User Reviews

I watched this movie on the first day of its worldwide release. The theaters were full and understandably so. There has been much publicity done for the movie besides scheduling a worldwide simultaneous release and bringing back a "new look" Aamir Khan after a long sabbatical. And the 18 months Aamir spent growing his hair , has come to full fruition with an acting performance like the one in this movie.

The sedition of 1857 which signaled the inception of the Indian Independence process and the eventual exaltation of Mangal Pandey is a much sought after theme in mainstream Indian cinema. There have been a couple of very good adaptations of this theme in the past. What distincts this one from the rest is probably the inspiring presence of Aamir Khan. Aamir Khan's acting is stupendous. Classically portraying the unnerving bravado known to have been a distinct possession of Mangal Pandey in Indian history books, Aamir Khan sports long hair and a lengthy moustache , while he abuts cannons, crafts uprisings and inspires the audiences. Although adhering a lot to the quotes of history, Ketan Mehta has exercised some freedom. In fact, Aamir Khan himself was found quoting something to this effect in an interview to a certain magazine.

The movies shortcomings come from a vain effort to include the quintessence of Bollywood cinema in this movie - song , dance and color. Also , there is the superfluous sleaze. Ketan Mehta seems to have had a itching inclination towards resorting to song and dance at the turn of every climax. This movie could have been a masterpiece if only they would have lost the couple of female "leads" to oblivion and lessened some of the "color".

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.

I am amazed at the negative comments about this film, especially from India. I'll address those criticisms later after providing a summary of the film.

Set in 1857, the film tells the story of Mangal Pandey, a sepoy (private) in the 34th Native Infantry regiment of the Bengal Army (the army of the Presidency of Bengal, governed by the British East India Company and recruited largely from upper caste UP and Bihar stock). Mangal is depicted as an ordinary soldier who is offended by the introduction of the new Enfield rifle cartridges which were greased with pig and cow fat (the former anathema to Muslims and the latter sacred to Hindus). The movie shows him changing from a loyal Company sepoy who saved a British officer's life, to one who ends up questioning the logic of British rule. Other themes include his friendship with the same British officer, the officer's rescue and subsequent romantic relationship with a sati - a widow expected to burn herself on her husband's funeral pyre,and a prostitute who exclusively services the English brothels but falls for Pandey. The movie brings opium cultivation, corruption within the Company, the growing distance between English and Indians, as well as backward, traditional Indian attitudes into sharp focus.

All in all, the film is highly entertaining, a good story - well told, with powerful performances by the main characters. Aamir Khan is in his element, living the character of Pandey and conveying a fantastic portrayal of the soldier who realizes, bit by bit, that his loyalty to a foreign army makes him as "untouchable" as the low-caste man or prostitutes he scorns. Toby Stephens performance as the outsider in British India (Scottish, poor schooling, too fraternal with the natives) was brilliant and his chemistry with Khan was the high mark of the film's dramatic impact. The music by AR Rahman is louder than usual and some of the beats are frankly out of sync with the times ( the lesbianish gypsy dance number was a bit much!!).

The strength of the film was in conveying a sense of the time period - costumes,hair-styles, sets, manners ( the English officer's "Koi Hai"), were exactly what one could expect. The historical background was fairly accurate (sati was outlawed, opium cultivation was forced, the Company was beset by corruption, the English did have European only brothels) though the exact interpretation of events may have not been supported by history.

Which brings me to the criticism of the film. these seem to be of two variants - one, the film was not entertaining enough, and two, the anguished howl of the historians who decry its historical illegitimacy in the hope that no one may turn nationalist by seeing this film.

I will dismiss the first criticism, since that may be a matter of taste - certainly, desi (Indian) audiences raised on simpler story lines and poorer production values (see Asoka and n number of Indian period dramas) may find The Rising a bit heavy to digest.

Historically, the film may be inaccurate in the sense that Mangal Pandey may not have been the nationalist as portrayed, the relationships with the English officer and the prostitute are probably fictitious. But are they impossible? NO. The film has a paragraph disclaimer about inaccuracy at the beginning but this does not satisfy the history lobby. Why is it not possible that the official version about Pandey - that he was under the influence of bhang ( a hallucinogen) when he shot and killed an officer and then tried to shoot himself - is dressed up to cover the Company's stupidity in introducing the greased cartridges? Its not as if such "doctoring" of history has not taken place - witness the designations of "Mutiny" on the British side and "First War of Indian Independence" on the Indian side - when it was something in between? Secondly, why is The Rising being targeted when virtually every Indian film plays merry with historical events and characters? Akbar and Salim did not go to war over a dancing girl (Mughal-e-Azam), Shah Jahan was not the devoted son depictd in Taj Mahal but an ambitious usurper, one hopes that Ashoka was not the ghastly caricature depicted in Shahrukh Khan's film, and certainly India was not administered by ARMY officers as shown in Lagaan b ut by a civil ICS administration.

