Mumbai, Feb 24 (Ians) Best known for her role Daya in the sitcom ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’ (Tmkoc), Disha Vakani was seen performing an ‘Ashwamedh Yagya’ puja in Mumbai, along with her husband and two children.
The video doing the rounds on the Net shows Disha wearing a bright yellow saree and matching jewellery. Her husband Mayur Padia, who is a chartered accountant, is also in a yellow kurta and white pyjama.
The snippet shows Disha saying, “I am blessed and fortunate to perform this Ashwamedh Yagya. Shri Ram had performed this yagya. Bahut achche vibes hain. We have performed many Gayatri mantras on the sets of Tmkoc. This helps in improving the environment and gives birth to good thoughts in the minds of everyone.”
Coming from Gujarat, Disha is also known for her work in films such as ‘Devdas’, ‘Mangal Pandey: The Rising’ and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’.
–Ians
sp/dan...
The video doing the rounds on the Net shows Disha wearing a bright yellow saree and matching jewellery. Her husband Mayur Padia, who is a chartered accountant, is also in a yellow kurta and white pyjama.
The snippet shows Disha saying, “I am blessed and fortunate to perform this Ashwamedh Yagya. Shri Ram had performed this yagya. Bahut achche vibes hain. We have performed many Gayatri mantras on the sets of Tmkoc. This helps in improving the environment and gives birth to good thoughts in the minds of everyone.”
Coming from Gujarat, Disha is also known for her work in films such as ‘Devdas’, ‘Mangal Pandey: The Rising’ and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’.
–Ians
sp/dan...
- 2/24/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Actor Subrat Dutta, who has worked in movies like Zameen, Tango Charlie, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, Talaash, Bhootnath Returns, Sameer, Madholal Keep walking, Roar- Tigers of the Sundarbans, Shoukeens etc., has come with the award-winning and critically acclaimed movie “Guthlee Ladoo” alongside Sanjay Mishra. Dutta’s performance is highly appreciated and left an unforgettable impression on the audience at many national and international film festivals. Dutta, an Nsd alumni, has created his own space in Bollywood through his outstanding performances.
When asked about what difference he feels between Nsd (National School of Drama) students in comparison to other actors, Dutta said, “Nsd people always think very long-term. Even though I am from Nsd, We normally think that we should be remembered even after our deaths through our films. Look at the past works of Nasir saab (Nasiruddin Shah) and Om Puri ji. In today’s generation, Pankaj Tripathi and Nawazuddin-like...
When asked about what difference he feels between Nsd (National School of Drama) students in comparison to other actors, Dutta said, “Nsd people always think very long-term. Even though I am from Nsd, We normally think that we should be remembered even after our deaths through our films. Look at the past works of Nasir saab (Nasiruddin Shah) and Om Puri ji. In today’s generation, Pankaj Tripathi and Nawazuddin-like...
- 10/17/2023
- by agency
- GlamSham
Actor Subrat Dutta, who has worked in movies like Zameen, Tango Charlie, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, Talaash, Bhootnath Returns, Sameer, Madholal Keep walking, Roar- Tigers of the Sundarbans, Shoukeens etc., has come with the award-winning and critically acclaimed movie “Guthlee Ladoo” alongside Sanjay Mishra. Dutta’s performance is highly appreciated and left an unforgettable impression on the audience at many national and international film festivals. Dutta, an Nsd alumni, has created his own space in Bollywood through his outstanding performances.
When asked about what difference he feels between Nsd (National School of Drama) students in comparison to other actors, Dutta said, “Nsd people always think very long-term. Even though I am from Nsd, We normally think that we should be remembered even after our deaths through our films. Look at the past works of Nasir saab (Nasiruddin Shah) and Om Puri ji. In today’s generation, Pankaj Tripathi and Nawazuddin-like...
When asked about what difference he feels between Nsd (National School of Drama) students in comparison to other actors, Dutta said, “Nsd people always think very long-term. Even though I am from Nsd, We normally think that we should be remembered even after our deaths through our films. Look at the past works of Nasir saab (Nasiruddin Shah) and Om Puri ji. In today’s generation, Pankaj Tripathi and Nawazuddin-like...
