The Golden Era of Indian cinema began in 1946 with Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and Chetan Anand's neo-realist classic 'Neecha Nagar', continued with Guru Dutt's seminal 'Kagaz Ke Phool', K. Asif's lauded historical epic 'Mughal-E-Azam' and came to an end circa 1970. With the advent of an increasingly derivative, arguably lowbrow, deluge of romantic-action movies, which put spectacle over story and alienated a swathe of discerning viewers in the process.

In 2001, method actor and art house aficionado Amir Khan produced and starred in the excellent 'Laagan' (a true story about Cricket, colonialism and how a rag tag band of Indian townsfolk learnt, played and beat the British occupiers at their own game). A significant departure from the kitschy fluff that tends to roll off the Bollywood conveyer belt, 'Laagan' proved to be a critical and commercial success.

Four years later, Khan follows up with 'The Rising: Ballad Of Mangal Pandey'. An impressive, visually arresting and well acted epic about 'The First Indian War Of Independence' against 'The British Empire'. The year is 1857: When the Brits begin lining biteable bullet cartridges with pig fat, it offends the religious sensibilities of both the Muslim and Hindu soldiers and proves an unlikely catalyst that flares up underlying tensions between master and slave. Amir Khan stars as Mangel Pandey, rank & file rifleman in the imperial regiment who instigates a populist revolt, in a bid to liberate India from British rule.

'The Rising' is, as its subtitle suggests, an unashamedly poetic and larger-than-life opus; one painted on a canvas broad enough to encapsulate diverse themes like the spirit of rebellion, culture, romance, defiance, patriotism and self-respect. It's a movie that makes no bones about its intent to lionize and bathe its subject in a positive light, which borders on divine. For Mangal Pandey was one of many heroic freedom fighters that shaped the course of history, and director Ketan Metha, despite some flaws, does his story justice.

Not as good as Manoj Kumar's Bhagat Singh biopic 'Shaeed' (1965) nor as perceptive an indictment of colonial rule as 'The Sword Of Tipu Sultan' (1989) or Satyajit Ray's 'The Chess Players' (1979). 'The Rising' is still a bold, vibrant and captivating historical drama; one which succeeds in recreating a period rarely depicted on film. Metha's mis-en-scene is awash with colour and cultural authenticity but the film's many musical numbers, albeit featuring the talented Rani Mukerjee, tend to distract from the serious subject matter at hand.

I'd recommend reading Amaresh Misra's excellent 'Mangal Pandey: The True Story of an Indian Revolutionary' for a detailed insight into the man and his world, but as it stands, 'The Rising' is the South Asian 'Braveheart' and certainly worth a look.