Similarly, Hollywood glosses over the fact that getting the German Enigma machines in WW2 was a purely British affair (U-571 shows us otherwise), and of course America won the war (no mention of UK/Common wealth forces, or more importantly - Soviet forces).

What I am saying is that films always distort history a bit - and so long as they are not conveying a completely different story - that should not matter. A purist on the matter of history myself, I am surprised by the vehemence of the historical community's attack on the film. My guess is that they do not want a false sense of nationalism to emerge on the basis of the Mangal Pandey story. They are a hundred and fifty years late in stopping the myth from taking hold.

In the end The Rising is a great film, a great story, well shot, with a few excusable omissions.

I liked the whole atmosphere of the movie and the professional outlook. There should be more movies like this rather than the same soapy mushy mushy romantic movies.

The story built up nicely, from the point where Mangal (Aamir Khan) was just a normal soldier to the point of him fighting for freedom and leading from the front. The Foreign cast in the movie such as Toby also did a great cast in making the movie professional rather than a joke.

Heera(Rani Mukherjee) and Amisha did a good job although their roles were small. But it was needed since the emphasis was not them but Mangal.

All in all, a worthwhile movie. Although many dispute its originality and historical facts, with the amount of historical facts available, the movie was well directed and shot. Inspiring and the ending made my heart heavier .

Mangal Pandey – The Rising is a film that has enormous expectations (probably no other film in recent times has been awaited to this extent). And the main reason for this hype and huge expectations is Aamir Khan – the superstar makes a comeback to the silver screen after 4 long years

Mangal Pandey is a story set in the year 1857 when India was in the grasp of the East India Company. Mangal Pandey (Aamir Khan) is an ordinary sepoy (soldier) who serves the Company's 34th regiment. We see the story through the eyes of Mangal and his superior officer William Gordon (Toby Stephens), who share a deep friendship. The Company introduces a new rifle called the Enfield that requires the sepoys to bite into grease that supposedly contains cow and pig-fat, and that is where all the trouble starts. It becomes a religious issue as cow is sacred to Hindus and pig is taboo for Muslims. This incident transforms Mangal from an ordinary soldier serving the British to a rebel who sacrifices his life and in turn, provides that spark to begin India's independence movement. So the story of Mangal Pandey is not about the actual Uprising, but the hero whose sacrifice sparked this whole movement. The film depicts the situation prevalent in Barrackpore in 1857. Scriptwriter Farukh Dhondy has taken cinematic liberties and he blends fact and fiction. Rather than giving the audience a history lesson as documented by the British, writer Farukh Dhondy and director Ketan Mehta introduce fictional characters and fill the narrative with folklore.

To both Mehta and Dhondy's credit, all this is shown without sounding like a boring documentary or a history lesson. However, the script has its pitfalls and could have been a lot better. The biggest problem of the film is that it does not have a smooth flow. This is partly due to Dhondy's script, partly due to Mehta's direction and mainly due to Sreekar Prasad's inconsistent editing. Many scenes seem like they were cut and pasted haphazardly. Many characters are introduced and then later they are nowhere in the narrative. Songs (except Mangal Mangal, Main Vari Vari and Takey Takey, to an extent) are forced into the narrative and appear at wrong points. Most characters seem under-developed; even Mangal Pandey's character could have been developed much better.

Why, then, did I like the film, inspite of so many flaws? That is because the film has something magical to it that it endeared to me despite all its obvious flaws. At the end, I left the theatre satisfied. The film is technically, a world-class product and epic in scale. Scenes like the war in Afghanistan, the torch scene with the sepoys and Mangal surrounded by a massive army are shot so exquisitely that they give you the goosebumps. Himman Dhamija's dazzling camera-work and Nitin Desai's impeccable art direction take you back in time and convince that you are in 1857. On the whole, the film manages to stay rooted in that period and achieves that late-19th century feel very well. The visual effects of the film are a treat despite minor hiccups. Costumes by Lovleen Bains are good overall, but some costumes like those of Tatya Tope and Rani of Jhansi shown at the end seem straight out of a fancy-dress competition. Action sequences by Abbas Ali Moghul are aptly designed. The sound effects are superb…..the sound department has done an outstanding job. A.R Rahman's music is disappointing except for the rousing title track Mangal Mangal and the 'mujra' Main Vari Vari; Rasiya is also good to hear, but it has no use in the movie. But the background score also done by Rahman is impressive. The dialogues of the film range from a few mediocre lines to excellent ones. Generally, the dialogue is good…..sample this "Hum apne hi desh mein acchut hain (We are untouchables in our own country)", says Mangal to Gordon.

