This movie is one of the case studies of modern day film direction, production and promotion. The whole event has moved along as it would have had in a corporate.
Lets begin with the script, it was far from the real history, however, commercially well dressed. The cast was selected well which was a combination of commercially viable charecters and also strong performers. The sets were neat and designed with detail and accuracy. The set designer went down to Berhampur to carry out the research. The costume designer search through history and visited various museums to search for detailed evidence. Locations were choses with detailed accuracy. The main representatives of the movie, Amir Khan as you all know was not allowed to perform in any other movie during this period, this was primaryly because the movie was being packaged around him. The director did not want Amir’s face to be a repeatition in audiences’ mind in any other role. This is the reason Amir was requested not to attend too much parties, to save him from loosing that natural appeal. Amir’s atire in the movie provided him with a natural appeal. Rani was at her best as always. She is such a suttle performer. Amisha had a very small role to play and personally speaking she did not appeal me much. The whole crew has perfomed as a cohesive unit.
Direction was good. However, I was not at all very happy with the editiing. Mid-ways movie lost its flow and went out of the way making it a bit boring. With due respect to the director, he sometimes got too much carried away with the ’’Phirangis and Seepoyees’’. The movie was making too constant shifts between these two utterly different walks of life. After the interval you suddenly feel that. hey ’’Mangal to Geyo’’ and the movie runs fast as possible. This made the audience feel a bit itchy on their seat and we saw people moving in and out for refreshments and the gossips begiining to start from time to time.
Music is good, few songs are excellent. few look to be really forced in between to bridge the gap. Rahman is hummable and Kailash Kher is too good with ’’Mangala Mangala’’
What it may be, let me tell you movie kindles a sense of patriotism in our hearts and makes us feel that you really need courage to even start a mutiny. Being deewana for the girl next day is easy, but moving ahead and giving life for your country is different.
Friends out there,
agar ho hindustani,
aur ata ho agar ankho main pani?
to mat bhuljana tum,
is mangal ki kahani,