Probably a more serious discussion of this Ketan Mehta film than we saw in Indian journalism!
After commenting on George Clooney as Hollywood star, and as star of the very excellent Jason Reitman film UP IN THE AIR, I decided to shift attention to a similar figure in Bollywood cinema: Aamir Khan. Aamir Khan is the star of the most successful Bollywood movie in history, the comedy THREE IDIOTS. Like Clooney (and perhaps Redford before him) he uses his star power to make serious movies, with the most famous being LAGAAN. Here, in MANGAL PANDEY: THE RISING we look at this story of one of the respected heroes of Indian cultural memory.
On the surface, the film continues the popular David vs. Goliath anti-imperialist genre we find in such films as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, KING OF KINGS, LION OF THE DESERT, THE BATTLE FOR ALGIERS, some revisionist westerns like THE
OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, the TV miniseries MASADA, BRAVEHEART,
and PARADISE NOW, where otherwise unlikely characters take on the role of heroes and anti-heroes against occupation and exploitation. MANGAL PANDEY: THE RISING follows that tradition, with a story that includes ruthless one-dimensional imperialists, former servants of the crown who "go native" and betray the empire, as well as collaborators for the empire who betray their own people, and multi-dimensional, unlikely heroes.
It is thus, Post-Colonial, in critiquing the conduct and impact of empire, while also remaining self-critical. Meaning, Indians in this story are victims as well as participants in the atrocities of the British Army and East India Company. The general idea, however, is that history is often written by the victors who depict the imperialists as civilized and justified in their actions, while the "natives" are often savage, uncouth, beneficiaries of the imperialism.
More (A LOT MORE!) at http://blogs.suntimes.com/foreignc/2010/02/we-are-all-untouchables-a-bollywood-ballad.html