- 10/17/2023
- by agency
Mumbai, March 7 (Ians) The upcoming episode of comedy show ‘Aur Bhai Kya Chal Raha Hai?’ has taken inspiration from Bollywood movies such as ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, ‘Jodha Akbar’ and ‘Mangal Pandey’. The show leads Ambrish Bobby, Pawan Singh and Akansha Sharma share details of its upcoming track with a Bollywood twist. Ambrish Bobby, essaying Ramesh Prasad […]...
- 3/7/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Actress Ameesha Patel is picking up Ghaziabadi accent these days, for her role in the upcoming film "Tauba Tera Jalwa".
"This character Laila is bold, modern, loving and also has grey shades, which caught my interest instantly. I have never done such kind of a role and I am trying to give it my best," Ameesha said about her role in the film.
Also Read:?Ananya Panday's hilarious caption for her millennial dress
Starting her career in the year 2000 with "Kaho Naa... Pyar Hai" opposite Hrithik Roshan, Ameesha was seen in films such as "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha", "Humraaz", "Mangal Pandey: The Rising" and "Race 2" among others.
In her upcoming film, she will be seen with Jatin Khurana, who plays a young tycoon from Ghaziabad.
The film is directed by Akashaditya Lama. His earlier film "Nani Teri Morni" was selected in Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival,...
"This character Laila is bold, modern, loving and also has grey shades, which caught my interest instantly. I have never done such kind of a role and I am trying to give it my best," Ameesha said about her role in the film.
Also Read:?Ananya Panday's hilarious caption for her millennial dress
Starting her career in the year 2000 with "Kaho Naa... Pyar Hai" opposite Hrithik Roshan, Ameesha was seen in films such as "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha", "Humraaz", "Mangal Pandey: The Rising" and "Race 2" among others.
In her upcoming film, she will be seen with Jatin Khurana, who plays a young tycoon from Ghaziabad.
The film is directed by Akashaditya Lama. His earlier film "Nani Teri Morni" was selected in Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival,...
- 1/17/2020
- GlamSham
Charlie Higson, British writer and actor, known for his “Young Bond” novel series, has boarded “Curse of the Kohinoor,” a recently announced Anglo-Indian heist series, as its co-writer. He will join Farrukh Dhondy (“Mangal Pandey: The Rising”), screenwriter and former Channel 4 commissioning editor for multicultural programming, on the project.
The thriller recounts a plot to steal the Kohinoor diamond, centerpiece of the British Crown Jewels. Featuring many of the biggest names from the Indian entertainment industry, “Curse” intertwines the history of the iconic diamond with the story of an incredible robbery attempt.
The series will be directed by Colin Teague, director of the BAFTA-winning BBC series “Dr Who” and ITV’s “Beowulf.” “Curse” will be shot on location in India and the U.K. from March 2020. Executive producers are Padma Galla for Amara Raja Media & Entertainment, Rahul Aggarwal for Star Entertainment Worldwide, and Bobby Bedi for Contentflow Studios.
Charles Thompson,...
The thriller recounts a plot to steal the Kohinoor diamond, centerpiece of the British Crown Jewels. Featuring many of the biggest names from the Indian entertainment industry, “Curse” intertwines the history of the iconic diamond with the story of an incredible robbery attempt.
The series will be directed by Colin Teague, director of the BAFTA-winning BBC series “Dr Who” and ITV’s “Beowulf.” “Curse” will be shot on location in India and the U.K. from March 2020. Executive producers are Padma Galla for Amara Raja Media & Entertainment, Rahul Aggarwal for Star Entertainment Worldwide, and Bobby Bedi for Contentflow Studios.
Charles Thompson,...
- 11/9/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
On his son, Junaid Khan's birthday superstar Aamir Khan shared an adorable photograph of his son along with Rani Mukerji and wondered how Junaid managed to charm the actress.
Also Read:?Aamir Khan surprises co-passengers
?Aamir on Monday took to Twitter and Instagram to share the image, where Junaid can be seen smiling as he stood right next to Rani. The "Mardaani" star can be seen looking at Junaid and smiling.
"I wonder how he managed to charm Rani... I never did! Happy Birthday Junsie," Aamir captioned the image.
Aamir and Rani have worked in movies like "Talaash", "Ghulam", and "Mangal Pandey: The Rising".
Junaid's sister Ira Khan also took to Instagram stories to wish her brother. She posted a photograph of the siblings and captioned it: "Happy birthday, Junnu."
Both Junaid and Ira are from Aamir's first wife Reena Dutta. The couple divorced in 2002. Aamir got married to...
