Article Updated 13 August, 2005 11:54:08 AM IST   Mangal Pandey -The Rising By Prema K. ©2005 Bollyvista.com   'Mangal Pandey' is going to be a huge disappointment for all Aamir Khan fans especially after his 4-year-old sabbatical. After watching the film one can't help wondering why this was such an eagerly awaited film. Besides Aamir Khan, it was also the hype built around his look in the film. Aamir undoubtedly cashed in on his look in the film but the distributors will be singing a different tune after the release. The film lacks emotions and does not touch a chord anywhere. It does not arouse any feeling of patriotism. An easily forgettable film! Now for a bit of what's meant to be the story of the film. It explores the mutiny of 1857. Mangal Pandey (Aamir Khan) is an Indian sepoy serving the Britain's East India Company. Mangal rescues his commanding officer William Gordon (Toby Stephens) on the battlefield of Afghanistan and the two men become good friends. The Hindi-speaking Gordon is sympathetic towards the locals, exactly opposite to most of his white colleagues. The story takes a turn when the British introduce a new set of rifles. To use them, the sepoys are required to bite the bullet. The paper cartridges encasing the gunpowder contain beef and pig fat. The Hindu and Muslim soldiers don't want to use the new cartridge on religious grounds. Trusting Gordon that the cartridges do not use beef and pig fat, Mangal bites the bullet, but when the sepoys learn the truth, Mangal revolts and leads a rebellion that sows the seeds for the end of the East India Company's reign. Agreed recreating history is difficult but to make the viewers sit through a slipshod job is highly unpardonable! To give credit where it's due, there is nothing wrong with the look of the film or the performances. The drawback of the film is that it lacks content and jumps in places. A couple of tracks are not developed. The only impressive scenes in the entire film are Mangal Pandey being lead to the gallows and hanged. Om Puri's voiceover in some scenes is good. The battle sequences are okay. The songs seem forced, particularly the Holi track and the sort of item song! Performances. Aamir Khan seems to have worked only on his look in the film. Not a great performance from an actor of his calibre. Toby Stephens deliver his lines in Hindi well. The girls don't have much to do in the film. Rani is okay in her small role. Amisha is a disaster. Thankfully she only has few scenes. The other character actors are efficient. On the whole, 'Mangal Pandey' is a complete bore! It's fate seems sealed at the box office after the initial hype dies down! ** (TWO STARS) *poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent   close   Print this Article http://www.bollyvista.com   http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/5353