The price of making a four hour film is that of having a much more difficult time holding the attention of your audience for its full runtime. In the case of Asutosh Gowariker's 2001 epic, Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India, it is rare to at any point have such a thought of losing interest in the cleverly crafted Bollywood film. Gowariker pays special attention to each and every shot as if it were its own innovative painting making sure there is always an array of activity to keep one's eye active.
Lagaan tells the story of a poverty-stricken Hindu town that is struggling to cope with the oppression and high lagaan taxes of the British Raj. Upon the initiation of a further increase in the tax, the peasants begin to speak out begging for the tax to be lowered. In result, the British officers lend the proposition of a cruel intended-deal; a game of cricket will be held between the British officers and peasants. If the peasants succeed in victory they are exempt of any taxes for the next 3 years, if they lose, they will pay triple lagaan. This erupts into a predictable yet touching Hindu rendition of The Mighty Ducks from this point on.
Although the story is cliché and somewhat overdone, it remains fresh to the naked eye due to the remarkable design outside of the script itself. Aamir Khan presents a beautifully performed display as Bhuvan, the only initial peasant to stand up for his community against the British. The supporting cast accents Khan to an ideal level as well, most notably Paul Blackthorne in the dark and immoral role of Captain Russell who plays the antagonist of this film with a respectable conviction and stereotypical "bad-guy waxed moustache."
This is a visual masterpiece as well composed of gorgeous sweeping shots and vivid color which never seems to fall off the deep end as too "cartoony." Somewhere at about an hour into this drama, we see a musical spontaneously erupt which is covered in long shots opposed to a montage style- an interesting approach to musical numbers in film. Down to the bone, this is a very typical film portrayed in a completely innovative and well-done way; the writing is beautiful throughout as are the performance. It's painful but honest to say that this film overcomes its shallowness by being simply "really damn entertaining."
Lagaan tells the story of a poverty-stricken Hindu town that is struggling to cope with the oppression and high lagaan taxes of the British Raj. Upon the initiation of a further increase in the tax, the peasants begin to speak out begging for the tax to be lowered. In result, the British officers lend the proposition of a cruel intended-deal; a game of cricket will be held between the British officers and peasants. If the peasants succeed in victory they are exempt of any taxes for the next 3 years, if they lose, they will pay triple lagaan. This erupts into a predictable yet touching Hindu rendition of The Mighty Ducks from this point on.
Although the story is cliché and somewhat overdone, it remains fresh to the naked eye due to the remarkable design outside of the script itself. Aamir Khan presents a beautifully performed display as Bhuvan, the only initial peasant to stand up for his community against the British. The supporting cast accents Khan to an ideal level as well, most notably Paul Blackthorne in the dark and immoral role of Captain Russell who plays the antagonist of this film with a respectable conviction and stereotypical "bad-guy waxed moustache."
This is a visual masterpiece as well composed of gorgeous sweeping shots and vivid color which never seems to fall off the deep end as too "cartoony." Somewhere at about an hour into this drama, we see a musical spontaneously erupt which is covered in long shots opposed to a montage style- an interesting approach to musical numbers in film. Down to the bone, this is a very typical film portrayed in a completely innovative and well-done way; the writing is beautiful throughout as are the performance. It's painful but honest to say that this film overcomes its shallowness by being simply "really damn entertaining."