Mangal Pandey (2005)

mangal pandey dvd seems to be incomplete

Aamir Khan's Mangal Pandey is an interesting film version of the 1857 rising in India. However, this DVD is advertised as having two discs, the movie and a disc of extras on the movie and The Rising. I ordered the movie twice from Amazon and twice received copies with only one disc in DVD cases that held only one disc, event though the price ($29.99) was for two. The problem may be with the supplier, but the problem was never resolved. So check your order carefully. January 18, 2008

Aamir Khan and Toby Stephens are amazing!

In this fascinating Bollywood epic about the "Sepoy Rebellion" or the "First War of Indian Independence" of 1857, in which the Indians who work as mercenaries for the British East India Company rise up against colonial authorities, Aamir Kahn (as the title character) and Toby Stephens (as his white best friend) play buddies-torn-apart roles and overcome the inevitable cliches of the script with the sheer force of their acting. Kahn is touchingly vulnerable and luminously handsome and magnetic as the pristine hero. (The Internet Movie Database entry on MP has an extensive debate on how closely this character corresponds to his historical counterpart and his role in the war/rebellion; it's a complex and controversial issue.) The gorgeous Stephens brings a fierce energy and compassion to his sidekick role as the One Good White Guy who foresees the rebellion and its consequences but is unable to convince anyone else of his dark vision. (Stephens' brief speeches about the ruthlessness of a private corporation pillaging a country seem all too relevant to our own time in this age of Blackwater and Halliburton in Iraq.) The film is wildly entertaining, filled with the color and beauty of Bollywood -- superb cinematography, epic sets and crowd scenes, music-and-dance numbers that pop out of nowhere, and a love story with a few (relatively chaste but sexy) kisses between Stephens and actress/model Amisha Patel. Highly recommended for Toby Stephens fans and for anyone interested in Indian films. August 15, 2007

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