Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

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

Director:

Ashutosh Gowariker

Writers:

Ashutosh Gowariker (story), Ashutosh Gowariker (screenplay)

Stars:

Aamir Khan, Raghuvir Yadav, Gracy Singh

Top Rated Movies #223 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 47 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Raj Zutshi	...	Ismail
Akhilendra Mishra	...	Arjan
Daya Shankar Pandey	...	Goli
Yashpal Sharma	...	Lakha

Storyline

This is the story about the resilience shown by the Indians when they were under the British Rule. They are already taxed to the bone by the British and their cronies, but when Jack Russell announces that he will double the Lagaan (tax) from all villagers, they decide to oppose it. Leading the villagers is a handsome young man named Bhuvan, who challenges them to a game of cricket, a game that is to be played by veteran British cricket players, versus villagers, including Bhuvan himself, who have never played this game before, and do not even know a bat from a piece of wood. As the challenge is accepted, the interest grows and attracts Indians from all over the region, as well as the British from all over the country - as everyone gathers to see the 'fair play' that the British will display against their counter-parts, who are aided by none other than the sister, Elizabeth, of Captain Rusell.

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Plot Keywords:

british | based on supposedly true story | cricket the sport | indian freedom movement | british raj | 

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Taglines:

Once upon a time in India

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Musical | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Aamir Khan Productions / indiatimes (warning: opens a big window, flash only) Aamir Khan Productions [India] (English)

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi English Awadhi Urdu

Release Date:

15 June 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Taxation: Once Upon a Time in India

Filming Locations:

Bhuj, Gujarat, India

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$285,368, 17 June 2001

Gross USA:

$70,147

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aamir Khan Productions, Jhamu Sughand Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

224 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Aamir Khan wore his wife's earrings for the role of Bhuvan.

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Goofs

When Gauri is singing alone at the end of "Radha Kaise Na Jale", she inhales while singing.

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Quotes

Burton: [smugly hits Yardley's ball for 4] How was that?
Yardley: [bowls a fast ball, knocking Burton back onto his own wicket, sarcastically] How was *that*?

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Connections

Featured in Bollywood for Beginners (2002)

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Soundtracks

Mitwa
Music by A.R. Rahman
Lyrics by Javed Akhtar
Performed by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh and chorus

User Reviews

A Magnificent and Overwhelming Fairytale – An Oscar Deserving

In 1893, India was a colony of England. The starving native farmers had to pay an imposed tax to the British soldiers for the protection of their lands, delivering most of their harvest to the British Queen. In those years, the lands were very dry due to the lack of rain, and the inhabitants of Champaner decide to request to their Rajah Puran Singh (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) to waive the taxes. While waiting for the Rajah, Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), the beloved friend of Gauri (Gracy Singh), comments that the silly game of cricket was a stupid game, comparable to the Indian child game 'gilli-danda'. The nasty and arrogant Captain Andrew Russell (Paul Blackthorne), who had had a previous discussion with Bhuvan, listens to his comment and challenges Bhuvan to play a match against the British team, imposing the following condition: if the natives win the game, they would not need to pay Lagaan for the next three years. Otherwise, they would triplicate their payment in that year. Bhuvan accepts the bet despite of the opinion of his people. The sister of Captain Russell, Elizabeth Russell (Rachel Shelley), finds the competition unfair to the Indians and decides to help Bhuvan and his friends, teaching them how to play cricket.

This movie is a magnificent and overwhelming fairytale. It really deserved an Oscar nomination! The nice and well-directed story has wonderful songs and interpretations, romance, treason, dispute, drama, beautiful messages, outstanding choreography, being a stunning film indicated as family entertainment. The expensive Brazilian DVD is a shame, showing a total lack of respect of the 'Columbia Tristar Home Video' with the Brazilian costumers: the important songs do not have subtitles in Portuguese. I changed the option in the 'Menu' to 'English', and there were subtitles in English. At least in the opinion of the ridiculous Columbia representatives, Brazilians shall learn English first to understand the wonderful lyrics sang in Hindi. I feel really sorry for those who cannot understand English, since they will miss the meaning of these songs. It is amazing how 225 minutes running time passes so fast when you see such a marvelous movie. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): 'Lagaan – A Coragem de Um Povo' ('Lagaan – The Courage of a People')