; except perhaps, `Mangal-Mangal' rendered by Kailash Kher. One of the later songs almost reminds you of an item number. Completely unnecessary. The film conveys a message which is the need of the hour; that we should be able to fight for the freedom not only externally but we need to break free from the shackles of our own prejudices, mentally too. It is a good break from the usual hi-tech movies with hunks and babes. Though the pace of the movie is slow in the first half; post interval it catches up. Highly recommended for gen. X to get a fair idea as to how our society has evolved from the 19 th century to the present day We recommend `The Rising' as a must see if only for the powerhouse comeback of Aamir and to remind today's young generation of their glorious history and how the struggle for independence was started by one man. For the rest, it is not a classic by any means; falling into the rut of commercial enterprise and the requisite `items' of modern audiences. By Mamta Shukla ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> <font face=arial size=-1><a href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hkrtu5b/M=362335.6886442.7839733.3022183/D=grplch/S=1705331874:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1123812588/A=2894366/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOO&cmpgn=GRP&RTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/";>What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good</a>.</font> --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> This August, Discover the Birth of Your Independence and The Magic of A.R.Rahman's Music in Mangal Pandey - The Rising http://www.risingthefilm.com http://www.mangalpandeythefilm.com Music released: Jul 14, 2005 Movie releases: Aug 12, 2005 Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