Also Read:?Aamir Khan surprises co-passengers
?Aamir on Monday took to Twitter and Instagram to share the image, where Junaid can be seen smiling as he stood right next to Rani. The "Mardaani" star can be seen looking at Junaid and smiling.
"I wonder how he managed to charm Rani... I never did! Happy Birthday Junsie," Aamir captioned the image.
Aamir and Rani have worked in movies like "Talaash", "Ghulam", and "Mangal Pandey: The Rising".
Junaid's sister Ira Khan also took to Instagram stories to wish her brother. She posted a photograph of the siblings and captioned it: "Happy birthday, Junnu."
Both Junaid and Ira are from Aamir's first wife Reena Dutta. The couple divorced in 2002. Aamir got married to...
- 6/3/2019
- GlamSham
A lot of Indian films have come under the scanner for allegedly distorting history or for overdramatizing the characters portrayed in their films. A few of such Indian films are Bandit Queen, Aśoka, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, Jodhaa Akbar, Mohenjo Daro, 7aum Arivu, Padmaavat etc. Even English (Hollywood) films like Saving Private Ryan, based onRead More
The post Do filmmakers have rights and liberties to distort history? appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
The post Do filmmakers have rights and liberties to distort history? appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
- 1/27/2018
- by Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee
- BollywoodHungama
Call Aamir Khan a perfectionist, and he’ll lightheartedly brush off the label, preferring to describe himself as simply “passionate” instead. Terminology aside, a mere glance at his 28-year career is ample proof that for Khan, going the extra mile is practically the equivalent of slacking off—the 51-year-old actor, producer, and director usually travels another 10 for good measure.
He did it in 1998’s “Ghulam,” when he turned down a body double or special effects in favor of sprinting towards an oncoming train for a stunt, avoiding it by a mere second and gambling his life for the sake of realism.
In 1999, when a script about 19th century villagers protesting British land tax with a game of cricket was dismissed by every financier in Bollywood, Khan took on his first producing role alongside his acting credit to make the film. Three years of grueling production later, “Lagaan” became the third...
He did it in 1998’s “Ghulam,” when he turned down a body double or special effects in favor of sprinting towards an oncoming train for a stunt, avoiding it by a mere second and gambling his life for the sake of realism.
In 1999, when a script about 19th century villagers protesting British land tax with a game of cricket was dismissed by every financier in Bollywood, Khan took on his first producing role alongside his acting credit to make the film. Three years of grueling production later, “Lagaan” became the third...
- 12/21/2016
- by Anisha Jhaveri
- Indiewire
Kolkata, Jan 11: Stating that Bollywood actors are popular only amongst the Indian diaspora in Britain, Indian-origin British author and scriptwriter Farrukh Dhondy says that the formula films churned out by the Hindi film industry "don't work in the West".
Dhondy has written screenplays for film and television, including "Split Wide Open" (1999) and "The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey" (2005).
"You can make Indian films like 'Slumdog Millionaire' today which can absolutely work and win Oscars, but Bollywood's mentality of having a particular formula just doesn't work in the West...people laugh at it," Dhondy told Ians on.
Dhondy has written screenplays for film and television, including "Split Wide Open" (1999) and "The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey" (2005).
"You can make Indian films like 'Slumdog Millionaire' today which can absolutely work and win Oscars, but Bollywood's mentality of having a particular formula just doesn't work in the West...people laugh at it," Dhondy told Ians on.
- 1/11/2014
- by Lohit Reddy
- RealBollywood.com
Rani Mukherji
Popular actress Rani Mukherji is keen to perform an item number
Renowned actress Rani Mukherji, who has impressed critics and audience with her outstanding performances in films like Black (2005), The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005), No One Killed Jessica (2011), has shown interest in doing item numbers recently. Rumors of Rani doing an item number in Housefull 2 are doing the rounds. However, she mentioned that “doing it totally depends on how the song is being presented…and if it excites me.”
Rani Mukherji in Dil Bole Hadippa
The 33-year-old actress is a trained dancer in Odissi and loves dancing. As is the custom of Bollywood, item songs are generally performed by a different genre of actresses like Rakhi Sawant, Payal Rohatgi, Mallika Sherawat.
Recently, however, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Kajra Re in Bunty Aur Babli 2005), Preity Zinta (Happening in Main Aur Mrs Khanna 2009), Deepika Padukone (Love Mera Hit Hit in...
