Hai
I do not agree with IndiaTimes comment on ARR's music.
When i watched the movie BOSE-Forgotten Hero, the
background music of our BOSS is so amazing but the
cinematography is so poor doesn't give good justice
for the great music.
I believe the same happens here for our BOSS bgm in
Mangal Pandey.
Anyway i am planning to watch the movie on Aug 15th.
--- Ajit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 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
=== message truncated ===
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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.
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