Now to the performances…..a superhuman effort was expected of Aamir Khan and the superstar-actor does not fail to deliver. Though he's let down by the script….as I said before, Mangal Pandey needed to be fleshed out better, Aamir gives his soul to his character. Be it the drunken scene with Toby Stephens where they play a prank on a British officer; or the rage he displays when he's beating up a senior officer; or the calm intensity in his eyes when he walking up to face his death……Aamir shows his tremendous range as an actor. But still, his brilliant performance does not seem as glorious as it should, because his character is somewhat diminished by the script. Toby Stephens is the biggest surprise……he matches Aamir step-for-step as the kind and sensible Gordon. He's worked hard on his character as well as his Hindi and he's also helped by the fact that Gordon is the best-written character of the film. Rani Mukherjee as the nautch-girl Heera is in top form in the 'mujra' Main Vari Vari and she shines even in her short, underdeveloped role. Amisha Patel does not have anything to do at all. The supporting actors are almost like cameos. However, Mona Ambegaonkar as the nurse and Mukesh Tiwari as Bakht Khan leave an impact.

To be frank, the film is inconsistent all along the way…..but despite all its obvious flaws, it is still brilliant, magical cinema. There is too much of candy-floss in Hindi cinema at the moment, and we need more films like Mangal Pandey, Swades and Sarkar which are easy targets for criticism……but these films show you what cinema is all about. Ketan Mehta's epic is a tad disappointing, no doubt and it could have been a lot better……but this is one film that should not be missed. Check it out at least once…..as for me, I'm already thinking of watching it a second time because I'm sure I've missed out on quite a lot of finer points in the movie……….Mangal Mangal Ho !

Ketan Mehta perhaps wanted to make a lavish 'Braveheart' with 'The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey'. Well, the end result is far from it. The depiction of the rebellion and the pursuit for revolution was very bleak. I can understand that Mehta wanted to make a lavish epic-type movie about an Indian hero but there is just too much exaggeration for the story to resonate. So much is spoon-fed to the viewer while it fails at telling a proper story. There are so many sequences that are unintentionally funny. Forget historical accuracy, even the characters (with the exception of a few) felt one-dimensional. Even the title character was poorly developed.

The mutiny preparation was rushed. While each and every one of the songs are beautiful, the holy song could have been left out as it doesn't add to the story and only slackens the pace. Even the romance between Jwala and William looked forced (this track shouldn't have been included at all).

Mehta does introduce some interesting issues that have not been depicted on screen earlier. Such as the Indian nanny breastfeeding the British baby while she struggles to feed her own child. His cinematographer does a superb job in capturing the picture with his camera. The art direction is eye candy.

A.R. Rahman's score deserves special mention. It is of an eclectic mix with a variety of songs, all of which have been beautifully visualized. I especially liked how 'Rasiya' and 'Vari Vari' were executed. Rani Mukherjee dances wonderfully. Many have made unfair comparisons to that of Madhuri Dixit's 'mujra' in 'Devdas'. Madhuri's character was a trained dancer while Rani's Heera had just been sold to the brothel and her primary task was to seduce. Back to Rahman's music, his background score is highly effective. It remains consistent and always contributes well to the scene (sometimes it's the only thing that works in a scene).

Aamir Khan makes a comeback after four years. However, this is far from his best work. He looks uninterested and wooden in most places and is easily overshadowed by Toby Stephens. He does seem to enjoy playing with his fake moustache. Stephens has the best character and he does full justice to it with a remarkable performance. Rani Mukherjee acts with full guns blazing. Whether her character is relevant or not to the movie, the actress is sensual, spontaneous and natural on screen and that's always great to watch. Amisha Patel has a few fits of hyperventilation (even though her character wasn't supposed to be someone sick with asthma).

'The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey' is a lackluster film. It has very little to offer whether in the form of entertainment, enlightenment or engagement.

I saw it. I was lucky enough to find the ticket. As for the movie goes...if you are expecting a Lagaan (I mean the flair) its not there BUT B U T BUT its a really well made movie. Cinematography is excellent, it meets the Hong Kong Film industry standard in every sense(Hong Kong has become better than Hollywood in cinematography lately). Music is not bad at all Mangal Mangal song is really good and there is one Banjara(Gypsi) song which is really FRESH. Choreography is as always good ....the best in the world. One thing that surprised me was the improved special effects. A technically well made movie in every sense..no issues on that.

Acting...you get what you expect of him... you know who I mean. Toby was really good but if compared quarter as good as him. Rani..not much scope...but she ended up creating an impact...every other character was good..the women in the role of KAMLA i think her name is MONA did a really good job (she was really good in that two bit role..thats what i call to make an IMPACT).

How I personally judge a movie is by its impact over me when i leave the hall. And there was an IMPACT. As per my movie experience goes this is a kind of movies that will grow on any one after every subsequent viewing.

