Guwahati, Aug. 18 : Mangal Pandey has signalled a mutiny against the militant-imposed ban on Bollywood fare.

The much-awaited Mangal Pandey ? The Rising, directed by Ketan Mehta and featuring Aamir Khan, is being screened in two theatres in the Assam capital and running to near-packed houses despite the Ulfa?s continuing ban on Hindi films.

It is no coincidence that the Independence Day function in Guwahati on Monday attracted a huge crowd, too, in spite of the same militant group calling for a boycott.

Staffers at Apsara and Anuradha, the two halls that are screening Mehta?s film, said sale of tickets had increased between 30 and 40 per cent. Hall-owners and distributors expect the film to not only break even, but also trigger the resurgence of the cinema business in Assam.

?This is the best we have had since the Ulfa imposed a ban on Hindi films. Mangal Pandey ? The Rising is good news for us,? a distributor said.

Apart from fears of a militant backlash, cinema halls in Assam have had to battle stiff competition from pirated VCDs of films. Several halls have closed shop already, while those that have survived are struggling to stay in business. But Mangal Pandey ? The Rising has brought with it hope, never mind that pirated VCDs of the film reached the city two days after the commercial release.

Such is the confidence of hall owners in Mangal Pandey ? The Rising that they are planning to screen the film for at least three weeks. Until the Sepoy Mutiny saga happened, films were hard to sustain even for a week.

?After a long time, there is something to smile about in these troubled times. We feel it can last three weeks, perhaps even more, given the trend. But everything depends on the response the film receives in the second week, beginning tomorrow,? an employee of Anuradha cinema hall said.

An Apsara staff member echoed him. ?We have not had to put up a houseful board yet, but the average sale of tickets ? above 55 per cent ? is good by any standard. The series of blasts in the run-up to Independence Day affected the opening, but more people are coming in after each show. The excellent publicity of the film has helped business.?