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You do not sign films very easily. How did Mangal Pandey appeal to you?

Two things attracted me to this film: Firstly, I was amazed with the fact that this film is set about 150 years ago, in 1857 but the incidents of that time are still very contemporary. If you compare the global situation with Mangal Pandey, you will see that the events happening then in India is happening today in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I saw close parallels. At that time, the East India Company came to India and took over. They started ruling us. They started destroying our country economically and enforcing their social views on us. They said they were doing us a favour.

Today, America is doing the same to Iraq and Afghanistan. They say that they're solving the problems of the Iraqis and Afghans but the fact is that they are actually stealing. So Mangal Pandey is very contemporary.

Another reason why I did this film was because this person became the first martyr of the war of Independence. So it was an opportunity to play the part of a man who became the symbol of freedom. Very few people know who Mangal Pandey was. He was neither a king nor a statesman. There is nothing recorded about him. Whatever record we have about him is by the British.

Still, Mangal Pandey survived 150 years. He stood up against the huge British empire and said that he will not bow his head before them. That became iconic and inspired Indians to fight for freedom.

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