Lagaan (2001)

English translation: Land tax
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Story: Ashutosh Gowariker, Sanjay Daima, Abbas Tyrewala
Cast: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne  
Music: A.R. Rahman
Time: 224 minutes
Bottom-line: One of the best Indian films ever made; excels in every aspect

  This being my 50th review, I thought I will start writing reviews for Bollywood films as well. I start with Lagaan, one of my all time favourites. This 2001 film is the third Indian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and it certainly deserved that award, in my opinion. The running time is just shy of four hours, but once you start watching, time just flies by, and you hardly realize that a sixth of your day is gone.

Aamir Khan as Bhuvan

Sometime in the 19th century, Captain Russell (Blackthorne) has imposed very high taxes in the village of Champaner and adjoining villages in Gujarat. The people are not able to pay them because of a prolonged drought. One day, a group of villagers witness a cricket match played by the British officers. One villager, Bhuvan (Aamir) mocks the game. Taking an immediately dislike of him, Russell lays a bet, that if the villagers can beat the British in a cricket, he will cancel all the taxes for three years. However, if the villagers lose, they will have to pay three times the tax. Bhuvan, without the consent of others, accepts the deal. When the others understand about his decision they are furious with him. The only person who supports him is his love interest, Gauri (Gracy). However, Russell’s sister, Elizabeth (Shelley), feels sorry for the people, and with the help of an interpreter, Ram Singh (Javed Khan), she offers to teach the villagers the game. Eventually, Bhuvan does form a team. Does Bhuvan successfully manage to win the match against the British? Or are the founders of cricket too strong for the villagers? Watch Lagaan to find out!

Gracy Singh as Gauri

The story is excellent. When you see the screen time, you might think it will be very boring and slow. But the main plot begins almost immediately, after introducing all the characters in some incidents. The way in which Bhuvan shows inspiration and the way in which he changes the mind of the people from being hostile to him for accepting the deal, to making them follow him in his quest of beating the British, is excellent. The match that is shown at the end is filmed superbly, and by the time the match begins, you will already be so involved in the film that whether you know it or not, you will be supporting Bhuvan’s team, as if the match were an actual test match between Indian and England.

Blackthorne as Russell

 

Shelley as Elizabeth

         The acting plays a major role in this film, and if this film went all the way up to the Oscars, it couldn’t have done so without the great acting by all the actors. Aamir Khan has done extremely well. As I said, he acts so well that you are also inspired to take on a leadership and ‘make’ people follow you without blackmail and such. Gracy Singh has also acted very well. The two main British actors: Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne, have acted superbly too. The latter plays the role of Russell so well, that you as a viewer will really feel like hating him, though he is only a character. One incident where all the villagers act well, is during the song Ghanan Ghanan. When they see the rain clouds approaching, all their faces are lit up, and they sing and dance merrily. But soon, the clouds go away, and when they find out that there is no rain, their expression magically changes into sadness again.

The team

The songs are first-class. Great music, melody and a fantastic background score for the songs and during other incidents by A.R. Rahman provide some memorable songs. As a viewer, you will want to dance and celebrate the joy with the villagers during Ghanan Ghanan; you will be inspired to gear up for the battle during ‘O Mitwa!’ and during ‘Baar Baar Haan’.

The song 'Baar Baar Haan'

To sum up, Ashutosh Gowariker’s 2001 blockbuster Lagaan is a masterpiece in Indian cinema. There may be many films made about pre-independent India, and regarding freedom, like Madrasipattinam, Gandhi, etc, but no film can give the entertainment and quality as Lagaan. Great acting, great music, and a superb script make this sports-drama film a classic in Bollywood. Lagaan deserves every word of praise it can get.

My Rating: 5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 95%