I just watched this movie today and it was so good that I had to write something about it. We have all waited for Amir Khan movie for long and now we know what took him so long to complete this one, its probably his best after Lagaan, awesome performances, very thrilling sequences and superb direction/ story. Its worth every penny and every minute of your time.

" All up MANGAL PANDAY-THE RISING is hands down one of the BEST films to come out of Bollywood Cinema in one time and is a film that commands respect while arousing patriotic feelings in full blast without being jingoistic. While watching the movie the viewer appreciates the very fundamental thing that we have as a Indian today-FREEDOM. A standing ovation to the entire team of MANGAL PANDAY...and I would even go as far as to call it a Modern Day Classic!"

source : website

A colourful Bollywood film, typically melodramatic, which co stars Toby Stephens as a native-sympathetic Engish officer on the eve of the First War of Indian Independence (formerly the Indian Mutiny, 1857). Aamir Khan looks good but is a bit lightweight and without depth as the central hero. Well staged and photographed, the long (210mins!) film suffers from some intrusive narration and several needless songs, which detract from the required gravity of events. Also it failed to transmit any real, necessary, social outrage at British rule a la Braveheart - instead substituting stereotypes for historical accuracy. Good to see the British in a less than positive light in this imperial context though, while Stephen's Indian dialogue, which didn't seem to be dubbed, was very impressively carried off. Film included one kiss, as well as some overt, non-symbolic lovemaking - a refreshing sign of the new Indian censorship policy. But it was all more entertaining than the plodding JINNAH (1998), also seen of late, in which another English actor, Christopher Lee, has a central role in playing similarly momentous events - this time as the founder of modern Pakistan. Another film handicapped by unimaginative incidentals, this time a clumsy framing device.

SPOILER Best moment: at the end, when the hero, about to be hung for his part in the uprising, shouts ATTACK!!! is hoisted upwards to infinity while the appalled crowd of native onlookers surge forward to start the revolution. Even Prince Charles apparently clapped at this at the premiere...

I was surprised, not only to watch the worst movie ever on the first Revolution of India against the East India Company, but also by the Ketan Mehta and Co. for daring to change the course of history. Well, if this is democracy and right to amend the history, what will the children of tomorrow learn from this movie?

Mr. Ketan Mehta should have watched a couple of finest movies on "REVOLUTION". The list should have been THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, GLORY, or Emir Kusturica's UNDERGROUND.

It seems the director and the screenplay writer tried to build on BRAVEHEART and ROBINHOOD: Prince of Thieves, not concentrating on the portraits of the rebellion or revolution but too much on the romance!

Every country boasts of their movies for the struggle of Independence, and if this the one we have to boast of, it's really a shame!

Where from the character of Rani Mukherjee rise is still an enigma! Are we compelled to bring in romantic songs and dance numbers in a movie which depicts revolution? I doubt the authenticity of the movie script. And it is just that the descendants of Mangal Pandey have files a case against the production of this movie.

If they can relate a prostitute with Mangal Pandey, a day will come when we have to see Mahatma Gandhi as a Calvin Klein model, Lala Lajpat Rai as a drunkard and Subhas Bose as Casanova who goes to bar to dance with bar girls!! Who knows what are other reserves!!

Isn't this a mockery in the name of independence? Democracy doesn't mean you can do anything else, like changing history. This movie really sucks! Mangal Pandey, thank GOD you are not alive to see it by yourself, at least me and my friends (all Indian) could not!

Please, enough is enough, at least Bollywood is good for entertainment, now don't play with the sentiments of Indian Revolution. There are still people alive who fought for the freedom, don't belittle their struggle and pain.

Shame on you Mr. Mehta.

The first thing you would want to do is stop comparing it to movie like Lagaan and Bhagat Singh. This movie brings a new freshness and perspective to Indian Cinema.

It's the story for a SIPOY called Managal Pandey who began the first revolt against East India Company rule in India. The story is not very gripping but that's were it makes a big difference. Aamir Khan who plays the role of Mangal Pandey is so much into the character. It's not being a Hero or how he inspired the freedom movement. Moreover, it's about how a man realizes the true meaning of freedom, self respect and courage.

This movie completely revolves around Mangal Pandey and William Gordon (Toby Stephen who plays the role of Captain in the East India Company). Toby has quite a role and he lives up to it. Rani Mukhurjee and Amisha are more like guest appearances as they don't drive the story. Rather they are very aptly used in the movie.

This movie is a must watch. The look in the eyes of Aamir Khan and Mangal Mangal Song is what you would take back home. Aamir khan is a legend in making!

After being delayed few times, the timing of the release of this film couldn't have been more perfect, just two days before the Indian I-Day. Any Aamir Khan film is always looked fwd to and it becomes more vivid if he is appearing on celluloid after a gap of four years. Add to this, another name Ketan Mehta who is India's most critically acclaimed director. And to top all this, a historical subject of Mangal Pandey-the first crusader of the first war of Indian Independence.

