I got Entertainment. Review on Mangal Pandey - The Rising

No point writing the plot and writing a critical review, so let me provide a new perspective altogether to the movie.

When it comes to watching movies we Indians forget Patriotism, I do it at least. Get this straight Patriotism has to be packaged for us in form of entertainment.

Figure this

Lagaan Patriotic why?- Cricket played by villagers

Gadar- Patriotic why ?- Jingoism and communal sarcasm

Now figure this

Bose the Forgotten Hero was even badly forgotten as a film produced at a monster budget of Rs.35 crores, Swades was produced for Rs.40 crores. Lost everywhere on the Boxoffice. The Legend of Bhagat Singh produced for Rs.25 crores failed at the boxoffice too. So fellow mouthshut members I see 4 stars and 90% recco for all the movies but then we are so called Budhi jeevi people and other people not watching it are fools, But then we tend to forget that Bose became a biographical documentary, Swades became lack of ideas and TLOBS became preachy as a cinema. Critically good but where are the numbers. See people because we don’t watch these movies hence we get to see more of Masala entertainers then really meaningful cinema. Movie watching is a entertainment for 8/10 people including me and a serious business for the movie makers. They don’t produce to loose hence the Hype, promotion and entertainment is necessary.

Mangal Pandey- The Rising

The FREEDOM| fighter movies are dead the moment they are made, My wife said to my small cousin Koi zaroorat nahi hai movie dekhne ki as you know Mangal Pandey was a revolutionary who got hanged for being the first to revolt against the British. My dear friends 3 people are not watching now, Same happens with most of the households, Why would u watch something that you already know. Hence the so called freedom movies are already plagued with this no theatre syndrome.

Sardaar, Gandhi (It failed on Indian Boxoffice), Bose, Bhagat Singh and umpteen others have failed on the boxoffice. Honestly this genre is jinxed then how should a movie be told to the audience. I would never pay for 3 hours of Mangal Pandey coming, speaking, shouting on patriotism and getting hung. This movie has all the jinxes like the other freedom fighter movies. What to do then, how to elaborate creatively and that too on a persona on which only a little bit is known. Get the fact right, India was a Imperialist colony and hence history was rewritten by the British for the British, hence you see British Historians opposing the movie. The book that tells about the character of Mangal Pandey being accidental is 90% based on British History then how am I supposed to believe that.

Then I read reviews citing Historical Distortions, Ok I wasn’t born in 1857 and I don’t want to know the facts because I don’t want extracts of British History in India which is penned by them. People of Balia protested that the movie has shown Mangal Pandey in bad light and even the Municpal Commissioner personally took care that movie doesn’t get released there, Can I ask you Mr.Commissioner where were you when Mangal Pandey Shaskiya Shaikshanik Brahmin Vidyalay in Balia was running out of roofs and books, Thing is that it was an effort to take the advantage of the Hype. Nothing else, 2 weeks gone do you see any more news of Balia and Mangal Pandey protests.

Some say the movie doesn’t lived upto expectations, People Mangal Pandey was a factual revolutionary and not a Fictional Jingoistic Patriot created by the filmmakers to entice the rage of patriotism within. We don’t like the heat and rage in the character of Mangal Pandey just because he wasn’t jingoistic enough, people our sensitivities need a check a Sunny Deol goes jingoistic and shouts Hindustan zindabad is patriotism and a Mangal Pandey is lack luster performance. The movie would have been different had it been 1947 but 1857 we never knew about Mangal Pandey.

So I wanted the movie to be hyped. I wanted the jinx to be broken. I wanted that a Freedom revolutionary story can be entertaining also. The movie isn’t a epic, nor a classic nor an exceptional movie but on the whole it isnt tepid as other movies.

The movie shouldn’t have any songs but then that’s masala for the Single Screeners a common phenomena for a No Multiplex city like ours, The movie shouldn’t had moved into mindless plots especially Amisha Patel’s Sati act and the milk donor’s plot. The necklines and unnecessary footage to some people should have been avoided. Now some say the parts on East India Company is boring, I beg to differ 1857 was only East India Company and nothing else hence the main villain of the times i.e. the Company needs to be shown.

After reading so many not recommending reviews I said its because u took expectations to Rs.1000 when what was on offer was Rs.100, Ketan Mehta as a director has always been average but here he somewhat gets better and hence knowing that movie is a impressive by his standards to me because I had seen his movies like Maya Memesaab and Yeh hai India Meri Jaan. But how many of you know he is the same director who directed the critically acclaimed Sardar (It sunk without trace).

Aamir Khan has put up a persona which is unlike him. For the level of difficulty in the persona that the character possessed I feel this is a very good performances. He has done justice to his profession and as an actor has tried to make believe that Entertaining isn’t cake walk. Tobey Stephens has done an effective job. Rani supports well and Amisha wasn’t needed at all.

The movie was 2 hrs 30 mins, remove the songs other than Mangal Mangal and Holi Re, the package becomes much better.

Is the movie really bad, I would say no. It has a finale where Mangal takes stride for freedom, it has the Indian perspective a much needed one that how Britishers knew to rule and how Indians knew to be ruled on. It has light moments with Mangal and the british officer together. Infact 2nd half of the movie is a big plus itself.

The movie cannot be compared to Lagaan, it was fiction this isn’t. I felt I took less expectations in the movie and did not get in the Hype and hence I found it way better then expected.

Overall, Rs.36 crore is the budget of the movie. By the reports 30 crore has already been raked in. People accept it, We can enjoy the holidays in there name but cannot watch there patriotism screen played on cinema. Honestly I was informed a bit more then mere bullet episode that we know about Mangal Pandey and hence I will recommend the movie.

Too much expectations can kill the overall essence.

Thank you for reading, you can comment.