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Mangal Pandey The Rising – Review
12th Aug 2005 23.10 IST
By N. K. Deoshi

‘Mangal Pandey The Rising’ is not so much a delineation of the life sketch of the revolutionary martyr Mangal Pandey as it is about the rise of individual and collective consciousness in Indians to wrest back their lost freedom from the colonial British.

When India’s most expensive film, starring a talented, dependable actor and directed by a master craftsman, hits the big screen, the expectations are obviously sky The Rising , starring Aamir Khan , Toby Stephens , Rani Mukherjee , Amisha Patel and Coral Beed , tells the story of sepoy Mangal Pandey’s rebellion against the British.

The movie begins with a shackled and bruised Mangal Pandey (Aamir Khan) being led to the gallows. The hanging, however, doesn’t take place and the story goes back into flashback as a British officer reminisces his memories of Mangal and all that he stands for.

The officer is William Gordon (Toby Stephens), a low-ranking officer whose life Mangal Pandey saved during the Afghan battle. The two have been friends since then – sharing friendly fights in akhada, going tipsy on Bhang, singing songs and playing pranks on another cocky British officer.

Small incidents that mark the rise of the revolutionary in Mangal Pandey dot the story. For instance, the beating of an Indian servant by a British officer and Mangal’s coming to his rescue. And later, Mangal rescuing a prostitute (Rani Mukherjee) from the same officer. Only this time, Mangal gives the officer a sound beating.

Things change with the introduction of new cartridges that are laced with cow and pig fat. Since the sepoys in the regiment are supposed to bite the cartridge and tear it with teeth before loading the gun, the soldiers in the regiment refuse to use the new cartridge.

Gordon assures Pandey that there is no animal fat in the cartridges. Taking his friend’s word, Mangal volunteers to use the new cartridges and bites into them. Days later, the truth comes out. The cartridges turn out to be laced with animal fat.

A devastated Pandey ends his friendship with Gordon and begins planning an uprising with soldiers from another regiment and with support from influential figures like Nawab Azimullah (Shahbaaz Khan) and Tatya Tope (Deepraj Rana). Pandey’s angst against the British and his determination to fight back his freedom from the colonial rulers gets so strong that he single-handedly stands to fight against a whole regiment, only to be martyred later.

‘The Rising’ doesn’t go deep into Mangal Pandey’s life. It rather concentrates on the transformation of a man from a sepoy fighting for the British to the first revolutionary to raise arms against them.

The atmosphere of the mid 1850s is recreated with utmost conviction. The excellent cinematography (by Himman Dhamija), production design (Nitin Desai) and costumes (Lovleen Bains) authentically recreate the ambience of India of 1857.

Besides the setting and direction, excellent performances by Aamir and Toby Stephens are the strong points of the movie. Aamir, in particular, brings out a brilliant portrayal of Mangal Pandey not just by his longhaired and mustachioed looks but also by reflecting the simmering intensity of the character. Rani Mukherjee and Amisha Patel have marginal roles. Yet the two ladies deliver strong performances.

Considering the high expectations that are being attached to the film, ‘The Rising’ turns out to be a finely made movie, but not an exceptional one. Director Ketan Mehta must be complimented for credibly recreating history and showing first sparks of the revolution that culminated into Indian freedom almost 90 years later.

View the Mangal Pandey The Rising story in pictures slide show

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