Indian history has witnessed innumerable martyrs, whose names are easily forgotten or never mentioned. Such people's sacrifices needs more than just a mention in school's history books. Amongst many such names is the name of Mangal Pandey.

This is a film where fiction meets real story set in 1857 AD when 'Company Raj' dictated the fate of people in Indian subcontinent. In such times, a brave Sepoy Mangal Pandey in British army decides to go against those who invaded the land first and then slowly everything up to the souls of individuals.This is when the first mutiny arises and a new page is added in the history of both Indians & British.

Aamir Khan plays Mangal Pandey passionately with a complete conviction. His eyes, his skills, his overall persona go further to complement his onus as the most brilliant actor we've around. Toby Stephens excels as William Gordon who traverses the most difficult path where he finds himself constantly in tatters amid things like duty, friendship, loyalty and love, but he finds comfort in the company of Mangal Pandey who is a friend for life. Mangal and Gordon's love interests are pleasantly etched by Rani Mukherjee(Heera) and Ameesha Patel(Jwala), in-spite of being there only for 'attracting-audience/commerical-success' method. But such cinematic liberties are excusable if it helps to boost the film in anyway.

The film's attention to detail is immense and emerges visually very strong. A.R.Rahman's music doesn't seem to be his best or probably the oddity of songs' situation fails to create that musical impact, but 'Mangal Mangal' song is a spot-on to the theme and the central character. All the scenes between Aamir and Toby are a delight to watch. Toby doesn't fail to impress with his acting or his Hindi-speaking lines. Aamir's performance rises with every frame until he reaches the peak in the final courtroom scene where he surpasses all the perimeters of just being the finest actor around, but puts him clearly in a class of his own.

After Lagaan(very strong film) & Mangal Pandey, the Indian filmmakers should think of a more substantial subject to hold the global audience instead of only trying to capitalise on India before independence. This is not to take away anything from the independence movement, but we've come a long way from that phase and its time to show that, without having to cater only to very 'Bollywood' (song&dance, colorful & heavily designed clothing, overflowing emotions, huge sets) style loving audience. These factors can make or mar a film depending on how naturally they get absorbed in a film script.

While watching this film I deterred myself from any hype or expectations surrounding it, but still this ballad falls short of rhythmic compositions in totality. This rising only raises up to a likable and only-for-Aamir film mark, when it could and should've been much more.

***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING ***** ***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING ***** ***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING ***** ***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING ***** ***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING *****

Yes Finally, i got to watch the much anticipated Ketan Mehta's Aamir Khan starring THE RISING on 14 August at 3.30PM show in UCI cinemas, Trafford Centre.

But honestly, after watching the film, my anticipation was left unfulfilled!!! There is a no doubt about the movie's character. It's a very very good movie but just not great!!! It's near clouds but doesn't touch em!

Aamir was perfect as Mangal Pandey but all was not well around him in the movie!!!! What was the need of Rani Mukherji's prostitute character and Amisha Patel's Jwala character, i cant understand! The music was, i am sorry to say, absolutely boring!!!! Apart from that item number song and the mosque song!!! Even these two were not something special!!!

You enter the cinema expecting some thing that you had been waiting for 3 or so years but the movie just doesn't deliver. Although i must admit i am really grateful to Ketan Mehta and Aamir Khan for at least bring the name of great great Mangal Pandey to viewers again and all those who hadn't heard of the legendary fighter for Indian Freedom movement.

Another thing which i didn't like about the movie was all the unnecessary skin showing!!! Why o why so much cleavage was shown, i cant understand!!!!

But all these bad-bad features of movie are forgotten when you reach the climax of the movie!!! The point where Mangal Pandey is facing hundreds of British soldiers, fearlessly, makes the movie worth watching!!!!

People, you may not agree with my review, don't just believe me and trust my words!!! You must must watch this movie!!!!

***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING ***** ***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING ***** ***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING ***** ***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING ***** ***** YOU MUST MUST WATCH THE RISING *****

***** AVOID VIDEO PIRACY ***** ***** AVOID VIDEO PIRACY ***** ***** AVOID VIDEO PIRACY *****

Decent Movie., but wondering what went into 4 years of it's making.

1)There is no epic proportion drama 2)The character is not real, the village, the look & the love triangle all cooked up (bollywood eh?) 3)There are no war sequences 4)No story which could encompass the period of history 5)Too many songs, yet again (will our directors ever understand?) 6)Too much emphasis on "kartoos" pig & cow ... 7)poor dialogues, uninspirational at times when war is about to begin 8)Bad cinematography 9)Music for the first time by ar rahman is uninspirational. 10) After 18 reels, I don't think anyone in the theatre felt patriotic enough to fel bad about or feel proud about.

