Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

Director:

Ashutosh Gowariker

Writers:

Ashutosh Gowariker (story)
Ashutosh Gowariker (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 May 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Once upon a time in India

Plot:

The people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers...

Plot Keywords:

British | Villager | Land Tax | Rain | Love

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 44 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Aamir Khan	...	Bhuvan
Gracy Singh	...	Gauri
Rachel Shelley	...	Elizabeth Russell
Paul Blackthorne	...	Captain Andrew Russell
Suhasini Mulay	...	Yashodamai
Kulbhushan Kharbanda	...	Rajah Puran Singh
Raghuvir Yadav	...	Bhura (as Raghuveer Yadav)
Rajendra Gupta	...	Mukhiya
Rajesh Vivek	...	Guran
Shri Vallabh Vyas	...	Ishwar (as Sri Vallabh Vyas)
Javed Khan	...	Ram Singh
Rajendranath Zutshi	...	Ismail (as Raj Zutshi)
Akhilendra Mishra	...	Arjan
Daya Shankar Pandey	...	Goli
Yashpal Sharma	...	Lakha

Also Known As:

Lagaan (India: Hindi title) (short title)
Land Tax (International: English title) (informal literal title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and some violence.

Runtime:

224 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi | English | Awadhi | Urdu

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Bhuj, Gujarat, India

Company:

Aamir Khan Productions

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Ashutosh Gowariker]an untouchable and a widower.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When they get to the last over, someone says they need 10 runs off 6 balls - but in those days there would have been 4 or 5 balls to an over.

Quotes:

[watching British play Cricket so they can learn, and they see the Umpire stick his finger up]
Tipu: Why is he pointing up?
Bhuvan: That's what I'M trying to understand.
Guran: Maybe he's calling for his Ma. She's sitting up there, eh?
[Laughing]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Pran Jaaye Par Shaan Na Jaaye (2003)

Soundtrack:

Radha Kaise Na Jale

Perfect First Time Bollywood Treat

This was my first full-fledged trip into Bollywood and I couldn't have asked for a better entry. While there were some inconsistencies in sound, overall I loved the picture. Some of the songs and dances were breathtaking and emotionally charged. In particular the number where Bhuvan and the young boy are sitting on a hill and they're shrugging their shoulders, soon getting the village into the act. The other number where Bhuvan and Gauri re-enact the love of Krishna and Radha in exquisite dancing. Also there were many moments of stunning, breathtaking images, including the women of the village seated in the temple praying for salvation. Absolutely stunning.

While I feel some judicious pruning could have trimmed the nearly 4 hour long version I watched (the DVD of which included an additional 17 minutes cut from this version) the picture did not seem nearly as long as it really was.

Aamir Khan is such an instantly likable presence and Gracy Singh is simply irresistible as Gauri.

Paul Blackthorne was a hilarious, old-school villain right out of a penny dreadful melodrama – and I mean this as a compliment.

Rachel Shelley's Elizabeth was a perfect blend of Victorian reserved beauty and free spirit and noble in her heartbreak.

So many other performances ran the gamut from old school "b" stereotypical characters to some original ideas.

The blending of melodrama (in its purest sense) true comedic moments (the hen keeper), self and enlightenment culminated in the scene where Bhuvan shocks the village by touching an untouchable; his stirring, heartfelt speech about brotherhood and putting away castes shaming the village into enlightenment.

Some of the criticism leveled at Lagaan is (I believe) unduly harsh. This is a charming movie and a perfect introduction into the joys of Bollywood.