Popular actress Rani Mukherji is keen to perform an item number
Renowned actress Rani Mukherji, who has impressed critics and audience with her outstanding performances in films like Black (2005), The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005), No One Killed Jessica (2011), has shown interest in doing item numbers recently. Rumors of Rani doing an item number in Housefull 2 are doing the rounds. However, she mentioned that “doing it totally depends on how the song is being presented…and if it excites me.”
Rani Mukherji in Dil Bole Hadippa
The 33-year-old actress is a trained dancer in Odissi and loves dancing. As is the custom of Bollywood, item songs are generally performed by a different genre of actresses like Rakhi Sawant, Payal Rohatgi, Mallika Sherawat.
Recently, however, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Kajra Re in Bunty Aur Babli 2005), Preity Zinta (Happening in Main Aur Mrs Khanna 2009), Deepika Padukone (Love Mera Hit Hit in...
- 4/25/2011
- Chakpak
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Actor Rani Mukerji just can’t stop beaming. She is about to rub shoulders with her Ghulam (1998) and The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) co-star Aamir Khan again, this time in Reema Kagti’s next film, Zakhmi. “That’s the next film I’m doing. It’s amazing because I’ve always loved to work with Aamir, and now that I’m doing a film with him again, it’ll bring back the memories of all the times that we’ve shared during Ghulam and The Rising...,” says the 33-year-old, who will be honoured by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy for her ‘outstanding performance’ as a scribe in her ...
- 4/22/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Locarno International Film Festival,
Piazza Grande (World Premiere)
Ketan Mehta's sweeping epic, The Rising -- Ballad of Mangal Pandey, is a kind of Bollywood Braveheart as one courageous and doomed man confronts the might of the British Empire, plus there's singing and dancing.
Sumptuously designed and beautifully shot, the film will delight Bollywood fans but likely will fail to capture mainstream audiences with its melodramatic style and jarring combination of stirring action, brutality and musical numbers.
For 100 years, the East India Company was the face of the British Empire, ruling one-fifth of the world and dominating the Indian subcontinent with the help of 300,000 Hindu and Muslim soldiers called Sepoys.
In Mehta's tale, the introduction of a new rifle in 1853 brought down the most successful private company in history. The rifle used a cartridge that soldiers had to bite the end of in order to pour the powder into the barrel. But the company used the grease of pigs and cows to seal the cartridges, and so placing them in their mouths violated the Sepoys' faiths.
Mangal Pandey (Aamir Khan) is one of the bravest Sepoys, having served with distinction in places like Afghanistan's Khyber Pass, where he saved the life of Capt. William Gordon (Toby Stephens).
At first, trusting the Company lie that the cartridges do not use pig or cow grease, Pandey bites the bullet, but when the truth is revealed, he leads the Sepoy in a rebellion that for the first time unites all the various creeds, tribes and castes of the region. It sows the seeds for the end of the East India Company's reign, though India would not gain its independence from Britain for about another century.
The saga is told in black-and-white terms with a clear division between good guys and bad guys. The dastardly villains are the ones in the red uniforms who speak as if they've just swallowed a plum. The only good British officer is, inevitably, Scottish.
The Bollywood style is so bouncy and optimistic, however, that it's difficult to sustain the effect of an oppressed nation when everyone, even untouchables and slave girls, all appear so jolly. The hero is savagely beaten by five Company men, but shortly afterward he joins the beautiful pleasure house girl Heera (Rani Mukherji) in a jaunty dance number.
Although the film is expertly rooted in its period, Heera seems to have been parachuted in from the 21st century with her cover girl eyes and MTV choreography.
There are many bold statements about freedom and peoples' rights to their own cultures and faiths and a suggestion that there are modern versions of the East India Company at work in the world, which might well be true, but the message gets a bit lost amid all the happy singing people.
The Rising -- Ballad of Mangal Pandey
Kalaidoscope Entertainment & Inox Leisure Ltd. & TFK Films present a Kaleidoscope Entertainment & Maya Movies production
Credits:
Director: Ketan Mehta
Screenwriter: Farrukh Dhondy
Producers: Bobby Bedi, Deepa Sahi
Director of photography: Himman Dhamija
Production designer: Nitin Chandrakant Desai
Editor: Sreekar Prasad
Composer: A.R. Rahmaan
Cast:
Mangal Pandey: Aamir Khan
Capt. William Gordon: Toby Stephens
Heera: Rani Mukherji
Emily Kent: Coral Beed
Veer Pretap: Amin Hajee
Lol Bibi: Kiron Kher
Jwala: Ameesha Patel
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 150 minutes...