Mangal Pandey - who?

In short its just an instance of kartoos & its attached melodrama coupled with songs & mangal pandey fighting for it. The rising almost looks like a short story/chapter from a history book than an epic. One would expect more from Amir & a 4 yr production work (not to mention 1 yr post production). Songs were unnecessary & the dialogues were uninspirational too. (imagine mangal pandey shouting all to 'raise' for a war by saying "chalo chalo" )

But yeah, Amir did an honest job & so did Toby but then history should have more drama & war & bloody gore to show an impact as powerful as it should have been. At the end of the movie I did not feel a thing for Mangal Pandey or India, perhaps this is why I couldn't appreciate the movie so well.

Talking of two recent movies - Bhagath Singh & Swades at least questioned my patriotism. That, I think is a great success!

I went to see this movie with a friend of mine from India. I was going because of her, expecting to be bored to death. I was wrong! The Rising is one of these movies that are larger, bigger than life. The amazing powerful music sets the tone to a legend of a great folk hero for Indians. The acting, in most cases, was haunting. The cinematography was breathtaking and the songs, and I am not a big fan of people singing and dancing in movies, were magical and helped move the story along. Of course, it was a big history lesson form me (though the producers warn you that some of this is fictionalized), but I have a better understanding of the Indian culture now. I finally get to see Toby Stephens\playing a role that doesn't involve him being mean, a villain or plain evil.

Mangal Pandey, a tale of one disenchanted sepoy serving in Great Britain's imperial East India company, becomes India's voice of freedom and leads the country into rebellion against their masters, almost bringing them to their knees, surely would make for an epic and thunderous film with universal resonance IF supported by a good script and good direction. However, what does it make, when you have a scriptwriter and director who want to wrap up the entire pathos of Victorian India from philosophy, economics, religion, politics, culture, alongside themes of friendship, love and betrayal with a sprinkling of song and dance in a single two and a half hour film? You get a film that is no longer about Mangal Pandey, in fact, really not about anything at all.

Mangal Pandey suffers a painful death with helmers director Ketan Mehta and screenwriter Farrukh Dhondy; more so Mr Dhondy, who earlier shared writing credits for the also badly written Subhash Ghai's "Kisna the warrior poet" The script has been so badly composed that it belies belief that a big production house would spend so lavishly in getting it shot. Dhondy overloads his story with subplots which cover everything from arguments on capitalism, opium trade, religion and caste system to love stories between the leads Mangal Pandey(Aamir Khan) and Gordon Cooper(Toby Stephens) and everything is hopelessly underdeveloped and brushed over, and worse, the stories are all disconnected and incongruous. There is no transition between scenes and if there is - it's jarring. But nothing can be anymore JARRING than the songs, composed by music maestro A.R.Rehman and amongst his worst soundtracks to date. Bollywood is infamous for forcing songs into a plot and Rising has to be one of the worst offences I've ever seen in a Bollywood production. This really is the quintessential song in Switzerland routine except with period clothing. The songs are placed almost arbitrarily into the story for what seems like nothing more than novelty value. It's almost a case of, "Hey, forget the film for a while, watch this song" and even the songs end very abruptly.

It seems as if Mehta has made three movies (all of them underdeveloped) and intercuts between them: The English movie (Gorden Cooper's moral and ethical struggle with the East India company, it's Opium trade and tyranny) and Indian movie(Mangal Pandey, the villagers - their gossip and customs and struggle for freedom) and finally the Music Video movie(a series of lavishly mounted music videos) Individually, they are well done, some scenes are extraordinary and could give you goose bumps, but without there being any transition and story continuity between them and the glue to marry the scenes together, you are never quite immersed in the film or the characters; you are always kept at a distance.

Technically the pic is good, with just a few technical hangups. The cinematography is good, but there is nothing visually spectacular about the film despite it's epic canvas. The film has largely been composed in static sweeping wide-screen shots that reminisce the tradition of Hollywood classics like Lawrence of Arabia, but they fail to impress and few of the shots are poorly focused. The film also suffers from a few dropped frames on rare occasions that register as flashes on the screen, which is a minor issue, but undermines it's professionalism. There are also a few scenes with special effects which are at best satisfactory as they are too blurry. The film does score on the bombastic sound effects and background scores. It was more of sound feast than a visual feast for myself.

There are a few extraordinary battle scenes that have been very well-done.

Aamir Khan's performance is as his usual brilliant, but Ketan Mehta does not give him ample screen time to truly make an impression like he did in Lagaan. The picture only turns it's focus on Mangal Pandey in the second act. However, the character of Mangal Pandey itself is very sketchy and lacks heoric dimension. Even the actual revolt that closes this film is organizied andlead by another character called Bhakt Khan and Mangal Pandey just plays second fiddle. Toby Stephen, the Die Another Day villain as Gordon Copper provides good support to Aamir. Rani Mukherjee(Heera) and Amisha Patel(Jwala) as the love interests have nothing much to do.

