Mangal Pandey: The Rising was screened at Bharat Bhavan here on Sunday. The screening marked the third day of Mukti Parv 2.
It is a 2005 Indian historical biographical drama film based on the life of Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier known for helping to spark the Indian rebellion of 1857.
It is directed by Ketan Mehta, produced by Bobby Bedi and with a screenplay by Farrukh Dhondy. The film stars Aamir Khan, Amisha Patel, Rani Mukherjee in lead roles.
Mangal Pandey is a Sepoy in the army controlled by the East India Company, a company that had entered Hindustan to trade, but subsequently showed their true colors, exploited the natives, divided, and ruled over them.
But the Company treated their employees well. It was only a rumor that the cartridges of a new rifle were greased with the dead flesh of cows and pigs that set off a protest, which came to rest after the Hindustani soldiers received assurances from their senior most officer as well as Captain William Gordon, and Mangal became the first soldier to bit the bullet and pour the gunpowder in his barrels.
Then it became a fact that the bullets were indeed greased with cows and pigs, an enraged Mangal confronts the system, and is assured that the cartridges will be replaced. Then comes the shock, for the Company had no intention of replacing the cartridges, and as a result Mangal incites a rebellion in the 300,000 strong Hindustani soldiers - a rebellion which is all set to take place on May 31.
Anger sweeps the country, as Muslims and Hindus, both offended by the use of cow and pig flesh respectively, the manner in which they have been ill-treated, called ‘kaala khutas’ (black dogs) by the Caucasian soldiers, and the need to rid the Company and their masters once and for all.