Mangal Pandey - freedom at any cost : Aamir Khan

Mumbai, Jul 27: Amir Khan’s new release ‘Mangal Pandey - THE RISING’ is going to hit the theatres on 12 august. It is surely a much awaited affair, may be because of the new look of Amir with big mustaches and long hair. A few days back Amir was present along with the whole crew of Mangal Pandey on the music release at PVR Priya in the capital. Here are some parts of the press conference that took place.

Apart from working on your looks, what were the other details that you worked on for this role?

I read a lot about those times, and which followed a lot of research. But in most of the books there was a just a little bit of information about Mangal Pandey. And the new look is a result of giving Mangal Pandey’s character a proper sketch, so that it appears to be a bit more authentic. I performed as my director Ketan Mehta and story writer Farookh asked me to do.

How did you feel while performing such a strong role?

I really feel very proud that producer Boby Bedi and director Ketan Mehta selected me for such a role. Working in this movie is like a learning experience for me, because Mangal Pandey is a symbol of freedom. Mangal Pandey is the name of that person who wanted to attain freedom at any cost, the one who symbolizes true passion for freedom. . . . , who had the spirit to do something for his nation.

Will you be working only in movies based on themes like freedom and patriotism?

No, nothing of that sort. Mangal Pndey is not only a patriotic movie; it is a period film which talks about a person who acted as the first spark of revolt against the British for freedom. ”Mangal Pandey” had that fire in him which helped him to stand against the British rule.

What is the difference between the characters of ‘BHUVAN’ in 'LAGAAN' and ‘MANGAL PANDEY’?

The two characters are very different from each other; one is a cool headed chap, while the other is an aggressive character. For other details you have to go and watch the film.

Heard you have also sung in this movie?

Yes, after ‘Gulam’ I have sung a few lines of a song in this movie too. All went according to the wish of our music director, A.R.Rehman. It is a song on holi ,and it is very different from the one which I sang in ’Gulam’. It is because in this song I have tried to sing in melody whereas in Gulaam I just spoke out the lines.

After three to four years from "LAGAAN", "MANGAL PANDEY" is here at the theatres, how much time for the next project?

After “Mangal Pandey” my next release will be ”Rang de basanti”. I am planning not to keep such a big gap, but yes it will surely take eight months. I am trying to give at least one movie in a year to my audience. But I will do only one movie at a time, because I can’t work on different projects simultaneously, I am just not comfortable working like this.

Will the Indian audience appriciate your effort?

I am pretty sure that the audiences will appreciate this movie, simply because as a team we have put in our heart and soul to this movie. Lyrics, music, dialogs, each and every other aspect has been carefully studied and researched. Apart from this the movie is based on facts. The audiences will be able know about a character whose name is known to them, but they really don’t know much about him. Mangal is a character which will fill their hearts with excitement and thrill.

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Mangal Pandey - The Rising