There are some scenes that are brilliantly done, especially the rousing climax. Unfortunately, that cannot save this film from the mediocrity it falls into as a whole due to poor writing and uninspiring direction. It was a colossal disappointment for myself, but it is by no means unwatchable and in parts good. I do recommend watching it, but don't expect a classic, it's anything but.

I saw The Rising on Saturday at the 3p.m. show at Naz8 in Lakewood,Southern California. I loved it so much that I went to see it again at9.30 p.m. show at Cinema City in Anaheim Hills which is nearer my home in Yorba Linda.This time I loved it even more.On Sunday I saw it for the third time with my son and his wife and a cousin of mine.That is three times in two days. I plan to see it again tomorrow with my wife and some friends.I do not want to describe a scene or give away any part of the story because I might be accused of being a spoiler.My point is to inform my readers that finally a film has emerged from India that takes us back to the golden era of movies, when dedicated filmmakers like MehboobKhan, when geniuses like Naushad and Majrooh Sultanpuri,when committed filmmakers like Guru Dutt touched our hearts and our souls.When K.Asifmade Mughal-E-Azam which retains its magic and luster even forty-five years after its release.The Rising is that kind of movie.It tells us, in no uncertain terms,what a movie can do and what movie magic is all about.After MehboobKhan, Ketan Mehta is another gift from Gujarat to the Bombay film industry.He has directed The Rising with amazing dexterity and professional competence.His cameraman Dhamija is almost as good asFaredoon Irani, Jal Mistry or R.D.Mathur.And they as everyone knows were giants.The art direction, the editing, the choreography is topnotch.And as far as performances are concerned it will be a long time before somebody even comes close to Aamir Khan.He has stretched himself to the limit and then gone beyond it.Toby Stephens gives him excellent support.Rani and Amisha in their small roles are effective.The team ofJaved Akhtar and A.R. Rahman are once again at their very best.Rahman'background score, though unobtrusive, is awesome.This is a movie that keeps you absorbed from start to finish.It is gripping, entertaining and what's more enlightening.And with each viewing you like it more.It deserves to be India's entry for the Oscars.If it is sent by India,it will definitely be nominated in all eligible categories and win inmost categories, especially in the best foreign film category.The entire team behind the creation of this great movie deserves to be applauded and congratulated.They have made India proud.

The rising is basically yet another cruel manipulation of Indian history in order to woo back lost Indian film goers.The director himself is unable to portray a definite genre.It is a commercialized history tale with flashy colors,music and dialogs meant to hit hard on any patriot.The truth is Amir Khan's long exile from filmdom created a hype which he was not able to live up to.

The movie starts of with a flashback of a blossoming friendship between Amir and an English army man.The slapstick comedy sequence when they both get drunk is another example of how Hindi films have failed to evolve.However Amir had put up a commendable performance and maintained a constant tempo throughout the film.Rani Mukherjee was trying her hand at being a pre-independence glam doll and though fictitious she performed her character quite well.Amisha Patel was just pathetic.They shud banish her from the face of Indian cinema (the Indian counterpart of hillary duff or lindsay lohan who cant act).The audio dubbing had flaws which made certain scenes sound like scenes from a live play.The unnecessarily bright songs and dance sequences deviate from the core concept of the film.All the British actors did their roles well.The fact that the Hindi version of the movie contains a lot of English dialogs make us doubt if the movie was made to appeal to the patriotic Indian masses.Morever i think Indian directors have to do their movie homework before shooting something.i doubt if the water spray gun used in the holi song was even invented in 1857.

The music score by A.R.Rahman too could not save this sinking ship. An advice to Hindi directors : make a flawless watchable movie without any hype and surely the Indian people will appreciate.I have nt seen an excellent original Hindi movie in ages.The industry is more interested in the glam and the money.What happened to the good movies?Distorting history to unacceptable proportions is not the sign of a good movie or a good director.Unfortunately i am not allowed to write goofs for the film else i would have had a lot to write.

of course the film has its own share of plus points such as patriotic devour,good music,good British cast but sadly the negatives overshadow them to a great extent which makes "the rising" a disappointment of the highest order.

Ketan Mehta has no idea what 'uprising' means and surely no clue about revolution. The 1857 mutiny was about RAGE, it was a bloody revolt. There's NO RAGE in this movie. Mehta fails to depict the atmosphere, struggle and sacrifice behind all that happened. And instead turns it into a crappy romantic love-fest with an almost celebratory touch to it. Plus the song-and-dance nonsense. Is it a party or what??

