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Aamir Khan said Prince Charles was curious about the story and his character in The Rising. "He [the prince] is very knowledgeable. He knew the Indian history of that period."

About the film, Khan said, "We are looking at a story which happened 150 years ago. I researched as much as I could. Indians at the time did not believe in penning history. Most of the history is oral. There are songs and plays on Mangal Pandey.

"This film is not anti-British. Towards the end of the film, Mangal, a Brahmin, realises he was not good to the Untouchables either. It is a human story. Ketan [Mehta] has also done a lot of research."

Asked how he felt about Prince Charles giving the mahurat clap for a film against the British Raj, Khan explained, "This film is not against the Queen's rule, but the East India Company, which ruled India then. Captain William Gordon and Mangal are friends and Gordon wants to avoid bloodshed. He is the voice of reason and Mangal's is of awakening and questioning."

Khan said he would keep his moustache till the end of the film's shooting in May 2004: "People want to touch my moustache and see whether it is for real!"

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