To Mangal Pandey and the Bride

<div class="section1"><div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="26.3%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" fbfbfb=""> <div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script><br /><img src="/photo/400051.cms" alt="/photo/400051.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" fbfbfb=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Aishwarya Rai</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">The last time <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/345197.cms" target="_blank">Aamir Khan</a> took on the British Raj, he won a cricket match and made history with </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Lagaan</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">.This time around, he’s leading a mutiny and hoping that this slice of history will cause as much buzz across the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">"<a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/298205.cms" target="_blank">The Rising</a></span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic=""> </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">is the only film I am doing," says the actor, "which is also being made for the international market — shot in two languages and with a huge British cast."</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">The future is bright for Bollywood. While </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">The Rising</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""> might strengthen Aamir Khan’s foothold on the global scene, <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/290418.cms" target="_blank">Aishwarya Rai</a> is all set to become Bollywood’s hottest export to the West with Gurinder Chadha’s </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Bride and Prejudice</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">The reasons are obvious. </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Lagaan </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">gave Aamir visibility across the world, collecting a handful of awards at film festivals and finally capping it with an Oscar nomination. Aamir campaigned hard for his film, ensuring that it didn’t get dismissed as another absurd song-and-dance Bollywood flick. </span><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""><formid=367815></formid=367815></span><br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/285883.cms" target="_blank">The film</a> even did business of $285,368 across 34 US screens in June 2001. All this might just help Aamir generate a good amount of interest as Mangal Pandey in <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">The Rising</span>, which also has British actor Toby Stevens of Die Another Day.<script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script><br /></div> <div align="right" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="right" border="1" width="21.7%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" fbfbfb=""> <br /></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" fbfbfb=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Aamir Khan</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">If <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/388254.cms" target="_blank">Time magazine</a> is to be believed, <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/286194.cms" target="_blank">Aishwarya</a> will have an exciting 2004, considering she’s also slated to do a film with Meryl Streep. But Chadha’s </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Bride and Prejudice </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">is expected to whip up a lot of curiosity on the international scene. With Chadha’s </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Bend it Like Beckham </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">turning out to be huge box-office hit and a BAFTA nominee for Best British Film, there is tremendous interest in her next film. </span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Interestingly, Chadha’s other discovery, Kiera Knightley, has gone on to become one of Hollywood’s hottest new <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/356783.cms" target="_blank">actresses</a> after </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">Pirates of the Caribbean</span><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">. Hopefully, Aishwarya will be just as lucky.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""><formid=367815></formid=367815></span></div> </div>