Mangal Pandey has been short-changed throughout the movie. Too many disconnected and irrelevant incidents seem like distractions that could have been avoided. Entire perspective is that of ruling British. The lives of Indians are trivial side shows that we can ignore while we munch on our popcorn. Gordon hogs footage that could have been devoted to Mangal, with the result that we get no insight into the psychology of the main character. Then why on earth make a movie about him?!! Its ridiculous.

Mehta seems to think that the Sepoys just out of the blue decided to go up in arms against the British. How idiotic. His lack of accurate research and distortion of historical facts show in the movie. He fails to live up to the basic honesty of film.

People like that really pxxx me off. It seems Indians must still bow to and pay homage to whatever is left of British era in India, either real or imaginary. The drudgery of the bonded imagination etched deep, the intellectual slavery continues unabated. WHY??? Ketan Mehta, Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, Shashi Tharoor, Naipaul, Rushdie they are all exactly the same. India does not need this lousy breed of pseudos of the Macaulayite kind aka "bloody bxxtxxds the British left behind".

If Holi was horrible, Mirch Masala was maddening. And Rising has made my BP rise to stratospheric levels. Watch the movie but ignore what it tries to mislead you into believing.

I saw the movie Mangal Pandey yesterday and the images are still quite vivid in my mind. I attribute this to the wonderful cinematography and the colourful canvas that Ketan Mehta uses to unfold the story before his audience.

The madness in Mangal Pandey's, roughly translated as "junoon", can only be portrayed by a great actor. A. R. Rehman's music is so good that it can make your hair stand on end. The four story tellers atop an elephant visiting villages as they tell their story is a great narrative technique.

The reviews of the film in the Indian film media shocked me. I fail to understand the motive or even the thought process behind them unless it is that we are all in the danger of succumbing to cheap cynicism when feelings or ideas of patriotism come up in a creative form.

People have complained about the colour and the song and dance that Ketan has used. I believe this is because of two reasons--one is that Ketan has a theatre background and this is a part of folk theatre -to use music and dance to convey messages. The other reason is that in a movie dealing with the tragic consequences of brave actions it is important to to provide some kind of relief.

Even the presence of the two women which has has been criticised, is important to give the feel of the time. Mangal Pandey had to be shown as a real living human being not some flat lifeless character unearthed from dusty history books. One of the female characters brought to light the repugnant practise of Sati whereas the nautch girl was used to depict the presence of pleasure houses for the company employees. Both are necessary to give us a realistic picture of that era.

A comment was made elsewhere that the younger audiences found it hard to connect with the historical character. Is it easier, then,for the youth of modern India to connect with MTV and reality shows with no content? And if this is so then does it not become even more important for our film makers to produce films with real content that may inspire pride in our culture and history?

Mangal Pandey is a great film. From the first scene to the last you can see the immense amount of hard work that has gone into its making.

The only thing that rankled was the voice over provided by Om Puri. It was unnecessary.

I think the movie deserves great accolades.

It is natural for people to expect this movie to be in the league of the super-hit 'Lagaan' - but for them, I hate to say that they are going to be in for a big disappointment. Aamir Khan's performance in this movie, as I mentioned in the title, justifies his position as one of the best actors in the world - he gave 100% effort into it as always. Unfortunately, that is the only positive side to it.

It seemed to me that the whole movie revolved around Aamir, and all the others were mere puppets. Also, in my opinion, the friendship between Aamir & Toby was unnecessarily exaggerated, when it should have been portrayed in a much more professional manner - friendship is always built upon mutual respect and admiration for each other & not by wrestling, getting drunk & singing songs! Perhaps the film makers should have focused on this more, and less on the pointless roles of Rani Mukherjee & Amisha Patel.

All-in-all if you are a die-hard Aamir Khan fan who doesn't expect too much from the script of his movies, you will enjoy watching this one. But don't think that this will be anywhere near Oscar material, as it definitely isn't.

What made this movie get such a high rating is patriotism, not the quality of the movie. One can actually watch this movie and look at Mangal Pandey (the lead role of the film) as a prostitute-patronizing, drug-addict, who had no sense of direction until just the last 15 minutes of the movie.

If we take the jarring, irrelevant and unnecessary shows of cleavage and erotic gestures aside and take a look at the movie as a movie, it fails miserably. The plot leads nowhere, and the story that you had gone to watch this movie for, simply doesn't show up until much, much later in the movie.

It seems like the producers wanted to earn quick bucks by appealing to an Indian's sense of patriotism and love for soft porn (which is apparent in about 85% of Bollywood films anyways).

I was rather appalled when I heard that this is one of the most expensive movies made in Indian history, AND that it took 4 years to make. It makes me wonder what was going on in A.Khan's head (lead actor) when he accepted this project... I am aware of the fact that he has done movies much better than this, but the simple lack of any skills, quality and expression on anyone's faces (take a look at blank looks on everyone's faces in any scene) made the mind reel (pun unintended).

My advice: Avoid this movie altogether. Else you'll feel as lost as the script.