Piazza Grande (World Premiere)
Ketan Mehta's sweeping epic, The Rising -- Ballad of Mangal Pandey, is a kind of Bollywood Braveheart as one courageous and doomed man confronts the might of the British Empire, plus there's singing and dancing.
Sumptuously designed and beautifully shot, the film will delight Bollywood fans but likely will fail to capture mainstream audiences with its melodramatic style and jarring combination of stirring action, brutality and musical numbers.
For 100 years, the East India Company was the face of the British Empire, ruling one-fifth of the world and dominating the Indian subcontinent with the help of 300,000 Hindu and Muslim soldiers called Sepoys.
In Mehta's tale, the introduction of a new rifle in 1853 brought down the most successful private company in history. The rifle used a cartridge that soldiers had to bite the end of in order to pour the powder into the barrel. But the company used the grease of pigs and cows to seal the cartridges, and so placing them in their mouths violated the Sepoys' faiths.
Mangal Pandey (Aamir Khan) is one of the bravest Sepoys, having served with distinction in places like Afghanistan's Khyber Pass, where he saved the life of Capt. William Gordon (Toby Stephens).
At first, trusting the Company lie that the cartridges do not use pig or cow grease, Pandey bites the bullet, but when the truth is revealed, he leads the Sepoy in a rebellion that for the first time unites all the various creeds, tribes and castes of the region. It sows the seeds for the end of the East India Company's reign, though India would not gain its independence from Britain for about another century.
The saga is told in black-and-white terms with a clear division between good guys and bad guys. The dastardly villains are the ones in the red uniforms who speak as if they've just swallowed a plum. The only good British officer is, inevitably, Scottish.
The Bollywood style is so bouncy and optimistic, however, that it's difficult to sustain the effect of an oppressed nation when everyone, even untouchables and slave girls, all appear so jolly. The hero is savagely beaten by five Company men, but shortly afterward he joins the beautiful pleasure house girl Heera (Rani Mukherji) in a jaunty dance number.
Although the film is expertly rooted in its period, Heera seems to have been parachuted in from the 21st century with her cover girl eyes and MTV choreography.
There are many bold statements about freedom and peoples' rights to their own cultures and faiths and a suggestion that there are modern versions of the East India Company at work in the world, which might well be true, but the message gets a bit lost amid all the happy singing people.
The Rising -- Ballad of Mangal Pandey
Kalaidoscope Entertainment & Inox Leisure Ltd. & TFK Films present a Kaleidoscope Entertainment & Maya Movies production
Credits:
Director: Ketan Mehta
Screenwriter: Farrukh Dhondy
Producers: Bobby Bedi, Deepa Sahi
Director of photography: Himman Dhamija
Production designer: Nitin Chandrakant Desai
Editor: Sreekar Prasad
Composer: A.R. Rahmaan
Cast:
Mangal Pandey: Aamir Khan
Capt. William Gordon: Toby Stephens
Heera: Rani Mukherji
Emily Kent: Coral Beed
Veer Pretap: Amin Hajee
Lol Bibi: Kiron Kher
Jwala: Ameesha Patel
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 150 minutes...
LOCARNO, Switzerland -- With the out-of-competition screening of the Bollywood film The Rising -- Ballad of Mangal Pandey at its famed Piazza Grande, the 58th Locarno Film Festival kicked off Wednesday. The first official competition screenings are scheduled for Thursday. A total of 18 films best described as multicultural-niche are vying for the Golden Leopard and its prize of 90,000 Swiss francs ($71,337). Two Silver Leopard awards also will be handed out, along with a special jury prize and a Leopard for best male and female performance.
ROME -- Two more titles were added Wednesday to this year's lineup of films in competition for the Locarno International Film Festival's Golden Leopard prize. They are Canadian director Louise Archambault's Familia and Yvan Le Moine's Vendredi ou un Autre Jour, a Belgium-France-Italy co-production. The new titles join 15 others announced last week. Festival organizers also said that Susan Sarandon will be on hand to receive an excellence award and that the opening film in the Piazza Grande will be Ketan Mehta's The Rising -- Ballad of Mangal Pandey. The festival runs Aug. 3-13.
- 7/27/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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