Wannabe epic. Review on Mangal Pandey - The Rising

When you think a movie is hyped like none before, it is only followed by another which erases the previous one from memory. This is one such movie, talked about for everything from Aamir Khan's re-appearance on celluloid to the highly publicised exit of Aishwarya Rai. The one question on every lip in such a situation is if the hype is really justified.

The movie dwells upon a well-known name with an unfamiliar story that kicked off what we know as the First War of Indian Independence. A sepoy in the army of East India Company chose to rebel, incited his colleagues against the British and ended up as expected. In addition to connected events, other aspects of the country at that time are also covered, using factual and fictional characters.

The best thing about the movie is that the protagonist isn't shown as a born super-hero. He is shown as an average Indian of the time who just couldn't take any more of the suppression. Intoxicated and otherwise, he did the unusual and became a legend. But this main thread of the movie isn't always realistically portrayed. Added to that are the fictional portions which at many times serve more as distractions than anything else. The script and direction seem to include some things just for the international audience while falling back on Bollywood make-believe sometimes.

The use of a narrator while not even providing subtitles for English dialogues seems strange and adds to the frustration. Songs aren't used intelligently and mostly interrupt the flow. Many scenes are picturised grandly, as expected of a movie of this scale. But it just remains a wannabe.

Khan is perfect in terms of his look and body language, but falls short in some charged up scenes. Stephens walks away with top honours with his subtle acting. His effort in speaking Hindi is appreciable, though at times it isn't intelligible. In brief roles, Mukherji is adequate while Patel is her usual unimpressive self. The supporting cast come good though.

The well-composed songs and meaningful lyrics are hardly noticed due to improper utilisation. The background score is above average. Art direction and costumes are done well.

One of the most expensive movies made in India, this is proof that no great movie can be made without a genuine script, irrespective of the level of hype and expectation. The enormous amount of effort put in just goes waste ultimately.