I think Aamir Khan is most suitable for the role of Mangal Pandey. No other actor in Bollywood could have done justice to the character than Aamir. He lives the life of the character he portrays and is not worried about the number of such characters he brings to life on celluloid. He lives by the maxim that quality is better than quantity. Which other actor would have dedicated 4 years of his career to the making of one epic?
I would be surprised if the film fails to capture the hearts of the movie goers because every actor has put in their best in the movie - not just the actors but everyone involved with the making of this great epic. I have seen this movie and is very impressed with it - a must see by all Indians! I have not read much about Mangal Pandey during my school days but this film has given me a thorough insight into the life and struggles of a man who is responsible for the movement of independence. The freedom that we enjoy today and the fact that we are recognised as Indians and not ’British controlled Indians’ is the ripple effect of this movement. It would have been injustice if no mention is ever made to the role of this great man and if he were not to get a special mention in history. We remember freedom fighters as we have been told repeatedly of their struggles for the country but could someone forget the man who originated the revolt against the British.
The maker of this movie deserves special credit as he has done what others failed to do - educating one-third of the world population about this forgotten hero and to the other two-thirds about the tyranny of the British. This movie indeed deserves all the appreciation and we genuinely feel than we have gone back to witness what happened about 148 years ago. Let us hope that Bollywood will make meaningful cinema like this which makes all round ’sense’ when viewed by any international audience.