Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)

This is a film about the leader of the 1857 mutiny and his fight against the British rule.

Director:

Ketan Mehta

Writers:

H. Banerjee (Subtitles), Farrukh Dhondy (screenplay)

Stars:

Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Toby Stephens

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aamir Khan	...	Sepoy Mangal Pandey
Rani Mukerji	...	Heera
Toby Stephens	...	Captain William Gordon
Coral Beed	...	Emily
Ameesha Patel	...	Jwala
Kirron Kher	...	Lol Bibi
Om Puri	...	Narrator
Ben Nealon	...	Hewson
Habib Tanvir	...	Bahadur Shah Zafar (as Tanveer Habib)
Varsha Usgaonkar	...	Rani Laxmibai (as Rani Lakshmibai)
Kenneth Cranham	...	Kent
Tom Alter	...	Watson
Mukesh Tiwari	...	Bakht Khan
Shahbaaz Khan	...	Azimullah
Amin Hajee	...	Vir Singh

Storyline

Mangal Pandey - The Rising is an epic tale of friendship, betrayal, love and sacrifice set against the backdrop of what the British called the sepoy mutiny but which for the Indians was the First War of Independence. 'Company Raj' as it was known, had been plundering the country, treating the locals unjustly and causing widespread resentment. 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 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

indian history | british empire | colonialism | enfield rifle | opium trade | 

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Taglines:

An epic tale of friendship, love, loss and betrayal

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

After Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down the part of Jwala, Rani Mukerji was given the script to read and consider taking over for the part of Jwala.

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Goofs

In the beginning when the opening credits roll, a coin can be seen on which there are the following words "Victoria Empress". The events of the film are set in 1857, but Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India by the decision of the British Parliament only in 1876 and this is announced in India in 1877, twenty years after the story of the film. It is important, because the Mughal Emperor (Bahadur Shah II) still alive in 1857 is also shown in the film, and the British Queen gets this title long time after his deposition in 1857 and his death in 1862.

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Quotes

Hewson: Say you are a black dog!
Mangal Pandey: You are a Black Dog!

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Connections

Featured in The Story of India: Freedom (2007)

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Soundtracks

Al Maddath Maula
Sung by A.R. Rahman, Murtuza and Qadir
Composed by A.R. Rahman
Lyrics by Javed Akhtar

User Reviews

An Almost Perfect Masterpiece

What is the definition of a good movie? Has there been any movie ever made that satisfies everyone's definition of a good movie? Perhaps not.

My definition of a good movie is something that commands my attention from start to end and that helps me exercise my intellect. A good movie makes me feel good when I talk about it.

A good movie can belong to any genre and can definitely have its own style (sometimes completely original). The Rising did not have a focus on the character development of all of its lead roles, like a typical movie, but that seems to be intentional. It was a little frustrating to see some movie experts dwelling on that issue.

The rising is about the character transformation of an idealistic but confused man called Mangal Pandey. It shows how he realized the true meaning of freedom and how it was passed on to an oppressed nation. The minute details of his personal life did not need any depiction in the movie. That could stir up even more controversy especially for some people in our subcontinent who need so little to feel offended and create chaos. The movie also shows the genuine remorse of a great soul like Captain Gordon who constantly tried to bring balance between rule and fairness. Hundred years old history became alive in the remarkable performances of the crew and the cast in this movie.

The movie is a masterpiece in almost all aspects. I sincerely have not seen many Indian movies of this standard. The only criticism I would have is the placement of the holy festival which could have been discarded in favor of showing more development of mutiny preparation, politics of the Indian kings and above all some more drama. The last 15-20 minutes seemed to have hasted a bit. The dance sequence of the two gypsy girls also felt a bit out of place.

Overall, I must say that I felt deeply satisfied after watching this movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Kaleidoscope [India] (English)

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi Urdu English

Release Date:

12 August 2005 (India)

Also Known As:

1857: The Rising

Box Office

Budget:

INR340,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$531,018, 14 August 2005

Gross USA:

$954,108

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,142,076

Company Credits

Production Co:

NH Studioz

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1