Rebeliant

The film disappointed me for two main reasons. I felt like it must have been shot in the late eighties or early nineties. Now that I found out it was filmed in 2005, I still find it hard to believe. Plus, I was expecting something in the style of The Far Pavilions and all I got was this drama with singing and dancing. Rani Mukherjee was really nice to look at. Toby Stephens went to a fancy dress party dressed up as a pirate, which, after Black Sails, had me in stitches. At the end, I finally also learned something substantial. (17.05.2020)

Personally, I very much welcome The Rising: Ballad Of Mangal Pandey as a successor to the older Lagaan. The basic Western myth of India stands and falls on the period of British colonization, and this myth needs to be further exploited in films of this type. The most burning issues of 1857 are attractively combined in The Rising, as are the outstanding performances by Aamir Khan, Toby Stephens, and Rani Mukherjee, with the cherry on top being Kiron Kher’s performance. The musical interludes may seem inorganic only to viewers who have not yet had much experience, but I especially enjoyed the Holi festival. And 90 years later Indians got their independence, so a bit of pride is definitely in order. (25.05.2011)