Do I even need to say it? Mangal Pandey / The Rising, the film about our namesake rebellion, comes out in the U.S. today. It stars Aamir Khan, Toby Stephens, Rani Mukherjee and Amisha Patel. A.R. Rahman did the music, Ketan Mehta (the director of Mirch Masala) directs this story. Watch the trailer and do your mutinous best 
In 1857 Mangal Pandey (Khan) is a sepoy, an Indian serving under the command of Britain’s East India Company, which by then had controlled the subcontinent for a century with its own laws, military and government. Mangal’s a close friend of the sensitive British captain William Gordon (Stephens), but the introduction of a new gun cartridge drives a wedge between them. Greased with cow and pig fat, it’s deeply offensive to both Hindus and Muslims. And a small standoff develops into a full-scale indigent rebellion. [Link]
It’s the McDonald’s beefy french fries scandal writ large!
Gordon’s character has been written with great care, so as to present a saner side to the British who would all otherwise fall into the stereotypical category of moustache-twirling villains. [Link]
Check U.S. showtimes here. American prints are usually subtitled.
Here are photos from the premiere in Bombay. Here’s the movie’s official site.
Amir Khan and Toby Stephens, I am so there for some interracial man on man action.
Amir Khan has his own blog now … check it out http://spaces.msn.com/members/mangalpandey/
director of Lagaan? I had thought Ashuthosh Gowarikar was the director of Lagaan!
“Amir Khan and Toby Stephens, I am so there for some interracial man on man action.”
yeah baby, and you’re going to get some. the unstated homoeroticism of that pairing is so strong, it’s unbelievable. one of those films where the real romance is totally between the two men. the bit where they square off in an akhara and have a little lovers’ tiff is totally awesome 😉
Yup. Some guy next to me at the theater told me, ‘He only makes a movie every three years, the last one was Lagaan,‘ and in the haze of sweaty Aamir-Toby man-love I took it to mean the director instead of Khan. What can I say? I was young and naive back then.
Sin, are you reading this dude? Get yourself to the multiplex fast 😉
Just saw it tonight– most Sepia-friendly line:
As the commanding officer is ordering open fire on the Indian sepoys, he says “Can’t you see, they’re mutineers!?”
Hmmm… I was surprised that it has songs and dances. Will go soon!
I just saw the film at Liberty Plaza here in Colombo. My favorite line happens right after Pandey confronts Gordon re the greasing of the cartridges in animal fat. Right before the intermission Pandey (Khan) says: “You have felt the friendship of a black man Caption Gordon, now you will feel the fury.” Except it sounded better in Hindi.
I think there are upwards of 8 song-dance sequences in the film. My favorite song, well the most catchy anyway is the theme song, “Mangal, Mangal, Mangala….etc.”
hai it ajay the main bad thing about the movie is, there is no need to took the girls in the movie absolutely no need of them thats the only reason the movie will not win an oscar and the second thing is the unneccessary holi song .makes the movie a shit