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 Indian Movies #65 | 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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$70,147, 16 June 2002

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

First and only time, Aamir Khan and both his wives appeared in a single project.

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Goofs

The game of cricket is a test match. Bhuvan's team can't lose the match if the stipulated time is over. The match should end in a draw.

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Quotes

Umpire: No ball!
Capt. Russell: [as he and Yardley, slightly incredulous, go over to the umpire] What?
Umpire: No ball!
Yardley: You're kidding me...
Capt. Russell: "No ball"? What do you mean, "no ball"?
Umpire: His foot was over the line.
Capt. Russell: [Turning to Yardley] Yardley?
Yardley: Are you quite certain, umpire?
Umpire: I am not discussing it any further, sir. I suggest we get on with the game.
Capt. Russell: Very well...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Zero (2018)

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Soundtracks

Waltz for a Romance
Music by A.R. Rahman

User Reviews

Boy, was I surprised!

Okay, I am not from India, not even close. I am from Scandinavia. Before Lagaan I had never watched any Hindi movies of any kind. I know about 3 words from the hindi language. And I don't like musicals much. I viewed the movie on a DVD of rather poor quality compared to the state of the art DVDs I am used to. And I was told the movie lasted close to 4(!) hours... I figured this would be a complete waste of time... BOY was I wrong! This movie is completely the opposite! It is just amazing! Mr. Gowariker has selected an incredible cast with Aamir Khan in the lead. He makes an stunning performance as the village rebel, Bhuvan. He tries to unite the village in a struggle for life against the greedy Britons. The Britons exploit the villages by collecting lagaan (tax). This means that most of the harvest surplus is gone and there is just enough left for food for the farmers themselves. It's a classic war between "David", the native villagers of India, and "Goliath", the powerful and greedy Britons. But what makes it really interesting is that this war is fought in a Cricket arena. This is a challenge from the Britons, who are well known with Cricket, against the village, where most people have never laid eyes upon a cricket bat. If the villagers win, there will be no lagaan at all, for three years! And if the Britons win, they will collect triple lagaan, which will mean the end of the village. The stakes could not be higher!!

I can't remember a movie being this thrilling and having so much life in it. And the music has a huge impact thanks to the great voices of Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar etc. And the dancing is a chapter in itself! Few or none will leave this movie not remembering the song "Mitwa, sun Mitwa". It is a must see for everyone, inside and outside of India. And this movies has been totally righteously nominated for an Oscar too, and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes all the way to the top. It has my vote! It gets 10 out of 10 from me. Excellent!